Radiant

[20:19] She led the pair to her favourite usual spot upon the Hill. Yuri knew it well - but did Avlainn? It didn't matter in this moment.

"You both understand dearly what we stand against at this moment." She began, her gaze shifting between the two. "Tell me what you'd plan in the face of this future march within a little under three years?"

A question, free of an exactly right answer for there weren't any. It was up to them to use their brains - to show that they had it in them. She trusted them both, and she had a feeling they both held the capacity.

But it was time to pit them against each other in something other than combat.

"Any Knight can fight, competently or not. Any Knight can give their life for their people and for the royal family. But it takes a true leader to think with more than just your weapons. Show me how you use your brains."

She crossed her arms.
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[20:26] This spot was a cursed one for many reasons. Heartbreaks, grief, pain, and the destruction of one's mind and heart had occured in this very spot. He hated it. Now more than he used to.

Anastasia's ability to be discrete about launching them into a test was abyssmal. Was she even trying to hide it? Maybe. Maybe not. They were being quizzed for one reason or another, that he was sure of. Why? He could not answer.

Though one question he could answer was the Lightbringer's.

"I-"

Breathe in. Breathe out. Stabilize your mind. Be confident. Learn from their words. Learn from her words.

"... I don't think Nysea is safe anymore. As much as we all love it, it's too small. Our armies were wiped out on the frontlines. We've already seen that moving away doesn't... mean we've lost. I think it's best we avoid being crushed like we were in Osrona and focus on protecting what the Demons want more than all: The Vale."

A coward's way, yet it was Yuri's. It had its own logic and thoughts put behind it.

"If we move our people and our forces to Myllenoris we can benefit eachother, train harder, make use of their crafters - we have a clear lack of artificers - and have everyone ready by the time those three years pass."
(Yuri)
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[20:35] The weight of what they stand against is no small thing. He knows it just as well as everyone present and even those who are not all too up to date on the scope of their fairings.

Nysea will be crushed in the face of demon kind and their subsequent allies in a long run to reach the Vale and all those present. And it wasn't to say that the chance for victory was zero, it was not. But it was very slim with their front and backs exposed.

To ask what one would do beyond combat is an impossibility. The likelihood of coming upon such a time is absolute. Their time of reprieve fleeting. There can be no 'what if' only the 'when it does' come about. And that means they have to be prepared.

Moving is obvious.
It is a conversation he has had.

To state his view on that specifically will lead to him repeating Yuri in all but direct words, not quite verbatim but similar either way and he has no want to do that.

"There isn't a solution that will make this any easier, or any better for us. We can move and run and fortify to the best of our abilities but eventually we will have to fight. For that, I say we strike at their heels.

Our enemies currently aren't just Demons anyhow. Cripple their staying power, their reserves."
(Avlainn)
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[20:44] Frankly, she didn't care if they both knew it was a test. They didn't know why, and she wouldn't tell them until it was too late. Yuri spoke his mind - of fleeing Nysea and relocating to Myllenoris. A coward's move, once that she honestly shouldn't have been surprised from.

Yet on the same hand? He mentioned Myllenoris' crafters, he mentioned the benefits of such a relocation. To train with each other. Avlainn on the other hand went the opposite direction. Instead of running, he spoke of facing the enemy while their backs were turned - much as he had done the other day against Tyranny.

It was almost laughable in a way, how each of their answers betrayed who they were as a person deep down. She knew there was more to them beyond that - Yuri had reacted decisively in the face of Atlas' death, and Avlainn through his reckless behavior had lost against Tyranny. A sigh escaped the Lightbringer.

"There is no right answer to this. It's a hard and difficult decision. There are merits to both - we evacuate to Myllenoris and we shore up our resources, and we train. We better everyone that will be fighting. There is no us and them when it comes to Myllenoris… It's us and that darkness." She said, her head nodding eastward, vaguely in the direction of Theria itself.

"But there is also merit to run and nip at their heels when they don't expect it. Perhaps they're low on resources, perhaps their men aren't prepared. But we don't know their logistics the same as they don't know ours." There's a pause as she weighed them both carefully. Their skills in combat was not to be questioned, so that wouldn't do. Eventually, there's a sigh.

"If you hold standing order to retreat if your Queen falls in combat, what will you do?"
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[20:51] Perhaps both Avlainn and Yuri's responses would be the same with that question. What would they do if they had orders to fall back in case Aeliana died? From his lips escaped a truth that still held to this day, no matter the storms they weathered as a trio.

"I wouldn't be alive to answer that if it has to come after her death."

An implication of a blind, fearless sacrifice for the one he served. If there was one place where cowardice existed not in his heart it definitely was when it came to dying for Aeliana's sake. Though... that probably wasn't an answer satisfying enough on a test, was it?

".. If.. If I had to watch it I'd like to say I would make everyone retreat, as ordered."

But it wasn't that simple, was it?
Don't let love be the death of duty.

Could he really follow those words, in the end?
(Yuri)
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[21:05] "I see. What you're asking is. . ." he cuts himself short, sighing deeply.

The way Alexander asked her, the way she likely regretted it, the way she has to live through each day knowing that there was nothing she could do to secure his life.

It must be an internal conflict of torture with each passing day. A struggle that lives on even now, more so with her inability to save Atlas. Anastasia was a tormented soul.

He glances over, beyond her and toward the Queen(Princess) not very far away.

"In the end, Anastasia. I will give my very all for the protection of the people. But above even that, even I. . am a selfish man. I will do my duty to its utmost end. My oath."

The protection of the Petrakis.
To live, and die, by her side.
(Avlainn)
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[21:12] If this had been a laughing matter she would have done so. Their answers once more betrayed them both - a testament to who they were as people.

Yet Anastasia did not laugh and she did not smile. For her, this was a serious matter. She's quiet, and they both could feel a heavy weight that bore down upon each of them. The cosmic magic which she held seemed far stronger upon this hill at that very moment.

For perhaps...

Her hope had been rekindled. After Alexander's death it had been stamped out from a blazing fire to a more somber flame. After Atlas' death even that had been stomped out into mere embers. They weren't all to blame for that sudden burgeoning flame within Anastasia's heart and her soul. Her will. Her drive. There was another... But that didn't matter in this moment.

A hand lands itself upon her hip, and she stares at them both.

"I'll tell you precisely what I was told, a long time ago." She began, a solid stare being offered to each of them in turn before she spoke. "Don't let love be the death of your duty. Remember those words and stand by them. You'll have regrets over the choices you make. You'll face people who may refuse to listen to your orders if they're older than you. You'll have to wrangle literal children who wish to become Cadets because they're bright eyed and bushy tailed, and want to be heroes."

There's a pause.

"Don't squash their dreams, because you'd be surprised at what those younger than you can accomplish."

Now, there's a gesture - pointed in front of her upon the ground.

"Both of you come closer and kneel."
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[21:17] Advice imparted upon him by the lips of someone who has tasted both grief and joy.

They come upon him and search for an entry point. Eventually they manage their way in, words soaking up the potential knowledge of losing someone else, the idea that it could all come crashing down.

But they are to keep going even then. Despite pain and hurt and suffering they are to stand on their feet and make steps for a brighter future regardless of what has happened. He understands this.

It leads him to levitate forward before his feet touch the ground. It wasn't surprising what would follow if what he felt was correct. But he's not. . looking forward to this.

He can feel an iron grip cast its pressure over his heart as he takes to a knee.
(Avlainn)
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[21:18] The pressure weighted down upon him and it almost felt like he was losing grasp of what was going to happen next. These past few years had been rough. Death. Heartbreak. Pain. Betrayal. Reality had hit him harder than he'd expect it to, and he'd been orphaned by war itself.

His breath was cut short when Anastasia made a demand he recognized all too well. Could he really accept what was to come? It was a dream to become Lightbringer, wasn't it? It had lost its sheen, its beauty but it still remained... important.

In some odd way.

Feet brought him closer. A nervous glance is shot to Avlainn first, ensuring that he was moving alongside himself, then one towards Aeliana, displaying the fear he carried with such a load of new tasks on his plate.

The red headband beneath his hair flows not with the breeze, but it begins to feel heavier to him. The grass that bends beneath his sandals is soon greeted by a knee.

Gravity's pull was immense.
(Yuri)
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[21:24] As they came closer and knelt there upon the grass and upon the hill, Anastasia stared at them. Stern and unbending. She was hesitant upon this but if not them - then who else?

Someone had to be there to pick up the reigns when she inevitably ceased to be. That didn't mean she was selecting them both simply because they were warm bodies to take up the spot... No. They each had their own way of going about things, and that was what was needed. Differing opinions, and work towards reaching a compromise.

"You'll take another oath. You both know the words - repeat them here and know, and allow the stars and the heavens themselves to be your witnesses. They will always ensure your oath holds true; do not deviate from what you believe to be the right thing... For often times? It may be the hardest choice you have to make."

There's a deep inhale and she nods.

"Repeat your oaths - one more time." She said. The key point being she did not say one last time... For perhaps there would be another, in the future. In the far off distance. "And then rise as Radiants of the First Light, both of you."

She wasn't going to hand hold them at this point - this was their graduation from being seen as children to her, and as being seen as near equals.
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[21:35] Another oath. Another step closer to the top. Perhaps there was an ounce of fear in his heart; for if he were to raise up from the ground twice more it would mean he would have lost yet another. An anticipation of the fearsome future that awaited them in the First Light.

Still, lips parted.

"I swear to serve the Petrakis lineage unquestionably. To uphold justice, the law. To serve as the shield in times of peace and the sword in times of war. I swear to be a model human being, upstanding and addressing your superiors by their respective titles."

A pause held, one to give him the time to consider his next words, to consider his promise. To consider the truth in his heart. Hiding under hair that hung before his face emerald hues glances towards Aeliana. If he was to renew his oath, then-

".. I also promise to always be there for Aeliana. In good times as well as in bad times.

No matter what."

Perhaps this was the first step to mending the damaged bond between himself and the others. To reaffirm, to re-confirm that he still would uphold that promise made in muddy waters all those years prior.

They had grown past emotional disputes over love.
The Cobalt Knights were a family, weren't they?
And Yuri was one to never let go.

His gaze lingered upon the Queen for a while longer, hoping that it would bring a smile to her face, hoping to pierce through the darkness of war itself.

.. and not before long he rose up.

As Radiant of the First Light Yuri.
As Ser Bestest Ever Friend of Nysea.
He hoped to remain as such.
(Yuri)
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[21:44] Another oath.
Another step forward on the totem pole of ranks.
It should be a time for joy, for happiness and relief because his efforts were recognized. But that wasn't the case at all.

That grip that had taken his heart internally only increased in pressure as the words nearly choke him from within. Rise as a Radiant? How could he do such a thing when the late Alexander had given those words to him.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go and the moment only solidifies just how much of a bind they were in now. Avlainn closes his eyes with a deep taking in of air. He holds it there to try and do anything about this slowed beating heart of his. To allow his lungs the chance to revel in sweet reprieve.

When he exhales he can feel his eyes open and he takes in the both of them once more. "I can't."

His eyes harden, "In all ways, I'll put my best foot forward. I'd give my life for Nysea and its people, and above even that I'd transcend life and death for Aeliana, but the rank of Radiant. It's not something I can accept."

Anastasia witnesses him, has witnessed him. His rashness, his firm belief in some actions. That is not for a Radiant to do, he is far too reckless at times. That shouldn't be who someone looks up to.

"I wasn't meant to. . "

To spill what had happened between Alexander and he, even after the mans death. It's not possible for him. "Thank you for the honor, but I just can't."
(Avlainn)
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[21:45] The Crown Princess maintains her silence through it all. After all -

She stood not merely to witness her two closest take that extra step, but to 'evaluate' - if she even had the right - Anastasia's first act as Lightbringer. A Queen should have a hand in all things.

She wished it were different.

Thus, when two afore he rise to the rank of Radiant, there's a lick of joy upon that delicate mien of hers -

Yuri's oath bestows a smile, while Avlainn's response wipes it away. She'd expected as much.

There's naught but deathly silence from her.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[21:47] Yuri's oath was taken and expected and he rose as a man.

But Avlainn? He had refused a rank she knew he'd do fine with simply because...

"Why?" She questioned now, head tilting curiously. Yuri was all but forgotten. While she had been pleased with his oath and his responses... Avlainn's own had disrupted the entire thing. He had been rash and reckless, but with Yuri's more meek approach she was sure they'd level each other out.

A balancing act.

They would learn how to work together and make decisions together.

"You have the strength to back you. You have the desire to protect Nysea and it's population, as well as the Petrakis line. You listen to orders - mostly - when they come. So why? Don't lie, either."

Because she'd know the lie.
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[21:54] Where he made the approach alongside Avlainn he rose alone. His worries festered and even the likes of Aeliana's smile couldn't break that fear. Things were... good. They were nice. They could've taken the time to be happy - to deal with his project, to go have a drink together. To just... appreciate the present.

Yet Avlainn's refusal crushed that, leaving this newly-minted Radiant... speechless.
(Yuri)
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[21:55] "It was never a matter of strength or desire."

He isn't going to toot his own horn and claim he's got more than the strength to act in the standings of a Radiant, nor will he say his desire triumphs over another. It simply was not the cause.

The young man closes his eyes once more as he relives the conversation in his head, that day. It was at least five years ago now, wasn't it? "It was a promise I made to a man now gone." One they all know.

He's knelt even now, "The man who even made it possible for me to get to where I am today. Without him. . I wouldn't even have," the most important thing to him, that is the line. But to say it?

"I wouldn't have what matters most to me." No longer could it be denied. Then again, he never had. "Do I forget about the words between us, now? Because he's gone? I wouldn't feel right."
(Avlainn)
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[21:58] Now there's a frown that flickers onto her face.

"What? Do you believe you can't protect Aeliana while being a Radiant?" She questioned, head tilting this way and that. He was still knelt, and Anastasia's gaze upon him was cold and calculating - an attempt to figure out just what it was he was speaking of.

She knew of the person he referred to. She'd have to be an idiot to think otherwise.

"What promise did you make to Alexander and why would it block you from this, here and now?"
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[22:06] I can protect her while as a Knight.

He doesn't need a promotion to do that, he truly feels. But even still he couldn't say one hundred percent that even that was the truth. With how dangerous Demons were, it was easier to say that he would give his all to make sure she got away, whatever may happen whilst this goes on is whatever happens.

"That's not it." It's all he says on the topic of protection and instead he launches into the next bit. Choosing instead to look at that portion.

"The promise I'd made ensured that I would step back from military aspects as a whole when it came to promotions and constant battles. As a Knight, I'm sure I wouldn't move even a step further." Words he'd shared with Yuri a long, long time ago runs through his mind.

I'll never reach Lightbringer.

Even if dragged, he simply had not the ability, because of his promise. "To remain by her side, to do my best to provide her comfort and do my best to provide safety as well." Sure, now it seems a little reckless. And maybe it had been his attempts to shield Avlainn from the harshness of life as a suitor to Aeliana? Because he had been so young?

There wasn't a way for him to know.

"It just. . doesn't seem fair, is all." Maybe he still mourns the fallen King and maybe that holds up a block of sorts. There was nothing truly preventing him from stepping forward. But there is much guilt upon him.
(Avlainn)
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[22:13] There was a gesture, indicating for him to stand. It'd be silly for him to remain there, on his knee, while speaking. Of what he said some of it made sense and other bits and pieces of it did not.

There's a brief glance towards Aeliana in silence, a raised eyebrow offered to her. As if to say really?. Eventually however her eyes roam back to Avlainn.

"Stubborn." She answered briefly and simply, before releasing a sigh. There was a wave of her hand, the act of dismissal itself was so common and easy for her given it had been ingrained into her as a noble youth. "Then go. Just know the spot is open for you when you feel you can move past..."

That same hand gestured vaguely towards him. Frankly? She didn't understand teenagers and she wasn't that far off from one herself.

"Whatever it is."

There's a sparing glance from Avlainn and Yuri both now.

"Also don't forget to head to Myllenoris to work on that tournament." Did she have to do everything herself? For she truly did not wish to. "For now... That is all. You're dismissed."
(Anastasia ven Astor)
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[22:18] And with it, so too is she -

A heavy step to draw her past Lightbringer, Radiant, and Avlainn. That glance of Anastasia's isn't reciprocated in any meaningful manner. Her command of her 'Kingdom' could not supersede a promise made to her father.

And would she force it, even if she wanted to?

Avlainn needed no title nor oath to stand for the good of all things and to protect her. She knew that.

"Congratulations, Radiant. Harking back to the traditions of old, ensure you pick your sigil and you pick it well."

And then she's gone, swept back to the confines of Nysea. Evacuation preparations would need to be underway.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)