"My, I have such an eager student." Chuckling, Meg shook her head. "Be warned, these are a lot harder than ordinary spells. The diagrams are more complex and require more Levia, not to mention your Levia must resonate precisely with your familiar's. If you don't have a strong bond, you can't get anywhere."
A strong bond. Theo glanced at Zenith, who nodded. Unbidden, Theo found himself remembering their silent dance, the gentle pressure of Zenith's touch on his waist, the way Zenith's eyes had glowed in the darkness, and a heat that had nothing to do with his Levia pooled in his chest.
If even Ryan had enough of a bond with Avia to cast these spells, then Theo and Zenith should be able to pull them off without a problem.
"All right!" The next thing Theo knew, Meg approached him and dumped a stack of books into his arms. His knees buckled under the unexpected weight.
"First things first, you're going to study these spells. I don't want you casting them until you've got them perfectly memorized, we clear?" Meg said, wagging a stern finger. "Well, get to work!"
That done, she skipped off to supervise Sam and Darian, leaving Theo alone with Zenith. Holding the books was making his arms ache; Theo bent down to lower them, only for Zenith to grab the top few from him.
"Whew, thanks," Theo said, and was rewarded with a slight smile from the knight. It might have been his imagination, but he felt like Zenith had started smiling more often after their dance.
Not to mention this smile seemed brighter than usual, making his eyes sparkle. But they weren't nearly as bright as his Levia, pulsing with an eagerness that made Theo's blood race too.
"You're really looking forward to this, aren't you?" he found himself saying.
"Ah – I – I suppose." Zenith blinked a few times. "Forgive me, it's just – I've only used my elemental powers once or twice before, in moments of extreme duress. To be able to access them at will, with your help....."
He trailed off and lowered his gaze, seeming embarrassed. Affection swelling inside him, Theo patted Zenith's arm. "Of course. That's what I'm here for. So what are your powers, anyway?"
When Zenith lifted his head, his gaze was steady and piercing. "Controlling light."
Light. It suited him, Theo thought with a smile. Just like his Levia. Unlike his own soft dawn glow, he felt that Zenith's light resembled the rays from the high noon sun, harsh and uncompromising.
When their light combined, they had accomplished miracles. Who knew what they'd be able to do if they continued growing stronger together? Defeat this fire-wielding rogue. Maybe even save Victor for good.
But he was getting ahead of himself. For now, he needed to start by cracking those books open.
~*~
In the forever-dawn arena, Theo had no way to tell how much time passed. So it came as a surprise when he heard footsteps approaching and Darian's voice said, "Hey, why don't we take a break?"
"Huh?" Theo looked up from his sketchbook. Darian was standing in front of him, hands on her hips and head cocked, Sam beside her. To his surprise, Zenith was with them too.
Theo had thought Zenith was training on his own; unfortunately he couldn't do much to help in the early stages of learning a new spell. So Theo had been sitting here by himself copying the elemental spell over and over again. To his dismay, he was having less success than he hoped, and not because the diagram was especially complicated – it was pretty much the same level as some of his dream diagrams.
Which was actually the problem. Unlike with the simpler diagrams he'd learned so far, his hand kept trying to drift into the familiar patterns he'd drawn for years.
"I said, I think it's time for a break," Darian said, bending toward him. "You've been at it for more than three hours."
"Three hours?" Theo echoed, startled. He really must have gotten absorbed in his work.
"Yep, and now I need to pee! So c'mon, break time!" Sam yelled, hopping from foot to foot.
"What the hell? You can leave and come back anytime you want, you know!"
"What, you wanna stay here?" Sam pouted.
Theo glanced at the half-drawn diagram on the sketchbook page. Yes, in fact, he did. It was silly, but he'd told himself he was going to successfully memorize this spell today. He'd wanted to do it for Zenith's sake, and it made him feel kind of pathetic that he still hadn't.
"Theo." When Zenith spoke, Theo started. "My liege is right. You don't need to work yourself so hard."
"But – but I still haven't – "
"There's no need to rush," Zenith said gently. "You still have time."
"Right, right!" Sam was jogging in place now, throwing longing glances in the door's direction. "It's not like that rogue's gonna attack this exact moment, y'know!"
Theo sighed. Some part of him still didn't want to give up, but he had to admit the others had a point. When even Zenith of all people was telling him to take it easy, it was probably time to give it a rest.
"Okay, fine." He set down the sketchbook and stood up. "Where's Meg and Lodo?"
"They had to go back to the shop," Sam said, hands behind her head. "See? You really have been spending too long here!"
"I get it, okay?" Yeah, even on a weekend he didn't normally stay inside the arena for three hours straight. Besides, it wasn't as if he needed to be in the arena or even Meg's place to memorize this spell; he could take the book home and work on it in the evening. For now, some rest might do his tired eyes a lot of good.
Zenith gave him an approving nod when Theo approached the group, which banished his remaining doubts. As soon as he caught up, Darian snapped her fingers so loudly he jumped.
"Excellent. Now that we're all in agreement, let's go check out that new boba place, shall we?"
"Huh?" Theo boggled at her.
"It opened just this week. I've got coupons." Darian triumphantly whipped out her phone. "Let's not waste any time."
So that was her ulterior motive. But boba did sound nice on a warm spring afternoon, and life wasn't just about becoming a strong wizard. Otherwise, he might as well end up just like Victor or Ryan.
He couldn't forget why he was fighting, why he wanted to become strong in the first place. For his friends.
"Let's gooooooo!" Sam chose that moment to shriek, running in place at the edge of the platform. Sighing, Theo dispelled the arena, and the instant it dissolved a grateful Sam went thundering up the stairs in search of the nearest bathroom.