With a strategically aimed slash of his sword, Zenith knocked the shield out of Sir Solstice's grip. The other knight stumbled and lost his balance, falling onto his rear with a tremendous crash.
"Whew," he gasped, shaking the hair out of his eyes. "You don't hold back at all, Sir Zenith."
"It's important to treat even practice spars as if they are real," Zenith said, sheathing his sword. "Only then can you ensure you are prepared for the battlefield."
He strode over to Solstice and held out his hand. Solstice eagerly took it, springing to his feet with his characteristic energy.
"Nonetheless, well done," Zenith continued. "Your offense is without flaw. You only need to focus on your defense more. Remember that your shield is an equal partner to your sword."
As he spoke, a distant sensation stirred in his core. Like a whisper, or the ghost of a memory. Hadn't he said almost these exact words before? To Lodovico, and to Novice Oren....
Indeed, looking at Solstice now, his golden eyes shining and a bright grin on his face, Zenith was so painfully reminded of the young sage that the breath caught in his throat.
"C'mon!" Solstice said, lifting his sword and shield again. "Let's keep it up!"
Not just Oren; that bluster and hunger for battle was very much like Kress too. When Zenith trained with the crew, she alone was willing to fight multiple consecutive rounds with him.
"Will you cut it out?" Equinox gave Solstice's cape a sharp tug. "You've had your time to shine, so give someone else a chance."
While Solstice sputtered protests, the sensation in Zenith's core deepened into an ache. Just like Kress always did for Nevy, Equinox expertly shut down Solstice whenever he became too excited. Or perhaps more like Cay, considering his caustic attitude. Sometimes he even reminded Zenith of Sam, the way she always had a quick retort for Ryan's antics.
Furious with himself, Zenith shook his head to clear it. He needed to stop seeing ghosts. The Knights of the Firmament were his comrades now; they had nothing to do with the crew he had left behind.
Yet every time he looked at them, he couldn't help seeing echoes of the people he had once known so well. Horizon stood off to the side, arms folded and surveying the scene in stoic silence. Just like Ryllis, or perhaps Lodovico. Meanwhile Meridian sat on the floor with her knees to her chest, furiously scribbling notes onto a pad. With that indefatigable curiosity, wasn't she the one who resembled Nevy the most?
"Sir Zenith." The sound of Azimuth's voice startled him. He whipped toward her, foolishly feeling as if he had been caught doing something he should not have.
When their eyes met, an unpleasant shock jolted down his spine. Once again, yet again, he had to remind himself it wasn't Theo gazing back at him with such obvious concern. Indeed, he was foolish for entertaining the comparison in the first place. In every aspect – build, sex, skin tone, hair and eye color – Azimuth bore no similarity to his former wizard.
Except for the way she looked at him, as if he was the only thing that existed in her view.
For the longest time, Zenith hadn't understood what it meant to be regarded with such eyes. Now Theo's voice whispered mockingly, I love you.
He clenched his teeth until his jaw ached. Some unkind part of himself toyed with the prospect of telling Azimuth to stop looking at him that way, to remind her such feelings were impossible for homunculi. But most of him cringed at the very idea of putting it into words.
Best to carry on with his proper duties as leader of the knights. Surely Azimuth, unlike Theo, would understand.
"Sir Zenith?" When she addressed him again, heat flushed Zenith's face. How could he let himself get distracted by idle musings?
"Yes, what is it?" he made himself say, looking Azimuth in the eye. To his relief, his voice betrayed none of the torment raging within.
"Is everything all right?" Azimuth asked. "Forgive my presumption, but you seemed lost in thought."
She didn't ask it like Theo would – hesitant, almost trembling. Instead, she sounded as calm and collected as himself. Professional, one soldier addressing another. Small as it might be, Zenith clung to the difference like a lifeline.
They were both homunculi, both knights in the service of Miria. He must never forget it. This was what he was now – what he always should have been. What he wanted to be.
For now, he might not be able to keep himself from comparing the knights to his former crew members. Perhaps it made sense, considering they were the people he had known the longest. But over time, as he settled in and adjusted to his new role, they would fade from his memory. As long as he gave no outward indication of his weakness, everything would be fine.
"My apologies," he said to Azimuth. "Shall we spar next?"
As he reached for his sword, Azimuth's eyes brightened. "I would be honored, Sir Zenith!"
Faint warmth bloomed in Zenith's chest, an emotion very much akin to fondness. But he shoved it aside without mercy and began stepping backward, putting distance between them in preparation for their spar. He drew his sword and the sharp sound of metal sang through the air, wiping away all thought in its wake.
Good. It was better not to think, anyway.
~*~
For the next two days, Zenith continued training with the knights. If he was to fight alongside them, he needed a full understanding of their skills and strengths. He'd had years to do so with his former crew, and months with Theo; even so, by the end of the second day he already felt quite confident in each knight's abilities.
Of course, not needing to take breaks helped tremendously. The only interruptions came when Cyrias paid brief visits. So far, Zenith had yet to see Astraeon again.
He had chanced to ask upon Cyrias's last visit. "He's quite busy, unfortunately," his creator had said. "As you can imagine, ruling a Fortress doesn't give a man much free time."
This made perfect sense. Indeed, he should be honored Astraeon had deigned to personally meet him in the first place.
Still, Zenith couldn't stop himself from wondering about his new liege, and what he must be doing in Miria. Was he listening to his subjects' petitions? Maintaining the Fortress's Levia supplies? Whatever it might be, Zenith had difficulty picturing it.
Then again, he had never given much thought to Miria Fortress. It might be Prince Darian's ultimate goal, but it had always seemed like a distant dream. Darian herself hardly ever brought it up.
Having never been there herself, she probably had as little an idea as Zenith. Now it was closer to his reach than it ever had been to hers.
A sudden realization came to him. Did that mean he would be the first of them to set foot upon a Fortress?
The instant the thought struck, he recoiled from it. Only those who had come into their power were allowed within Miria's gates. As a homunculus who lacked the ability to produce his own Levia, he would never be able to grow wings.
And he neither needed nor wanted to. His duty was to carry out his liege's will on the wasteland.
A clang echoed through the chamber, snapping Zenith out of his thoughts. Guiltily, he focused on the sparring knights. Meridian leaped at Equinox from the left, trying to strike his blind spot, but he brought up his shield in time. She broke her sword away and leaped back before he could counterattack.
Cautious and analytical, as expected from her. Meanwhile Equinox was graceful as the wind, practically dancing across the battlefield – a far cry from Solstice's relentless offense. Horizon in contrast used his great bulk to augment his defense, and Azimuth's style was the most balanced of the knights, the most similar to Zenith's own.
They would make a formidable team, Zenith was certain. Once they refined their ability to work together, the Infernal Legion stood little chance against them.
Though he tried to ignore it, impatience itched under his skin. The sooner they took on the Legion, the better. But of course, he didn't get to decide when.
Just then, warm golden Levia swelled in his core. The others felt it too; Meridian and Equinox instantly ceased their sparring, and together the knights turned toward the elevator.
Not a moment later, the doors slid open. Cyrias stepped through, wings proudly outstretched. Even from this distance, Zenith could tell he was smiling.
"Hello, everyone!" he called, clapping his hands. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but I've got an announcement to make. Very soon, we'll reach Infernal Legion territory. Are you ready to test out your skills, my knights?"