The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 1: Second Month, Part 1

"What's the basic rule of manifesting an Animarta?"

"Master, I know the basic rule. I can manifest Erebos just fine," Nox said with a sigh.

Estella glared at him. "Just answer the question, Nox."

He grunted, and crossed his arms. "A Wielder needs a desire to manifest their Animarta. The stronger the desire, the stronger the Animarta will be."

"And what is this desire?"

Nox shrugged. "It can be anything. Love, victory, the desire to be stronger."

"The desire to succeed," Estella said. The first time she manifested Astra was still fresh in her memory. She was just seven then, and she had badly wanted to defeat her mother in a duel that Astra came to her in a whirl of flames and a blinding flash of light. "What about you? What's your desire?"

She wanted to know. No, she needed to know. What fueled her Squire to be able to match her? To Resonate with her?

"I want to be a Knight," he answered in a flat tone. Simple and to the point.

"I see." Estella didn't let her disappointment show. Was that all there was to it? She had expected something grand, like wanting to be a hero or to become the strongest Wielder. She had not expected something so common and typical.

Still, she was not that different. Her desire was very much the same, albeit for a higher rank.

For the next couple of hours, Estella tested Nox on various subjects—history, magic, politics, strategy, among other things. Surprisingly, he answered most of the basic questions, a testament of his extensive knowledge prior to the Selection Day. But when it came to those that any second-year should know, he failed horribly.

"Haven't you been paying attention to your classes?" she grumbled during a break. They were in the library, so they had enough research materials to review from. But Nox was lagging behind considerably compared to the other sophomores. She would need to teach him during her free time, and maybe even until the evening.

"I was." He spoke slowly, and something about his tone made Estella frown. Finally, he sighed and said, "I have trouble keeping up with my studies."
Estella closed the book and stared at him with interest. "Why is that?"

Nox shifted in his chair uneasily. "I don't know. Ever since I was a child, I have difficulties absorbing information."

"Unless it involves swordsmanship or magic."
He nodded, and Estella could detect the ghost of a smile. "Yes. I can memorize techniques and spells just fine."

"Well, you're not the only one." Estella shook her head. She had given her tutors endless headaches because she kept ignoring other branches of knowledge except for those that interested her. "But that can be fixed, especially if someone helps you."

Nox grimaced. "Is that really necessary?"

"Unless you want to fail the Assessment Exam and disgrace me, yes, it is." Her tone was sharp. She really had to fix that lone wolf attitude of his. "Now then, I need to go attend History." She handed him a sheet of paper, which he scanned over. When he finished, he looked at her with a scowl.

"I'm suppose to read all of this?" he asked, bewildered.

She smirked. "Not suppose to. You will, my Squire. I expect nothing but the best from you. Oh, and starting tonight, you will be sleeping next to my room. Make sure you bring everything you need. I want you to be there by eight in the evening. We still have much to discuss."

She stood, leaving him with a dismayed look. If it were any other individual, they would probably be drooling at the prospect of sleeping near her, but it didn't have such an effect on Nox. If anything, he seemed uncomfortable.