Celeste Academy One Shots

Familiarity

Valeriana still didn't understand why everything ended the way it did. The war was over; Vladis and his demonic armies had been defeated. Despite the victory, all Valeriana and the rest of the Twelve could feel was pure loss. Her heart ached and the stream of tears never stopped running down her face. Everyone, even his parents, kept saying there was no other way they would've won if he hadn't sacrificed himself. She smiled at this thought. That idiot devil was nothing if not selfless.

Valeriana and the rest of the Twelve were sitting in a small living room. The unbearable silence weighed over each of them like a suffocating blanket. Occasionally, you would hear a sniffle from one of the rankers or a painful sigh from Valeriana. Each and every one of them were not only grieving, but angry at themselves for allowing not only their leader, but their comrade and friend, to fall in battle as Corvan had.

Slowly, the door to the room slowly creaked open as Headmaster Kylon entered the room followed by His Majesty King Bertram and Corvan's family. Lord Rupert's face was colder than ice and Lady Saskia had very obviously been crying. Adelline stood behind them vigilantly, even though her chin trembled. Little Emmillyse broke free of her mother's grip and flung herself onto the fifth-ranker's lap. Quickly, Valeriana cut off any part of her memory that would concern Corvan's death, so that Emmi wouldn't be able to see what happened.

The little girl's eyes were wide with fear as she asked the one question Valeriana had hoped she wouldn't. Before answering, she rubbed her lips together and blinked back her tears as she nodded her head confirming the youngest Wylden's thoughts. She didn't ask anymore questions and wrapped her tiny arms around the fifth-rankers neck as she cried. Sobs escaped her small frame, and Valeriana just stroked her hair and rocked her gently.

Bertram cleared his throat before he began to speak,"The death of Lord Corvan is truly devastating, but his sacrifice-"

"Shouldn't have had to been made," Valeriana said through gritted teeth as she cut the young king off. She continued to run her hand comfortingly up and down the little girls back that now trembled with every breathe.

"She's right. Corvan-," Tamara began, but was unable to finish her sentence as Brindon stopped her mid sentence by holding his hand up, palm outward.

"Was doing what we all have been trained to do," the typically quiet twelfth-tanker said with a tinge of anger in his voice. Suddenly, the entire Celestial Circle were on their feet yelling at each other. Lady Saskia began to cry again, and Emmillyse fled from the room when the tension began to build.

"Enough! We would have all died if Corvan hadn't made the decision to slow Vladis down. He didn't die in vain and will be always be remembered as a hero," Headmaster Kylon said loudly, effectively silencing the room. By this point, Valeriana was staring forward in a daze.

Corvan's...body has been placed in sort of catacomb until King Bertram, Avaro and the equivalent of a Valemian priest could perform his last rights. As his betrothed, Valeriana was in charge of picking the outfit he would be in at his funeral and for setting the pyre aflame. She was in complete disbelief of what happened, and her mind kept replaying it over and over in her mind. She watched Corvan drag himself to standing position right before Vladis thrust his sword straight through the Arlandian Lord's chest. He was dead before any of the twelve could even reach him.

Every now and then, the fifth-ranker would reach out with her aura, hoping to sense Corvan. She knew it was impossible, but she held onto this unwavering sense of hope that he would just wake up. Slowly, she reached down a few floors below them to just check. Valeriana knew she had to stop because he wasn't going to come back. Bertram was speaking again, but his words never entered her mind. Her heart was broken and not even condolences offered by the king, could change that.

Emmillyse had long since left the living room. Out of nowhere, the little girl reappeared and shoved open the large wooden door before tripping over her skirt. Before she could face plant, Adelline steadied her. The little girl's eyes were still red, but her eyes had a different light in them. She was frantic and breathing heavily. Seeing this Valeriana furrowed her eyebrows and sat forward on the edge of the chair she was sitting in.

"Emmillyse, what is it," Keelan asked her gently. Valeriana and her locked eyes.

"Can you feel it?"

"I-I don't understand. What do you feel Emmi," Valeriana said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Focus. There's something happening!"

Listening to the girl, Valeriana stood from the couch and sat in the lotus position on the rug in the middle of the room. The rest of the circle watched her curiously as she did her thing. Taking a deep breathe and closing her eyes, Valeriana allowed her aura to take in every other presence near her. Once she felt centered, she opened her eyes and noticed that everyone's pain reflected in their aura's, but Emmillyse was right. There were ripples moving through the air that were gold and red tinted. She watched with a bit of confusion as it began to concentrate into an orb like form.

"Can anyone else see that," the fifth-ranker questioned as she stood up and began to walk towards it.

"Valeriana, what do you see," Charles asked as he stood himself. The rest of the Circle followed suit as they gathered behind the blonde as she took slow steps towards whatever she could see. The closer she stepped towards it, the more the...aura seemed familiar. Looking over her shoulder, she made eye contact with Adelline. Immediately, she gently put her arm on her mother's shoulders and grabbed her little sister's hand as she guided them out of the living room. Lord Rupert, who suddenly seemed very exhausted, followed after his grieving wife. Valeriana let out a small sigh of relief knowing that the rest of the Wylden's had left the room. She didn't know what would happen with this aura.

Her instincts were telling her that this presence wasn't threatening. Without thinking, she reached out and gently caressed it. A feeling of strength, compassion and even a bit of playfulness seemed to flood into her veins and then fill the room. For the first time in the past 27 hours, she felt warmth and it was one she recognized. As quick as the red and gold orb appeared, it suddenly dispersed and Valeriana's knees buckled. Rowe was standing behind her and quickly caught her before she could collapse to the floor.

"W-what just happened," the twins stuttered out in unison. Headmaster Kylon and King Bertram looked extremely confused, and a bit concerned. A small stream of blood ran out of Valeriana's nose and she began to laugh.

"That stupid freaking idiot devil. He knew. He knew," she spit out between laughs. Rowe carefully supported the fifth-rankers weight as he led her back to the couch to sit.

"You're not making sense."

"Not even a little bit."

"She's gone mad!"

"Mad."

"Rowe, listen to me. Aneeka, you too," Valeriana pleaded," Emmillyse was right. Can you feel him?"

***

Several floors lower, Corvan's previously cold body began to warm. His muscles began to loosen and color flooded back into his cheeks. His eyes were moving behind his eyelids as he breathed in deeply through his nose, filling his lungs. Ever so slowly, Corvan was regaining consciousness. The hole in his chest began to mend itself quickly as his heart beat in a regular, healthy rhythm. A quiet snore left his parted lips as his body rested peacefully.

Suddenly, the door to the cool catacomb like room burst open and squeaked on its hinges. The young Arlandian wasn't even disturbed as every ranker rushed into the room.

"He's alive."

A/n: as always, thanks for reading and voting and leaving comments if you have been!