Aidan opened his eyes and breathed. He couldn't see a thing in the pitch dark room. And his body was not giving him too much sensorial input to tell what was going on except that he was lying on his back on something soft.
He knew he would wake up confused and sore but the world had a way to twist one's expectations. He was so confused and sore he forgot he knew it would happen. He groaned and tried to remain quiet as his brain reignited all the nerve terminations in his body. Or as his recovered soul took conscious hold over his physical form. It was a full-body itch that felt very familiar to when Dawn awakened after her body was cut in pieces and regenerated to harvest Lumina's original body.
It took some time, maybe a little but it felt like an eternity. At least he could think and remember, different from his female version that woke up like a baby. He asserted his body and felt he was naked, lying on a bed in the dark under blankets and with something soft wrapped around him. Not something, someone. He moved an arm, feeling a thousand needles pricking his skin and muscles and bouched the person with him. Lithe, small, soft. He touched and grabbed, still somewhat confused.
He heard Cythrel hum and turn around in her sleep. He caressed the elf's long hair and pointy, knife-like ears. She shook and giggled. Aidan closed his eyes and felt her soft skin lying on his side, one arm and leg hugging him. He reached and gently kissed her temple but the girl didn't wake up. He let her rest and remained motionless next to her under the blankets.
Next, he focused on his own soul. He felt calm and quiet he couldn't remember. Before the attack of the rhinorses he wasn't so aware, so attuned to his own soul, and after that, he had a most unruly tenant. To say the least. But now he was alone in his body and mind and he felt whole. He was himself, without the whims and wants of the Princess tugging at him at unconscious levels. The pressure she represented deep inside his own being ended.
Gone was also the need to spend his energy and willpower suppressing her. During the last months, Lumina became more and more of a burden to contain, culminating in the fight at the bakery. She calmed down once Brody was dead but that was another thing off his back. His mind was clear, his power, his. He was entirely Aidan. Even without checking he knew his soul was whole.
Another thing that returned in full swing was his libido. The feeling of his elven wife next to him, her scent, the tickling of her breath over his skin, and the softness of her budding female body had him pitching a tent in no time. He would probably have to devote the same mental energy he used to suppress lumina to suppress his own carnal desires.
And speaking of carnal desires, he should check on his other half. He could feel her presence on the other end of their soul tether. It felt as natural as knowing he had two legs with toes on their ends. Dawn was near and sleeping. He could tell the distance between them, less than ten meters. Their connection never felt so clear.
He had no idea if they were the same person or not. They were once two halves of the same soul and were always linked in thought and feeling but to preserve their sanity, decided to behave like they were different, but close, people. Dawn got a personality like an idealized adventurous Lumina. But one can lie only so far before the falsehood becomes reality. They were linked, one purpose, one mind. Different thoughts and tastes but it was more like an inner dialogue.
It was a lot like someone with a split personality where both personalities could talk to each other. At least they knew they would always cooperate with each other. Once she wakes up he would receive all of her memories from the time he was knocked out by the soul-splitting spell she used to separate Lumina's soul from his. Another proof they were the same person. Soul magic used on one always affected the other. It was both a shield to resist hostile magic and a boon to share beneficial magic.
He started to remember the ritual. It seems that with their improved synchronization the memories would flow even when one of the minds was inactive. It was a slow trickle as if he was living through the memories and not just sending everything and "remembering" all at once if she were awake. He was startled when he learned what she did to Astromelicus at the end of the ritual and he stirred Cythrel awake.
"Humm... Aidan? Aidan!" The elf squealed in sheer bliss and threw her arm stumps over his neck.
He knew the noise woke up Sora and Dawn as the memories of his female counterpart during his recovery flowed onto him. She seemed to have a busy month. A lot went on and beside the sudden burden of running the academy, she even had time to do an experiment to further their golem research. However questionable that experiment was. He also knew she was "sorry not sorry" about the golem she made. He mentally sent her his approval. Not that she needed it but she thanked anyway.
Even though it was dark he now knew where he was. The bedroom in the academy's laboratory building. Lumina was in the next room. He felt the mana-sealing bracelets on him but didn't remove them.
Aidan hugged Cythrel and endured the stream of hugs and kisses the girl showered on him. "I'm here. Perfectly fine. Thanks a lot for looking after me during this month."
She noticed the effect her body was causing underneath the sheets and opened a wide, mischievous smile. Latching on him, she purred. "If this is how you greet me, last month was worth it."
He kissed her lips to stop the elf from talking further. Soon there was some light in the room. Sora and Dawn were next to his bed.
The first thing Aidan noticed now that he could see was a radical change in the elf's outlook. "Cythrel, your hair is... golden?"
Aidan even prompted Dawn's memories but she was as surprised as he was. As busy as the girl was running the academy and the treatment for both him and Lumina, she didn't see Cythrel during this time and she was.
"Using an illusion to cover up her hair," Dawn mumbled as she finally noticed. "Crafty little thing..."
"I can finally shift my hair color with the seasons!" She giggled in delight. "I don't actively shift it though. It seems my summer color is gold."
He felt happy for her. If it were not for her forearms severed halfway by the Otherworlder's divine-powered ability, she would be whole. She will if everything goes according to plan. Aidan exchanged a glance with Dawn and she nodded. It will work. She already did the proof-of-concept for her own selfish reasons.
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"Get on you two. Standing out there with that little clothing will make you catch a cold," He told Sora and Dawn.
Sora came on his left side and Dawn pressed Cythrel from behind. The bed was not that big but for just staying together and sharing the warmth it would be enough.
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Together, Dawn and Aidan performed the last Soul Restoration ritual on Lumina. Claire was present and eager to protect her sister and see the results of the month-long work. As a sign of respect, Aidan kept a blindfold over his eyes but it was more of an inconvenience, as everyone present knew that he could both see using Dawn's eyes and that he could seel Lumina naked just by placing the clone of the Princess in front of a mirror.
"I appreciate your consideration, Aidan,"
Claire voiced it nonetheless, omitting the title of the nobleman. After all, they went through, he wouldn't feel strange if she called him "brother". Or "sister" in any case. Aidan was past any pretense of pinning himself under any one gender label. He was both at the same time. His preferences were still females. Dawn liked men, most precisely the man that only existed for the brief moments Lumina's soul took over his body but she had her golem now.
They performed the ritual, overcharging it and keeping the spell going for the longest they could. A whole twenty-four hours. Both Sora and Claire fell asleep on couches strategically placed on the corners of the ritual room for that purpose. Dawn and Aidan would switch as the lead caster to let the other body rest but the mental strain of controlling the flow of mana didn't disappear. It was a good exercise for their magical muscles anyway.
Once the last drop of mana left them and infused the orichalcum laced ritual circle engraved in the room, they let their bodies sag and the muscles relax. The spell would still go for a few more minutes as the circle poured the last of the healing energies on the Princess' soul but aside from a gentle and almost subconscious nudge, the casters didn't need to focus as much anymore. Only their presence and will on their designated places were enough.
The glow disappeared as expected, leaving only the dark ink with reddish-golden specs glinting in the torchlight. Even though they were deep underground, the ventilation shafts had powerful spells pushing, filtering, and pulling air from outside to circulate in the room.
"Finished, at last," Aidan vented.
They were still trying to catch their breath, feeling the exhaustion, both physical and mystical. His words stirred the Princess awake and Claire rose from the couch she was napping on. She took a blanket and covered her sister for modesty. The ritual circle kept the stone floor warm enough to dispel any cold air away from the room.
"How's she?" Claire asked.
Dawn rose and gently touched Lumina's solar plexus, chantlessly casting Soul Reveal. Lumina's soul effigy appeared. It seemed to be made of pure gold down to a lustrous sheen that caught the torchlight and reflected in beautiful shades of yellow. The naked illusion was like a precious sculpture, uncannily lifelike.
"She is perfect," Dawn cooed. "Tomorrow, we should transfer her to the hospital and prepare for her awakening. She will awaken reliving the pain of being crushed under those beasts' hooves. After that, it is all up to you. You should only remove the mana-sealing bracelets after she calmed down."
Nobody wants a powerful wizard losing control of their magic. These bracelets were not locked like the manacles put on prisoners. If Lumina wanted, she could take them off herself. But the very act of noticing the bracelets and removing them usually meant she was in control of her faculties enough to not release wild magic.
"How are her affinities?" Claire asked, concerned.
Aidan removed the blindfold and studied the effigy with his magic sight. "They are in the upper B's. Just like it happened with us, she also gained a ranking F on Darkness, Earth, and Fire. Even though we severed the soul nearer the purest portions of her, we still left faint traces of us in her. The spells' effects will slowly run through the next month at most. During this time, her affinities will still grow as the minute cracks and damaged portions of her soul mend. She'll end up stronger than two years ago, but not too much. The extra affinities will help her diversify her spell repertoire with low circle spells of the other elements if she so chooses."
Dawn approached and gently caressed the hair falling from Lumina's head. "Is the hospital room ready? I can help you move her in shrouded in the cover of the early morning. It is only fitting that I do it since I was the one to take her away."
"I'm off to get some sleep with Sora and Cythrel," Aidan took his cue from what was about to happen and left.
Claire and Dawn cleaned Lumina and dressed her in a chaste nightgown. Dawn princess-carried the comatose Princess outside the ritual room and up the stairs. As they reached the ground floor, she spoke to Claire.
"Hold onto my sash and don't let go. We are moving invisibly from now on."
Using Sky Wings and Invisibility, she led Claire away from the Academy and into the Royal Hospital right next to the royal castle. Lumina's room in the Royal Ward was well-lit and its windows were open. Dawn carefully flew inside and found the same nurse that took care of her.
"We are here. Don't be scared," She soothed the nurse.
Recognition flared in the woman's face as she looked at the source of the voice, "Yes, Your Highness." And then gasped in surprise when Dawn released the Invisibility spell. "Is my old eyes playing tricks? There are two Luminas?"
"Mind your words," Claire chided her. The nurse paled and shrunk back.
"Hello. I'm Lumina's twin and decoy, Dawn. We would appreciate if you kept it a secret," Dawn greeted the nurse, suppressing the impulse to thank her for the time she spent under the nurse's care. Instead, she gently placed Lumina on the bed and turned to talk to Claire while the nurse deftly moved the sheets and blankets to make the Princess comfortable. "I'm going now. She should wake up sometime today. I already canceled the spell keeping her unconscious."
Claire sighed and stifled a sob. In a burst of spontaneity completely out of character for the stern and composed Princess, she took Dawn's hand. "Thank you. I'm forever in your debt."
"Well, this officially sets my count of kidnapped Princesses to just one. I..." Dawn wobbled and almost crashed down if Claire didn't rush to support the girl.
"You need to rest. I'll have you take another room next to this one. When you are rested enough, you can slip out."
Dawn took the offer. She was in no condition to fly stealthily back to the academy. Just moving the three of them invisible drained the rest of her Mana and stamina.
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Claire was almost dozing off sitting next to Lumina's bed and basking in the afternoon heat. She changed back to her maid clothes in an attempt to make everything look as normal as possible to her sister. She did a long blink and then opened her eyes startled as a heart-rending shrill rang in the hospital room.
Lumina woke up and as expected was screaming in pain as her last waking memory was of being crushed to death by the rampaging rhinorses.
"Lumina! Lumina! Everything is fine! I'm here!" Clare rushed to hug and hold the girl before she could hurt herself. The nurse was getting on her feet from the mattress she used to sleep in a corner of the room.
"Claire? Claire? Where am I?" Confused, the Princess looked around and mumbled with ragged breath and hoarse voice.
"In the hospital. Are you hurt? Do you feel pain?"
The question drew her back to the moment as she evaluated her own being. "No. No pain. I'm just stiff from sleeping too much."
"That's fine. You've been sleeping for two years after all," Claire comforted Lumina and blinked, letting a couple tears roll down her cheeks and soak the Princess' nightgown. "Rest easy, Lumina. Everything is fine, sister."
"Sister?"
Claire touched Lumina's bracelets. "Take these off and check my Regalia. Many things changed while you were away, Lumina. We have a lot to talk about."