JaffaArchfiend's Secondary Magic Training [PRIVATE]

Kiersa sat in her room in Sabertooth for a moment, just looking down at both pieces of jewellery she owned. The first was the ring that housed the power of Avalon, an ancient and holy relic that dated back to the times of the Dragon Wars so long ago. The second was a more recent item, and yet no less holy in the nuns eyes. It was a beautiful necklace that had been enchanted to allow her to call on the angel who had blessed it once she had decided what her miracle would be.

The only problem was, the young girl couldn’t choose what the angel should gift her with. There were so many choices and options… Katherine had mentioned new magics, new powers, new abilities… even the option of becoming an angel herself. The thought of becoming a divine being… Kiersa sighed and fell backwards on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her thoughts turned to her team-mates, trying to consider what they would do in her place. Aayla would probably ask for a way to find her lost dragon… Cirven, perhaps a way to try and reconcile with his sister. She gave a slight chuckle at that thought. “At this point, that would be a miracle.” She said softly to herself before her thoughts turned to Mary.

Immediately she sat upright with a gasp. “Mary!” exclaimed the nun before she grabbed her boots and hurriedly put them on. Kiersa rushed out of her room and for the lacrima chamber that connected Sabertooth’s Guild Hall to the surface of Fiore. I know what miracle I want now. She thought to herself.

Kiersa walked slowly into the grand church situated in Crocus. It had been here that the meeting had first happened, and so, to her thinking, it would be where the magic of the necklace would be strongest. She approached one of the priests inside and bowed her head in respect to the man. “E-Excuse me brother… m-may I u-use o-one of the ch-chambers f-for p-prayer?” she asked. The priest nodded. “Of course little sister. Go right on ahead, and may the Maker smile on your prayers today.” He said, both parties bowing once more before Kiersa made her way for the same chamber as she had used last time.

Once inside she went down to her knees, and pulled the necklace from her pouch. She looked down at the delicate piece of jewellery in her hands, letting the light reflect off of the metalwork and gemstone inset in the piece. Kiersa bowed her head and held it in both of her hands, taking a slow breath to calm her nerves before she prayed.

“Your holiness… please… hear my prayer. I have thought long and hard about your offer… and it pains me to say this your grace… but I cannot accept the miracle you have offered me…” began the nun, swallowing a little before continuing. “Not for myself that is. There is another I fear is in far greater need of your miracle than I. A fellow sister from my convent, a girl named Mary.” Explained Kiersa.

“Uru found her, and instead of slaying her like the others… he infected her soul, tainted her… and now she battles constantly with some demon in her mind and soul… Please Katherine, your holiness… please… bless her with your miracle… It is my fault that she is forced into this situation… please…” she trailed off, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Katherine was enjoying her afternoon workout with Sephiria in their daily training grind. Katherine was learning to use her human body more and Sephiria was soon mastering her new slayer powers. All in all they were getting stronger from one another and learning new techniques to use. It was fun if not a bit tiring for the angel, so that was why she was taking off her clothes and was about to start the hot water to the shower. The Angel was feeling very sweaty after all.

That was when the crackle of lightning came in and touched Katherine before pulling her in a portal. It appeared Kiersa had finally decided on a wish, but chose the worse of timings as Katherine was sucked through a portal. One second she was in her bathroom and the next in front of Kiersa in the buff. Katherine slightly looked surprised for the glimpsest of seconds before looking down at Kiersa to hear her miracle. Oh jeez that was a doozy of a miracle, save a tainted soul from being corrupted by a demon that was stronger than her.

Not caring in the least of her lack of clothing she got closer to Kiersa and said, "Would you like to join me in a bath while I think how am I going to save your friend. What you ask maybe goes beyond my capabilities sadly. I mean the best solution would be to kill her and commend her soul to heaven."

The nun felt the brief breeze that had come when the Angel had last appeared before her. When she looked up to behold the Angel… she beheld the angel. Her eyes widened and her cheeks went absolutely crimson, with her mouth slowly opening before she hurriedly looked away with a quiet eep. “I-I a-am s-so s-sorry your holiness!” she quickly exclaimed, removing her habit and offering it to Katherine for some chance of covering herself. The nun even began to disrobe herself to offer the angel the use of her robes as well should Katherine deem the habit not enough for her modesty.

It was then that the angels words registered in her ears. “No!” she cried out before realising that she was effectively defying one of the Maker’s divine servants. Kiersa quickly bowed her head. “I-I m-mean… w-we c-can’t k-kill her… Sh-she d-deserves t-to l-live your holiness… T-To e-end h-her l-life… b-because of this d-demon… Wh-when sh-she c-could b-be saved…” she stammered as she slowly began her next few words. “…H-how w-would th-that m-make us a-any d-different th-than the d-demons?” The nun braced herself for the angels wrath for even dare to compare the situation to that of the work of demons. But Kiersa could not in her heart just stand by and let someone she thought was dead, be slain… especially not by an angel she had called upon… In this case… the blood would most surely be on her hands this time, if they had not been covered enough already from her release of Uru.

A thought struck Kiersa at the angels words. She’s not strong enough to purge a demons soul from a humans body? She wondered, before looking at Katherine in confusion. “Y-your h-holiness… wh-what d-do you m-mean… b-by… beyond y-your capabilities?” she asked hesitantly. It was one thing to doubt your fellow man, but to doubt a divine being like an angel? Especially after hearing one admit to not being powerful enough to exorcise a demon. The nun wilted a little as the dread realisation weighed upon her mind. “M-Mary i-is… I-it’s m-my fault… a-and… th-there’s n-nothing I c-can do… e-even a-an angel c-can’t…” muttered Kiersa quietly as she hung her head in defeat.

Her tears began to fall to the floor as the full situation came crashing down on her. An Angel was unable to save her friend, one of the only other survivors of the demonic massacre, that she had been responsible for… a friend who was because of Kiersa, cursed and tainted by a demonic essence, fighting every minute of the day to maintain control… her own magic twisted and corrupted into a demonic take-over form. If an Angel couldn’t save her… one sent by the gods themselves… Kiersa sniffed a little as an idea came to her. “The gods…” she muttered before looking at Katherine. “Y-Your mi-miracle… M-Miracles a-are said t-to be the w-works of the Maker… a-and you m-mentioned l-last time m-multiple g-gods… I-is it p-possible th-that o-one o-of them c-can g-grant you the po-power to h-help s-save Mary? W-Without k-killing her?” asked the nun.

Katherine did not mind walking around in the nude, but upon seeing Kiersa blush and offer her habit gave her pause. She then proceeded to ignore the offer for a habit and proceeded to offer Kiersa a hand. Katherine simply said, "Dear will you join me in a private bath? I just got done fighting a Goddess and honestly feel a bit dirty.~" She did not take no for an answer and suddenly Kiersa was flying through the air and straight to the mountains at 228,000 miles per hour. It then ended with Kat landing softly near the edge of a natural Hot Spring. Katherine wanted a bath and was not taking no for an answer.

Katherine dipped a toe in the water and then sat on the edge to acclimate to the water. She was still deep in thought in what she could do for her friend. Katherine hated demons, because she was always confused for one. Katherine's contemplation continued until she concluded, "Dear no matter what outcome I see... Your friend is going to turn into a demon. It will happen no matter how long she fights, if Mary already using the demon's magic then the transformation will be complete within the year. The demon soul is a parasite after all and will attempt to take over... Katherine looked into the ground and pulled 3 fingers up.

"Dear you have 3 choices in how to save your friend, but each one ends in the same conclusion. She will become a demon, but her soul will be saved. First one is indeed to kill her and send her to heaven. We are better dear than demon, because we wont go on a rampage killing everyone for sport. Second option is to constantly remind her of her human side and help her fight it with her. She will have to fight the demon soul and eventually succeed or fail. Third option is I could split the head of the demon soul and find another host to share the burden. Effectively it would create a second demon in body, but for most part keep the human soul. Either way dear I like you and although I am tecnically a Celestial spirit... I will teach you how to enslave my kind."

It was obvious Kat hated and feared Celestial mages.

Kiersa blinked and blushed further at the offer of a private bath with the angel. “B-But w-we c-can’t j-juuuuuuuuuuuaaargh!” she screamed as she was suddenly whipped through the air at high speeds, her robes somehow managing to stay on throughout the trip until they landed at a hot springs somewhere. The nun stood there with wide eyes and ragged breath as her brain tried to catch up to what had just happened to her body. At that same moment her robes also caught up to the idea that they had stopped moving, and promptly dropped off of the nun.

When she finally caught up with the actions, she blushed even more as she instinctively tried to cover herself up, even though the Angel had appeared in front of her naked first… after… what? The nun’s vocal memory returned shortly after as well. “S-Sorry… f-fighting… a… a g-goddess?” she asked timidly, in case the mentioned goddess was going to smite her where she stood. Giving a small eep at the thought she rushed over to the pool, accidently slipping on the wet surface around it which resulted in her diving into the natural hot spring.

Kiersa remained in the water for exacty three seconds before leaping out, crying out in pain from the sudden heat on her body. She curled up into a ball for a while as she let her body cool off before she crawled back to Katherine and the implied safety in her mind of the angel’s presence, following her example tentatively of slowly dipping herself into the water.

As she got acclimated to the water, Kiersa frowned as the angel told her that Mary was doomed no matter what happened… that she had a year at most before she was taken over completely. She sank beneath the waters some more at this thought, all the way up to her nose, her eyes downcast at the so short a timeframe. The nun slowly came back up if only so her mouth wouldn’t fill with water when she spoke. “A y-year f-from now… or a y-year f-from wh-when she g-got in-infected?” Kiersa asked slowly.

When Katherine gave her the three options, she sank below once more as she thought each one through. Killing Mary and sending her soul to heaven… The nun shuddered as she recalled the only time she had directly killed something, that having been the Naga when she and Aayla had gone to rescue those sailors… She could still recall its shuddering body as its life ebbed away from it… Trying to consider Mary on the receiving end of that… Kiersa shook her head. I can’t… she’s my friend… I can’t let her die for my mistake… not again… she thought to herself before she went over the other two.

The third option was immediately thrown away as an even an option in Kiersa’s opinion. I won’t allow another person to become infected just to save Mary’s life… It wouldn’t be fair… thought the nun to herself, although she did briefly think of Cirven before shaking her head. A demon who knows demon slaying magic… and with no guarantee that the demon wouldn’t corrupt and turn him… No, I can’t do that to him or Aayla… Even if they’re going through a rough patch. she thought before she gave it more consideration. Although... he would be able to help her through it more easily... and maybe his demon slayer magic would be able to temper the soul...

She surfaced and looked at Katherine. “I... I kn-know s-someone that m-may be willing t-to h-have part of the d-demon p-put into them... W-would th-them possessing D-Demon Slayer m-magic h-help them resist the d-demons c-control? She asked before blinking at Katherines last offer. “W-What?”

Katherine hummed slightly as she finally sank her entire body in the water and weighed in the words Kiersa said before relaxing. She hummed a melodic tune as she watched Kiersa get in and out of the water in a hurry, causing the angel to giggle. This was very funny to watch after all, but down to more serious matters. Who was this Cirven? A demon Slayer would not matter, but there was more details that the angel needed to know. Katherine asked, "Tell me about him and what does he look like? Very important that I know this dear for being a Slayer dont matter beyond ironically becoming what trained him." Katherine hummed gently a bit more before getting closer to Kiersa, body simply pressing against the edge as she looked up.

Katherines eyes showed fear and maybe a bit of contempt, but continued. "I am a Celestial being and thus a key could be formed of me... Please don't make one of me and ask the Celestials nicely. Actually I may have someone who wanted to be out in Fiore so..." Katherine chuckled as she looked at the nun and chuckled. This would be fun to see how this turns out, but needed to hear the nuns finalized offer. Did she want this or would she change her mind> There would be only one way to find out.

If Kiersa told Katherine that Cirven had pointed ears it would cause Katherine to literally naked tackle Kiersa and yell at Kiersa, "No don't! That would create an Archdemon out of Mary's soul! An even stronger Uru would be unleashed! Her soul wouldn't survive the month!"

Kiersa shook her head vehemently at Katherines suggestion. “I would never enslave anyone! To force someone to do your bidding… that… that… that’s abhorrent and wrong in the Eyes of the Maker.” She exclaimed. The nun did consider the angels words however on the subject of keys and spirits. Which led in turn to another question. “I-If y-you… dislike,” she said diplomatically,”C-Celestial S-Spirit mages… wh-why are y-you offering t-to teach me it?” asked the nun.

She considered the angel’s request to describe Cirven and then complied. “W-Well… he’s quite tall… h-has a s-sword th-that u-uses s-scales for power… h-has blue hair… c-can be k-kind of a-annoying I suppose… h-has a b-bit of a pointy nose… oh, and he has pointy ears.” She said, blinking as the angel tackled her, causing her to give a very loud, “EEEEP!” before she splashed under the water from the force of the tackle. Kiersa brought her head back up in time to hear the angel’s dire words, her eyes widening at the prospect of what she had been about to do. “Oh Maker no…” she said biting her lip as she considered the options once more. Fighting for her humanity each day seemed more attractive now… meant nobody would be harmed… although that may in turn lead to the same situation as sticking the demon into Cirven… there had to be another way.

That line of thought made Kiersa pause for a moment before she looked back at Katherine. “Put it in me.” She said, before she looked back at their current naked situation and going quite crimson.

“W-What I m-mean to s-say is… p-put the demon i-in me… n-not Cirven.” Explained Kiersa. “I-It’s m-my fault th-that th-this has happened… e-even if I w-wasn’t th-the one t-to do it, or t-tell him to d-do it… I f-feel it i-is m-my re-responsibility…” stated the nun as she looked up at the angel. “Th-the sisters taught m-me, th-that we w-were to be w-willing t-to sacrifice ourselves f-for the g-good of others… It’s wh-why my S-Stigmata magic d-does what it does…” Kiersa said.

She went back to the words of Katherine concerning the Celestial Spirit training… and then recalled what Cirven had told her about what had happened to Aayla before they had gone to Minstrel to help the Musketeers.

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“We were attacked by a dark mage when we went to find clues on the dragon. The woman who attacked us was a celestial mage but her spirits were all tainted in evil. Never really had seen anything like it. She used one of her spirits to grab Aalya and take her to the celestial realm where they hurt her." Cirven let out a deep sigh. "I wasn't able to save her fast enough or at all really. The woman summoned a dark dragon and with it came Aalya in the condition you saw her. I lost control after seeing that and tried attacking the dragon but you saw how that ended up. I was too caught up on revenge to even check on her first. I failed her again.."

---

The nun looked up at Katherine once more. “I-If y-you’re wi-willing to teach m-me Celestial magic… th-then I-I’m w-willing t-to learn it, your holiness.” She said, the memory of the wounds the dark mage had inflicted upon Aayla still fresh in her mind. Kiersa had to stop herself from feeling where the wounds and pain had formed on herself when she’d healed Aayla… aaand then realised that the naked angel was pressing against her own naked form and once more began to blush furiously.

Katherine was quiet for a few seconds as she was contemplating to get into contact with the Zodiac. The Angel silently sent a transmission to request the location of a Gold Key, it would be in standby for a while. Now here comes the fun part in Katherines duties as an Angel, she pulled Kiersa back in the water despite how hot it was and got closer to her faceuntil they were closer. Katherine said, "Under these baptismal waters that the gods have blessed I have absolved you of any sins you may have. Under the laws of the gods Kiersa wishes the miracle to learn to summon those that are blessed under your guidance. She also promises to never use the magic in defiance to your wills. Please also grant Kiersa strength to share the burden with her dear friend Mary Mahoney. May the gods guide them to the light they desire to be in..."  Katherine then gently pressed her lips to Kiersas into the angel kiss.

Kiersa could feel some holy energy emanating within her and warm her to the bones in comfort. Katherine would let the nun have a moment to herself to enjoy the holy light that she received and then came the question that would decided what comes next. Katherine said, "Well dear you will receive you Celestial enslaving magic and help your friend. Which one would you like to do first? The order does not matter to me.~" Katherine relaxed in the hot spring as the nun would make the decision on what goes next.

The nun was silent as the angel invoked the words, blushing as their bodies pressed closer together, hers being trapped beneath the angels. She felt warm all over as the blessed water washed all over her flesh, her eyes widening as the angel pressed her lips against her own. They felt as soft as silk, and as smooth as cream… Kiersa could almost imagine she tasted… strawberries on the angel’s lips.

Her eyelids lowered slightly as the holy energies flowed from the angel and into her own body, a rush of warmth spreading throughout her body. Is this the warmth she feels all the time? Idly wondered Kiersa, part of her not wanting to break the contact with the angels soft lips. When the contact was broken however, she almost raised her head like a baby that had just had its mother’s teat removed from it. She was broken from her reverie when Katherine asked her what she would choose to do first. The nun didn’t reply at first, her young mind realising what had just transpired and causing her to become even more shy than she usually was.

Her first kiss… and it had been with an angel… a female angel… The Maker did not discern between love, as love was universal, and was encouraged. Whether that love be between a man and woman, or a man and another man, or a woman and another woman… it mattered not… But Kiersa could not help but feel a certain tingling on her lips at the thought that her first kiss had been with a female angel.

She touched her lips for a moment, feeling where Katherine had touched her own, the memory of the silk-like touch still strong in her mind before she gave both of her cheeks a mild slap to focus herself. “S-Sorry…” said the nun quietly, as she realised she had not yet answered Katherine’s question.

Kiersa pondered the situation for a while. To choose now to split the demon within Mary’s soul, and embed it within herself in an effort to save her… thereby turning herself into a demon as well she realised. The nun wondered what kind of demon she would become… She shuddered at the mental image she produced with that line of thought. The second option was to learn the Celestial Spirit magic first, and use its power to help her friends and protect them… From what she knew of them, the Celestial Spirits were powerful beings with wills of their own. Would they be able to strike down an out of control demon? Or two?

The nun considered her two options before looking towards Katherine. “I-I’d l-like to l-learn first…” she said after some deliberation. “I-If I k-know the C-Celestial m-magic first b-before the d-demon splitting happens… I c-can c-call on some f-friends in c-case something w-went wrong…” she surmised towards the angel. “If… If the d-demon inside m-me… t-took over… th-then the C-Celestial S-Spirits that a-agreed t-to be w-with me… Th-they w-would be a-able to p-put m-me and M-Mary d-down i-if Aayla a-and C-Cirven were not there…” she said slowly, saying the words aloud.

Ktherine tasted Kiersa's lips as well and they tasted like... strawberries? How many strawberries did Kiersa eat? Sure they are high in nutrients and vitamins, but to have her utterly taste like strawberries? She may actually need to start eating a different kind of diet now. This was not normal, but otherwise she could not deny her of her one true love. Either way to the young angel the kiss was nothing romantic or special, but a simple contractual distribution. She had done it to countless people before and this one was no different. She was blushing red in the face though, which Katherine did not understand why humans did that. Where they always embarrased when kissed by an angel?

Katherine then nodded as she finally got an answer, it would be accepted. Katherine continued, "Your both not going to be monsters from the endeavor, it does not work that way dear. I would not have considered the option if I knew that it would create 2 demons. It will however create the choice for you in particular. You will still be in control, but the demon seed might influence your vice more. Like a human though, you will always have a choice. Only you can choose whether you want to be a demon or not. Katherine then placed a simple gold key into Kiersa's hands. It would be one of her new summoning keys that she would receive.

The nun gave a small sigh of relief at the angel’s words before looking down at the key she’d just been given. Her eyes widened at the sight of the colouration of it. She looked up at Katherine in shock and confusion. “A G-Gold K-Key your holiness?” asked the nun as she tried to figure out which constellation it was. She had expected maybe the angel would have given a simple silver key, those being amongst the more common and easier to summon, relatively speaking.

But to start her straight off the bat with a Golden Key… one of the Twelve Zodiac Spirits… The nun was absolutely speechless as she regarded the key in her hand, running a finger along its contours, bumps and engravings, just to make sure she wasn’t just hallucinating. She noted that the part where a normal key would have its teeth, the end resembled a stylised ram’s head. “A-Aries?” Kiersa wondered aloud. It was when she looked at the other end of the key that that notion was defused. “No… th-that’s not A-Aries’ star sign…” she said softly, as she tried to place what it was from what she could recall from her studies in the convent.

It had ever been one of her vices in the convent, that she would try to read everything and study everything that she could reach… along with any tomes that she couldn’t at the time due to her height or age. The nun traced her finger over the constellation marking before figuring it out. “Capricorn…” she said quietly.

She regarded the Golden Key in her hands once more, looking it over in even more detail now that she knew to whom it belonged. Capricorn, the Goat constellation. Or Mer-goat depending on your interpretation of the stars, although just regular goat was the majority of consensus amongst both astronomers and astrologers. The nun looked back at the angel, still in confusion as they lay there in the warming waters of the hot spring she had brought them to. “W-Why?” she asked softly, still trying to process the fact that she was holding in her hands one of the Zodiac Keys, arguably the most powerful group of Celestial Spirits in all of creation, keys that are so rare that it was practically unheard of for any single Celestial mage in a hundred to even have one of them.

And yet here she was… holding Capricorn’s Golden Key in her hands as she lay with an angel in a hot spring somewhere in Fiore… The nun gulped as the weight of it all came down upon her, especially after she recalled exactly what it was that Cirven and Aayla had been fighting. A Dark Celestial Spirit Wizard… who used corrupted versions of Celestial Spirits… who could conceivably take this key from her if she wasn’t careful and twist their being to their dark whim. The thought made her shudder for a moment.

But she also remembered how Aayla had gotten those wounds… she had been trapped in the Celestial Spirit world… unable to escape until a Spirit brought her back… If that should ever happen again… Kiersa looked down at the Gold Key for a moment before looking back at Katherine. “H-How d-do I s-start?” she asked nervously.

Katherine chuckled at the girls surprise and amazement towards receiving the Golden Celestial Key. It wasn't that special really to her, Kiersa asked for a miracle. This was not a demon's half-arsed deals designed to screw the receiver over, but a gift to the faithful. The better the miracle, the better the faith of the receiver which in turn feeds the gods. The divine ones survived off the faithful prayers which in turn the Angels survive off the gods holiness. It was just the natural cycle of things and it made little difference whether an Angel was Light or Dark. They all craved holy energies and it applied more to the Dark Angels since they had to be cut off from the light. In fact with Kiersa being a fountain of holy energy, it was actually tempting to hug the hell out of the nun and squeeze some out of her.

"Well what are you waiting for dear? Channel your magical energy into the key and summon him," said the Angel. She was not excited to ensalve some od her friends, which is how this celestial being saw it, but was curious in how Capricorn would treat Kiersa. Katherine even thought the wise spirit would teach Kiersa out of her naive ways and into more street smart girl. Katherine then later answered on of her questions to the nun. Katherine chuckled, "Well dear as for why that key first, it is because of my second Angelic title. I am also reffered to as the Angel of Chaos, so it means anything I do is not supposed to make sense. If I desired so, I could change everything that is your being." Katherine sent a ripple of chaos out to slightly demonstrate her powers, changing Kiersa ever so slightly while maintaining everything that made her unique. After 30 seconds she would revert Kiersa back.

"However that would not be fair to you. Chaos does not mean that I am evil... just that I am not the Angel that represents the perfect semblance of sanity!~"

The member 'Katherine Wickfield' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Lineage Dice' :

When Katherine let loose her magic on Kiersa, she felt a deep shudder within her very soul. The nun gripped her chest, the change in her essence sending a ripple throughout her very being. The power she had been altered with… it felt dark… it felt twisted… It felt… good. Just as soon as it had begun, it ended and Kiersa felt herself return to normal. She let her body shudder at what had just transpired. “I-Is… oh M-Maker… h-how d-does M-Mary r-resist that…” asked the nun of nobody in particular before she shook her head and gave her cheeks a mild slap to refocus herself.

She looked down at the Key in her hands as she took a slow breath. Closing her eyes, the nun floated in the hot springs warming waters, letting its warmth infuse her even as she tried to do as the angel had suggested. Kiersa felt her magic slowly beginning to build up inside of her, the divine magic of the Maker welling up as it slowly began to flow through her body towards the Celestial relic. It was a slow process however, and for several minutes to the outside world it just looked like Kiersa was simply floating there, with the key clutched to her breast, as if she were merely asleep.

Her magic tentatively touched at the key, and in that moment she could sense the vast magical power that lay within. By comparison, she was a fledgling sparrow and this was a grand eagle… although a more fitting analogy given the Spirit in question, she was a new-born lamb in respects to this great goat.

The nun gulped slightly at the vast differences in their magical power, her own magic shrinking back from the sheer force of the Gold Key before it hesitantly reached out once more towards it. Very gently, her magic touched upon the Key’s own. “M-Mister C-Capricorn?” asked Kiersa very softly. “U-Um… s-sorry t-to b-bother y-you s-sir… B-But um… c-can I s-speak w-with y-you s-sir?” she requested hesitantly. “Th-that i-is… i-if it’s n-not a b-bother… I-If y-you’re b-busy I u-understand s-sir…”

For a minute nothing happened, and the nun let out a sigh. “S-Sor-“ she began to apologise towards the angel when the Key began to glow with a bright light. “Eeep!” she cried out, surprised by the sudden activity from the key, shielding her eyes before hearing someone cough politely at the edge of the hot spring. The nun lowered her arm to see who the owner of the cough was and blinked at the sight she beheld. Standing next to the hot spring was a humanoid male wearing what appeared to be a butler’s attire, with twin-tailed coat and sunglasses. The only differences between this person and a regular human, was the fact that he was covered in white fur, his feet were hooves, and his head was that of an anthropomorphic goat. “You called milady?” asked Capricorn with a raised eyebrow as to the current situation.

Kiersa looked down at herself and immediately covered herself with her arms, blushing furiously at being seen naked like this by a man, even if that man was a Celestial Spirit… that she had called forth.

Capricorn politely turned around to give the young girl some measure of dignity. Kiersa made her way to the hot springs edge, and using her habit as a towel dried herself off rather quickly before she got herself dressed. “S-Sorry M-Mister C-Capricorn s-sir…” apologised the nun, bowing her head towards the Spirit who turned back around and looked at her before looking over at Katherine, then back at the girl with her head bowed towards him. “…First milady, a lady does not bow. She curtsies.” Instructed Capricorn, making Kiersa blink somewhat in confusion before she blushed. “Second, I do not hold you accountable milady for the circumstances… I am sure that blame can be laid elsewhere.” He said, looking at Katherine with that statement before looking back at Kiersa. “What did you wish to talk about milady?” asked Capricorn.

“U-Um… w-well… I w-was w-wondering… i-if i-it w-wouldn’t b-be t-too m-much M-Mister C-Capricorn s-sir… i-if y-you w-would u-umm…” said the nun softly, the Spirit standing there patiently as she stuttered. “I-If y-you w-would l-like t-to m-make a… umm… a c-contract w-with m-me?” she finished asking, looking up at the very tall Spirit. He looked down at her, then back to Katherine, then back at Kiersa before he replied. “Have you summoned any other Spirits before meh milady?” he asked, raising an eyebrow when she shook her head. “I am your first then? You flatter meh milady by having meh as your first Spirit.” He said before he knelt down so that they’d be at equal eye level. “May I ask why meh first though? And why?”

Kiersa thought about his question for a bit. “W-Well… umm… I… I w-want t-to h-help my f-friends…” she said, looking askance at the ground beside them. “Th-they… they are a-all s-so… so m-much str-stronger th-than me… A-All I c-can d-do i-is… t-try and s-support them…” she told him, feeling that this was the right moment, time and place to bare her soul as it were. “I… I t-try to g-get stronger… b-but e-every t-time I d-do… i-it’s n-not en-enough… N-Not e-enough to r-really h-help them… o-or a-anyone…” said the nun, gripping herself in her arms, Capricorn silently listening to every word she said.

“M-My f-friend M-Mary… sh-she’s c-cursed… be-because of me…” said the nun, her hands gripping her arms tighter at the memories of her next words. “A-Aayla… m-my o-other f-friend… she f-fell… to a D-Dark C-Celestial M-Mage… t-taken i-into y-your w-world s-sir… a-and…” Kiersa shuddered as she recalled in perfect clarity each and every single scar, every single wound the Water Dragon Slayer had suffered. “A-And th-there w-was n-nothing a-any of u-us c-could d-do t-to s-save h-her f-from th-there…” trailed off the nun, Capricorn still kneeling there before he rubbed his chin in thought.

“I see…” he said before taking her by the hand holding his key, and kissing it gently like a gentleman. “You care very much milady for your friends… and to seek strength and aid elsewhere when your own seems lacking is natural.” He said, the nun looking at the Spirit as he tilted her head towards his face. “I would be honoured to form your first Contract with you milady.”

The nun blinked at the Spirits words before she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “Th-thank y-you s-sir!” she said, releasing the hug and beginning to bow before he coughed. “O-Oh… r-right…” she said, blushing slightly as she attempted to curtsy. Capricorn gave a slight sigh. “I can see I have my work cut out for meh.” He said, a slight note of humour in his tone as he stood back up to his full height. “Now then milady… before we form a Contract, what do you know about summoning Celestial Spirits?” he asked.

Kiersa bit her lip before she shook her head. “N-Not a l-lot I-I’m a-afraid s-sir… S-Sorry…” she apologised. “I see… then I shall have to be your tutor in this as well.” He said, making the nun blink once more. “T-Tutor s-sir?” she asked, at first a touch confused. “Of course. Milady must know the facts about Celestial Summoning, as well as other things if she is to be a proper lady.” He said, making the nun blink again before she blushed furiously.

“I-I’m n-not a l-lady…” she trailed off, getting the most incredible feeling of deja vu. She then remembered that she had had nearly this exact conversation with a fellow guild member, a man by the name of Eli Validus… Kiersa remembered the words he'd said when she denied being a lady and stating that they were of nobility, whereas she was just a Sister.

"You can be both Kiersa, and I think you are. That's up to the eye of the beholder, is it not?"

"That's true, a lady is a noble. However, the term can also be used to describe a regular woman, it's a more polite term in that sense. It also evokes an idea of a type of woman, a very refined, dignified, pleasant woman, which I feel fits you perfectly."

Capricorn looked at her for a moment before continuing to speak. “Now… to summon Celestial Spirits, you must expend magic. This I am sure you understand, having just summoned meh.” He said, Kiersa nodding as she listened to his words. “However, this is a different magical spending than what you have previously done milady with whatever your own magic is. The magic you use to summon Spirits is known as Spiritual Energy.” He explained, guiding the nun over to an outcropping of stones nearby that would serve as impromptu seats.

“You have a finite amount of Spiritual Energy, that will take time to restore itself, much like your regular magical power. Depending on how strong the Spirit is that you are trying to summon, will determine how much energy you need to use up. Understand?” he asked, the nun once more nodding in understanding. “Now, you will get stronger over time, and your pool of Spiritual Energy will grow as well with your strength. Eventually, you may be able to even summon more than one Celestial Spirit at a time, although the maximum anyone has ever been able to summon at once is three.” Informed the Goat Spirit, Kiersa nodding once more at this knowledge.

“Each Spirit you form a contract will be different. Some Contracts for instance, will only permit you to summon them on certain days. For example, I know a Spirit who refuses to be summoned except for on a Tuesday afternoon, between the hours of one and three.” He said, Kiersa blinking at this particular condition. “Others will require certain other specifications to be summoned. Meh fellow Zodiac Spirit Aquarius for instance, requires that her key be in water before she can be summoned.”