SWORD ACADEMY (censored)

There’s something off with our charges, and it’s beyond clear someone has learned what happens to soft mouths, but I dutifully shove that horrific crap out of my mind. This is not their day. This is the day me and Elaina’s very biggest dream comes true.

Our golden rings.

Our absolute union.

Our Synergy Ceremony.

We were so excited we nearly transported ourselves but decided against it on account of wanting to wear our impressive clothes through the Synergy Ring. Not just our skins. I’m in a black tux with a shiny silver bowtie, vest, and cummerbund. Elaina’s in a floor length silver gown that shimmers anywhere the light hits it. She’s only ever looked more gorgeous when naked beneath me, screaming my name as she comes undone with desire for me. This is a close second.

Everyone shoves into a super stretch limo. While the tension in the air makes me feel a little like there are snakes on my plane, I make the best of it by forcing all these fart balloons to go through a cycle of telling us their hopes for our future. Ainsley’s sure we’ll have fifteen tiny passengers whereas Sunny predicts our untimely demise. Probably should’ve started with her so as not to end on that sour note.

“We’re here!” I boom as we pull up to the drop-off in front of S.W.O.R.D. Palace.

We’re greeted by the Royals. A sheath and wielder of dark and light for each corresponding spark of air, earth, fire, and water. They’re all synergized, as is the requirement to hold such a position, for the Royals themselves as well as their guards.

When we file into the chamber, I’m amazed by the display before me. Though it isn’t as beautiful as Elaina, the Synergy Ring stands glistening before us. It’s built up on the same type of platform as all the rings. It has a thick golden outer rim, and the inner ring shimmers with golden sparkles. It’ll bind me in Synergy to the only woman who’s ever held my heart, and in turn I hold hers. Together, we’ll meet our future truly united in every possible way, right down to our souls.

For Sparklers, Synergy is the last leg of a ceremonious flight where we descend to destination forever with our one true love. It’s the only way we can ever become both sheath and wielder. The glistening gold of our final ring shines brightly in our eyes as visible proof of our absolute union with our spark and each other. Two halves of a whole spark.

We walk forward together up the steps.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

When we reach the top, I turn to Elaina, wanting to voice the words that are true and will remain true for the rest of our lives.

“I love you, Flutterby,” I swear. “Every breath is for us. One heart. One spark.”

“I love you, Nick,” she chimes. “Every breath is for us. One heart. One spark.”

We hold hands and move through the ring, the golden sparkles in the center gusting through us with a force strong enough to fuse every fibre of our beings. When we come out the other side, we’re finally whole.

Two bodies.

Two minds.

One heart to beat between us.

One spark to be shared for as long as we live.

I upthrust my lips as the golden rings jet into existence around her silver rings and black flecks.

“Look!” she plinks as our air spark dances from her hands and sweeps around my curls like her fingers always do.

“Ow!” I wince as she accidentally yanks on a curl. We have to work on that problematic eye-hand coordination of hers.

“Sorry,” she pings, shoving the wielder lead back over to me.

I blast a laugh and send it right back to her. “Save the foreplay for later, Flutterby. We have an audience.”

“Let them watch,” she tinkles. “Maybe they’ll learn something about what true love looks like.”

I haul her into my arms, kissing every inch of her face before my exploration stops at her lips. She deepens the kiss, our air spark blowing through us in a whirlwind as her tongue dances around mine.

This is going to be especially exciting for her. As a sheath, she’s only ever experienced her air spark soaring into me. Now she’ll be able to wield it too, and I’ll finally be able to give her something back she’s always given me so selflessly in the past. We can’t do both tricks simultaneously, but we’ll pass the sheath and wielder throttle back and forth to truly balance our connection.

As we rejoin our friends, we’re met with cheers and enthusiasm, laughter and tears. This is the absolutely best day of my life. I’m so happy to be sharing it with these charges. I’m proud to show them what their choices can offer them if only they trust their sparks.

“So, what’s next?” Fiona clatters.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the wielded blow job Elaina’s promised me. It’s going to be epic. But I don’t think she’d appreciate me announcing that to the room. Come to think of it, after that curl pull, it’s probably best we practise a little more before I let her around my joystick while she wields.

“Do you feel different?” Grady’s closely checking out my new rings.

“I feel happy...” I whitetrail. “Complete.”

I’m beyond happy. I’m full of joy. But I actually don’t feel any different about Elaina than I did before. We’ve always been tightly bound. This transition is just the next step forward for us. I remember what building my spark well felt like so that isn’t exactly new either. Elaina’s probably feeling more changes than me since she’s never wielded before.

“You don’t feel like that bullpucky?” Grady points to Dericka and Lucius.

Elaina downdrafts her lips as she surveys Dericka in mid-conversation with Luke and Ainsley, Lucius a full step behind her and not involved in the discussion at all.

“No, that’s not how it tends to work.” She scans the room and points out the Light Earth Royals dancing in the center. “That’s how it usually works.”

They’re gazing at each other lovingly. When a small child comes running between their legs, they laugh and haul them into their arms to smother them with kisses and hugs.

Absolutely.

Stinking.

Adorable.

I look back over to Ainsley and Luke. He’s trying to hold her hand still beside her. While I can’t quite make out the words, her voice is getting louder. Everyone has started noticing. If we don’t stop it soon, she’ll reach maximum velocity and that sonic boom will shake the snot out of all the bouncy bits in the room.

“That didn’t take long.” Elaina chinks a laugh, tugging me to get moving in their direction.

I blow out a low whistle. “True, but at least she let us go through the ring first.”

Ainsley’s roaring by the time we land there with our charges following behind. “All you squibs can kiss my four-toned butt, very balanced-like,” she reports, ripping her hand free from Luke’s hold. He’d probably been trying to keep her from punching his mom in her miserable face.

I bow before formally addressing them. “Dericka, Lucius, is there a problem?”

“No problem.” Dericka hisses a laugh. “We were just congratulating Ainsley on the taming of her fire, water, air, and earth sparks as well as letting her know how much we look forward to coming to the academy tomorrow to accept her decision.”

“Tomorrow?” My voice cracks in the middle. We knew they were coming. Only, we hadn’t thought it was going to be so soon. Ty and Sunny haven’t even tamed their sparks yet.

“Well, you know how volatile these things tend to be when spare sparks are involved,” she embers calmly, but there’s nothing calm about her tense posture, “and with her having all four sparks, we really need to get a handle on this situation as quickly as possible.”

“There’s no freaking situation!” Ainsley roars.

Dericka smiles and pats Ainsley on the head. Ainsley’s hand raises on instinct, but Luke catches it in time, bringing it back down to her side. Dericka doesn’t so much as look at Luke. “And there won’t be,” she flares. “Not after tomorrow.”

Ainsley rips her hand free and crosses her arms over her chest so Luke can’t cage it again. “I’m not choosing.”

“That’s still a choice,” Dericka fizzles.

Ainsley turns on her heels and storms past us with Luke chasing her.

“Better we handle this one quickly,” Dericka crackles. “She seems about ready to blow already.”

Elaina tings a sigh, and Dericka whips her head that way. “You look breathtaking, Dear. My sincere congratulations to you both.”

She leaves us there, Lucius scurrying along after her. Cam waits until Ainsley has cleared the room to start cheering and dancing around with Witley. At least this is happy news for them.

Sunny starts toward us, and I tug on Elaina’s arm to get her attention, hoping we might evade her in the crowd. We aren’t fast enough. “Ainsley screwed off with Grady, that mopey scut, and the volcano.”

“What about Maverick and Aspen?” I sputter.

Her brow blows up. “The eruption triangle is the volcano, you airhead. Fire, earth, and wind. Trifecta Eruptio.”

“Is she okay?” Elaina whirlwinds.

“I asked her, but she just shrugged,” she radiates. “I made Grady go with her.”

“Sunny, that was very thoughtful of you,” Elaina tinks.

“Don’t be flipping gross,” she backfires. “I just didn’t want him to whine around all night about me choosing one of my sparks.”

While that seems more likely than her actually caring about Ainsley, I have Sunny figured out. Once she sinks her teeth in your gooey center, she lets you stop bleeding before she bites again. She’s thoughtful that way.

“We should round up the passengers,” I course-confirm.

“OH MY SPARK! ONE OF THE CHARGES IS VOLATILE. THEY’RE GONNA BLOW! THE WHOLE PLACE IS COMING DOWN!” Sunny explodes.

Everyone starts running for the exit in sheer panic, a stampede of Royals and Sparklers and Orderlies. I look back at Sunny. She’s reviewing her work like it could use some rewiring. “Congrats on your piss rings!” she scooshes cheerfully, skipping to the exit.

We follow along after her, hand in hand like always. Nothing has changed with us. Not where it counts. Our air spark is the tie binding us, strengthening us, completing us. And we’ll need every bit of that strength to help our charges tomorrow.