Years passed. Sholto and Aeris grew together as partners, in name only. There was no physicality to their bond. That is to say, they had not submitted themselves to become truly connected through the proper procedure.

Even so, they were treated as any other bonded. Which meant when one caused trouble, the other joined in their reprimand.

With that in mind, the two young ones brought their minds together in order to cause no shortage of mischief all over the palace. From pranks to great escapes, they ensured peace would never take root. It even got to the point where they were blamed for the wrongdoings of others, because it was the expectation that if there was chaos, it was probably the princess' entourage.

Shona became a lonely royal in that regard. She always spoke up on Sholto and Aeris' defense. It made her not well liked by her court, and even her own prince.

Despite this, she enjoyed their company. That was why her heart broke the day Sholto and Aeris approached the court in an official capacity, and spoke their intentions.

"We're the heroes," announced Sholto, his head down as he knelt before the soon to be queen.

Aeris mirrored the pose of her partner. "We're requesting to be bonded and sent to Terra to serve our destiny."

A hush fell upon the court. Such a bold proclamation, and from a pair known as the castle's pranksters, no less.

"I object to this! You must be mistaken!" Shona shrieked.

The prince smirked, laying a hand on his princess' shoulder. "Now now, be reasonable, dear princess. Surely, the one blessed by Sage Seres wouldn't make such a serious claim in jest." Though his words showed support, Aeris knew he was beside himself with joy at the news--he'd be rid of these blemishes to his court without so much as a scuffle.

Which was fine by Sholto; he had enough of the palace, and Sahji's proposal was one he readily accepted. There was no sword attached to the sage's offer. He was the genuine article. They sensed as much when confronted with his muse.

It was strange that Sage Sahji was different from his common depictions. While he didn't offer for their fall by his blade, his wily personality was no fable. Half of their pranks were instigated by the sage for his own amusement.

Sholto kind of hated how the Ethereal could vanish in an instant, leaving him and Aeris holding the incriminating evidence. He made sure the pair were never truly alone in their decade together, always appearing when they least expected him.

"If you go…" Shona trailed off, refusing her twin brother's gaze. "You won't be able to return," she warned.

"We're aware. Terra lacks the infrastructure for space travel," he confirmed.

"If we do not go, Luna will be in greater danger from the darkness clouding the surface," Aeris added.

Shona trembled. She muttered something, Aeris' ears flicked and her stubborn expression cracked for but a moment. The fox closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she balled up her fist.

In their time together, the fox thought of the princess like her own blood, like a sister. It made this all the more painful.

"We have to," spoke Sholto. He remained adamant on their cause. Aeris felt his heart shattering as he glared at his sister. To never see her again broke his heart, as much as he was breaking hers.

"F-fine, but I will make sure everything is handled by our best. Our best surgeons, our best engineers, everything will go flawlessly." The princess snapped her head up, smiling brightly as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "Only the best for our dear heroes."

"That was one for the history books, good show!" Sahji clapped, when they were finally alone.

"Is this how you get your kicks?" wondered Sholto, his sharp glare directed at the sage.

"Perhaps. I'm just impressed you were so dedicated to the cause--what if I'm lying, Sholto?" quizzed the sage.

"Then you'd have been long dead you cur," Aeris spat, sharing in her partner's scowl.

Sahji held a hand to his heart, feigning fear. "Oh no, whatever shall I do?" His sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a blade.

Sholto offered his cell phone to the sage. "Just mark on the map where we need to go so I can have our engineers send us directly there."

The sage accepted the device and quickly zoomed it into one particular location. "Here we are--Mt. Clearoi. It's on the continent of Unis-Résonne. "

"Gibberish. However, I suppose we should take some time to learn about terran lands if we're going to live there," Sholto hummed in thought.

"Will our phones even work down there?" Aeris wondered, pulling out her own.

"They should get signal during the full moon," Sahji told the pair. "There's just one more thing to be done with this." From his robes, the sage drew his muse; the blade known as the End of Desire. The two tensed at the appearance of the fabled wish-granting sword. He did not offer it to the pair, as was spoken of in legend; instead, drove the blade into Sholto's phone, the weapon slipping into the screen as if it was a pool of water. As soon as the length of the blade was firmly within the phone's depths, he turned it like a key before he retrieved the construct.

"There we are. This should function just like the other heroes' bond points," the sage said, returning the device to its owner.

Sholto looked it over and found no damage, or any other physical modifications. Truly the sages defied reason, but he accepted whatever Sahji had done to it.

"I suppose there's one thing left to do," Sholto addressed his partner, who nodded at the implication.

Sholto stared at the sterile white floor, the luminous lights above unyielding in their quest to illuminate the operating room which he lay. His back was presented to the surgeons, though it was his spine which they had interest in.

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The only thing giving him peace was Aeris' presence nearby. Knowing she was about to undergo the same procedure brought him some comfort. Especially since she promised it would go well. He never doubted her, she never lied to him. For him, she spoke only the truth. That was just who she was.

"Relax Sholto, I'm here, nothing can go wrong," a scrub-clad Sahji whispered into the boy's ear.

Sholto pulled the mask off for a moment. "That's what worries me most." He just had to get his quip out before the procedure started.

The boy re-affixed his mask as the anesthesiologist began saying words. He stopped paying attention and closed his eyes. It'd be all over soon, one way or another.

…

…

Sho…

Aeris…

We've been together for a long time, huh?

Basically our whole lives.

It's funny, we were told we were heroes right after we met.

Did you believe him?

No, of course not--but I believed you.

Why me anyways? It can't just be because you saw me in a vision.

It's because… I just felt something right from you.

…

…

He knew not if his eyes opened to his demise. If this was the world beyond life, Sholto Wynn was about to file a complaint with Cievo. The afterlife was supposed to be bereft of pain and yet the dull ache in the back of his head reminded him of life.

"Can you hear me?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

"Y-yeah," the boy coughed. "Can I have some water? Throat tastes like plastic," he wheezed.

The unfamiliar presence was shoved away and the boy found himself winded.

"Sho-Sho!" cried his sister, holding him tightly.

"Shona… what happened to Aeris?" he questioned, though he returned his sister's hug with shaking arms.

"She's great! You're both great! It's a miracle! You're really the heroes!" Shona spoke too fast for him to parse her words. Now that she confirmed that fact for him, he could feel her--Aeris was an extension of his body. Her presence hung over him the same way Shona held him. It was a strange sensation, like a spiritual hug, but it was ever-present.

His twin adjusted the bed, allowing him to sit up and take sight of his bonded partner. Aeris had already been sat up in the same way. Her tired smile was all he needed to see. She closed her eyes and her voice invaded his mind.

"You kept me waiting, my bonded." The way her voice tickled his mind felt amazing. What's more, it told him how to reciprocate the gesture. With his rhythm he touched the new presence in his body.

"My apologies, I was enjoying a pleasant dream." He replied with a mental titter.

"No excuse! Don't keep a girl waiting like that ever again!" Even without seeing her face, the intention of a pout was carried along their invisible link.

Sholto took in a breath. He held it deep, feeling Aeris' rhythm flow with his. He exhaled gently, allowing his gaze to rise to the battlefield before him.

If they were to be the hero of Luna, they needed to be prepared to fight. Therefore, Shona insisted they train with the castle guard before they left. To learn what being bonded meant.

Sholto felt a strange tug, and pulled his phone from his robes. He held the device level with his chest, to view the screen.

"What are you doing, Sho?" asked Aeris.

"I'm… not entirely sure. This just feels right," he replied.

As if responding to the gesture, the phone changed screens, bringing up a list of spells he was familiar with; spells that Aeris knew how to cast. It was a program he had never seen before--perhaps this was the work of Sahji?

Either way, a reminder of what his dear partner was capable of never hurt.

Across from them was a guard and their rabbit partner. They stood at the ready, as stoic as they were when on shift in the palace. A few of the other guards loitered nearby, making quiet bets between one another.

"Ready when you are!" shouted the guard.

"We're ready!" Aeris replied.

Upon that shout, the rabbit charged the fox.

"Luce Lunare, Piano!" the guard commanded. "Passo Silenzioso, Allegro," Sholto replied in kind.

A wave of shadows erupted in front of the rabbit, rushing ahead to strike the fox. Aeris stepped forward and right before the attack could make contact, her body was enveloped in darkness. Her pitch black form slipped through the spell and emerged from the other side, untouched. As color returned to her, she shifted her position, arcing her back as she dropped low. Her eyes glowed bright yellow--she saw not the present, but the possibility ahead. Her visions came to reality as she avoided the punches of her long eared adversary.

Before they could get their bearings, Aeris swept at the rabbit's legs. Only a timely jump saved them from meeting the dirt.

"Luce Lunare, Piano!" both Sholto and the guard shouted.

The rabbit tried to form a wave of shadows, but Aeris was simply faster. Her arm whipped out, unleashing a ball of shadowy energy that struck her adversary square in the face. Not only did they fail to unleash their spell, but the surprise of the attack threw them onto their back.

Aeris stood straight, and curtsied, her tail flicking behind her. Despite the sweat that dripped from her brows, she remained composed and full of grace.

The watching guards were stunned by the efficacy of the battle. One of the older guards on the sidelines collected his winnings from his coworkers (he was familiar with Sholto and Aeris' shenanigans).

"How was that?" asked the fox as she turned to her bonded.

"Perfect," he smiled back.

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