Gideon, who had been mystified by the whole display, suddenly had his jaw hit the floor. "N-Night.... Those are, Demonic, weapons. The Aura, it's so... Dark!" He had begun backing away from Nightingale. His weapon now pointed directly at her.
"These are your elements. You said so. You're a... Oh Goddess, no." Panic replaced his fire and his hands became talon like. Gideon's face became slightly more reptilian and scales appeared on his skin. Gideons voice began to rasp and hiss as he spoke. "You're a demon, aren't you!? Oh, Goddess, noooo." He growled, backing up further and shaking his head in disbelief.
Nightingale stopped, all fight in her eyes suddenly stopping. She dropped the blade, and both dispersed instantly. She tucked her hands to heart heart and stepped back, her eyes going wide. "N-no! I'm not! I swear to my own deity on high, my lord of light, the lord that my mother saved the world and all its entirety for that I am not!" She said, stepped back more from the dragon that now appeared before her.
"I am a nephilim! Child of the gods!" She said, hiding her eyes by tilting her head down. Her voice softened to a barely audible tone. "I'm not evil... Not that evil." She whispered, stopping in her steps back. "There is an evil that dwells in my heritage. Yes. Sometimes it does overcome me. Yes." She began, her cloak reappearing over her shoulders. She then clutched it around her like a blanket. "But I was destroyed! Killed! Now I've been reborn." She said, her breath a bit stuttered.
"I was awoken by the darkness. Those who are most dark in this world. They brought me forth from my slumber in purgatory and asked me of their aid. I willed not and left with much haste. There, on the horizon of a cliff, your mentor found me and brought me to this holy place. Never would I do such a disgrace as to let myself - If I were a true demon - step foot into these halls." She said, shaking her head and looking Gideon now straight in the eyes. "I wasted my previous life." She said, her voice very serious. "Kill me. Hurt me. On pain of death!" She cried out, taking a step forward. "I want to change!"
Her emotions were quick to change, but she used all the passion she had to make her point and preserve herself. Gideon was a danger to her now, as she understood. As long as Nightingale could save the situation, then maybe she could save her relationship with the people here.
"A child of gods? With what dark weapons as these! I don't believe you! You don't hide your Aura for protection, only for deceit. Does Risa know who you are, What you are? This is not right!" He shouted. Wings sprouted from Gideon's back, and he circled Nightingale in the air. "Curse my Queen, that I should meet such a demon as you! Could you not be something else, Anything else? It's as if my Goddess is laughing at me! I should have gone into military with the rest of my family, a plague on the day I decided to join this temple!"
He landed right in front of her, the fire back in his eyes, with something like despair as well. His face was right up close to hers, staring balefully at the swirling purple depths. The hiss had not left his voice and the dragon undertone was still there in full force. "Does Lady Risa know what you are? And if you lie, I swear I'll shove you in the inner sanctum and let the warriors deal with you"
At first, Nightingale shook. It had only been hours since her rebirth and this is now how she wanted to spend it. A cloud of courage ran over her fainted eyes, and she continued.
"Let them deal with me!" Nightingale said, her stance remaining strong as she turned to face Gideon. "Lady Risa knows who I am, and that my aura is protected because she told me to! She guided me to protect my origins for the very reason that I believe in her!" Nightingale took a step back, and swept off her cloak. Her voice quieted. "If you so see fit, do what Lady Risa told me never to do, and place me within the walls of the inner sanctum. She commanded me - warned me - never to step foot in there. If I did, she promised she'd save me if those warriors inside so decided I was not welcome. Defy your mentor if you dare." Night said, unclasping her belt and throwing it aside. "My element is of all the elements. From my mother, I take the brightest light." She said, raising a palm and bathing her arm in absolutely holy light. And from my father, I take the deepest darkness." She raised her other palm, which glowed in a pitch black mist. "Judge me as thou wilt." She said, putting her arms down and making the lights fade.
The passionate light in her eyes slowly faded to a submissive swirl, and the girl changed her voice and tactics to suit it. Nightingale bowed her head and sank to a knee before the dragon. "I am at your people's mercy..." She murmured, her voice now quiet.
Immediately, all the dragon in Gideon's appearance disappeared. "Don't kneel before an apprentice..." He sighed and turned his back, tossing his sword in the grass. "It's shameful..."
Now it was his turn to kneel. Gideon fell on both knees and smacked his forehead on the ground. "I Couldn't hurt you if I wanted to." He moaned. "You are Lady Risa's charge, and she is the head of the entire religion! Your fate is hers to decide and having you killed would just be, wrong... Defying her would be wrong." He said with a groan. This went against most of his teachings: being nice to an evil-seeming being. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have threatened you, I should not have judged you."
Night raised her head. "Wait, what?" She asked, her expression changing instantly. "I'm..." She looked at the boy now groveling before her. "Gideon. I'm very confused." She said, sitting back on her legs and looking to him. "Thank you for apologizing, but, but, why do you grovel so? Don't do that! It's shameful." She said, reaching forward and lightly patting his shoulder. "It's a sign of submission, where I come from. Don't submit to me- what?" Nightingale breathed, an utterly confused expression upon her.
"You can hurt me all you want! I'd rather you would instead of moan at my feet like a child. Seconds ago you were just cursing the world, and saying how you'd rather be a military man!" She recoiled her hand and gazed sternly at him. "Have some discipline about you! My father would've kicked you right out of the town if you'd've done that before him!" She said, placing her palms on her thighs. "Gideon!"
He just sighed, and sat back on his heels. "I'd have rather been military man then feel so conflicted. I'm not cut from stone like my father and brothers, I'm here for faith, and I wouldn't last a day under the regiment. Faith says you should be punished for living, but Lady Risa says that the teachings should not be followed word for word, its how you interpret them." Gideon stood and brushed off his pant legs. "My curse was rash, so were my statements."
"I'm sorry I've confused you, I don't normally act so rashly. I think carefully. Do not take the anger you saw as me, it isn't." He very carefully avoided her gaze, and picked up his weapon. Gideon placed it back on the rack, and walked towards the dueling arena's door. "We should go to Lady Risa now, she'll be waiting...."
"But..." Night said, pursing her lips and sighing. "You've challenged me to a duel. Even if something has happened, you can't go back on your challenge. It's dueling etiquette, right?" Nightingale asked, looking up at him from her position on the floor. "I won't use any weapons. Not magic. No powers. Just my hands." She said, keeping completely still, though her eyes seemed to widen, like a child's begging. "Lady Risa can wait some more."
"Rules are subject to circumstance. This will be forgiven and resumed later. It is best not to try Risa's patience." His eyes avoided her look of pleading, "Let's go." He murmured sternly. Gideon stood by the door keeping it open for Nightingale to pass through. It would not be a long walk to the Apothecary from the temple, but the sooner they got there the better.
Nightingale stayed in her spot for a long moment, her head dropping so that her eyes cast upon the ground. "You were right to judge me..." She finally said. "Lady Risa should've killed me when she had the chance..." She wiped her face and forced herself to stand. She pulled her cloak's hood over her head and walked briskly past Gideon and out of the temple, only waiting for him when she reached the outer door of the grand complex. Her expression had faded to an apathetic solemnity, with nothing but a sad regret dancing in her darkened eyes.
Gideon caught up quickly, and they walked in silence out of the temple walls into the city center.
