Supernova

Ch. 3: Redguon and the Noble

~2 Days Later~

"Well," Minerva said, staring up at the large mansion with wide eyes. "This is unnecessarily huge."

Lucy grinned, silently agreeing with her before raising her fist to knock on the large, oaken doors. Before she could even touch the varnished doors, however, the doors flew open, revealing the same handsome noble Lucy and her team encountered just over a week ago. He smiled slightly, his oddly-sparkling obsidian eyes crinkling cutely at the edges. "Ms. Heartfilia, I've been expecting you," he said, and Lucy wondered if his voice had always been that deep. The noble widened the door, beckoning them to follow him in.

The interior of the mansion was just as large as the outside, but strangely enough, was bereft of most furniture and decorations, the basic few only filling the spaces they walked through and resembling what Lucy would have called a Spartan lifestyle... had it not been for the fact that the male lived in such a huge mansion. The walls were a beautiful marble but bare, the floors a beautiful white stone that Lucy couldn't place, and the ceiling— oh Spirits, the ceiling! It reminded her of the twinkling stars of the night sky, and she felt empowered underneath the lights. She looked briefly at Minerva, who was staring up at the ceiling in wonder as well.

The sound of a throat clearing brought the two back to the handsome male, who was smiling at them gently. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked. "It took me a while, but I like the results."

Lucy's breath caught. "You did this?"

"Of course," he said simply. He opened another door, this time white, and he held it open. Once they were inside what looked like a study, he gestured at the sofas and chairs that were gathered in the center. "Come, sit. I have quite to talk to you about, Miss Heartfilia." He turned to Minerva, smiling at her gently. "But first, I would like to meet your companion."

Minerva smiled back, admittedly charmed by the noble. "Minerva," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

The noble's eyes widened. "Like the goddess of wisdom and war," he said softly, taking her hand and placing a smooth kiss on her knuckles. Lucy watched, amused, as Minerva actually blushed at his action. "My name is Eltanin, miladies." He reclined his head briefly.

"Eltanin," Lucy said. "Earlier, you said you were expecting me?"

Eltanin nodded, his face slipping into a mask of cool indifference that Lucy immediately recognized from her upbringing and exposure to the nobility's culture. "I have." He moved to one of the many shelves of the room, grabbing a withered red book that Lucy realized was the book she and her team had fought to get from the thieves. "This book here holds several of the records documented from the very first and oldest Celestial Mage order." Lucy sucked in a breath, and catching that, Eltanin turned to her, his eyes understanding.

"The Orion Order had always been the center of knowledge for Celestial magic, with only the most powerful of Celestial Mages able to join it. It hurts to say, but when the order died, so did the proper use of Celestial Magic." He locked eyes with Lucy. "The Heartfilia clan had always been the overseers of the Order." His eyes shut, and he tilted his head. "Your mother was the last to lead the Order, Lady Lucy Heartfilia, before her illness overtook her."

Lucy stiffened, and she distantly noted Minerva reaching for her hand in support. "What?"

"The Heartfilias have always been an active part of the Order because their bloodline always produced the strongest Celestial Mages Earthland had to offer. Your mother had been the one to lead the Orion Order, and it was a part of her life even after she settled down with Jude and had you."

Lucy gaped at Eltanin, unsure if she just heard him correctly. "But I thought the Orion Order was just a story." She immediately backtracked upon seeing Eltanin's face. "I mean, thought that the Order was a thing of the past. I didn't think she actually meant that it still existed!"