The awakening of the Valor Santori had not gone unnoticed throughout the galaxy. It had not taken long for Aurora and Aaron to find others coming to Santori in search of knowledge, in search of a higher purpose. The group had expanded from just the two of them to dozens, and in the midst of their rearranging they had managed to form a council.

It had been days that Aurora had spent clearing the main library with the other members of the VS, this was a long task and was arduous to say the least. She wasn't sure what projects Aaron was conducting, after all this place was huge and expansive, it was easy to spend days consumed in one single task. However, on this Monday morning, Aurora decided to seek out her old friend as there were important matters to discuss. She found her way to Aaron's room and knocked lightly on the door. She hesitated a second before allowing herself admission.

"Aaron," She said in case he had not heard her enter, "I think we need to discuss what our plans are with Desolace. It will not be long before the others begin asking about the direction of this order, we can't avoid giving them answers forever."

Aaron too had been busy ever since pilgrims had started arriving on Santori, directing them to where they were best suited in the order whilst providing training for those who knew less about magic and combat. His main tasks seemed to be maintaining the council whilst helping teach the newcomers, but there came a point where the other council members were capable of taking control of the teaching. This left Aaron free to conduct more study in his spare time, which is what Aurora found him doing upon entering his room.

Scrolls, tomes and magic holograms lay all over his study, detailing things from old relics to sacred locations. A keen eye would be able to spot Desolace among the runes.
"Funny you should mention it," He turned, rubbing his eyes as a clear sign the rebuilding had taken its toll on his fatigue. "I was thinking with some more training we should all be ready to move out within a week." Aaron pushed himself up from his chair, approaching Aurora slightly. "Practice means everyone though, have you had time to use the bow?"

She rolled her eyes. Had he forgotten her marksmanship? The bow, it seemed, had taken some kind of special shine to Aurora. There had been an incident where a curious new member of the Santori had attempted to admire its beauty, touching the intricate grooves of its design. It was a nasty surprise when they were thrown backwards into rubble and had to be assisted to the make-shift medical bay. It seemed the bow itself had formed some kind of sentient attachment to Aurora, letting only her touch it.

"Well, it's not as if anyone else has been using it." She laughed to Aaron, knowing he had heard of the incident. "I've been practising up in the courtyard, although all the debris doesn't make it easy." She looked over Aaron's shoulder to where he had been working, she could never hold the concentration required to do this kind of research, it was her father's spirit in her that made her keen to move around, to complete tasks and not read of them.

"And Aaron Almis, have you discovered anything new in your soul searching research? Perhaps you'd demonstrate for the troops, they need some encouragement. Sifting through rubble is quite boring"

"Maybe you need a spin on the new training grounds." Aaron gave a smile, moving over to play a hand upon Mjolnir. For a moment it looked like he was going to lift the hammer as usual, but instead he ran his fingers down the side. "I could do with practicing my skills without the hammer, just in case." He gave Aurora an offering look. "Come, we can discuss matters while we spar." His hand pulled back from Mjolnir as he moved out of the room and waited for Aurora to follow.

"My research has taught me alot about the goals of the original Valor Santori. They valued the collection of knowledge above many things, meaning their secondary goal alongside protecting the galaxy was to safeguard all the relics in it too." Their walk took them down the old halls, giving them a fleeting view of more carvings and grand architecture. "Desolace was once Heaven, I'm sure you know, and the Angels had lots of Relics there."

Eventually they reached a rectangular room that seemed quite bare at the moment, but to the observant eye it was perfect for dueling.
"We need to make sure the Fallen Angels left over haven't corrupted the Relics." Aaron said, taking a position on one end of the room whilst gesturing with his hand at the other end. "Go easy on me, won't you?"

Aurora had listened intently to Aaron's plan, a trip to Desolace didn't exactly sound like a summer holiday, but it was necessary. When they reached the rectangular room Aurora leaned Amanir down against a wall, the bow would not be needed.
"I'll try not to best you straightaway, you need time to train, I understand." Aurora mocked, sure that Aaron would love her sarcastic tone. She focussed for a second as she waited for Aaron to ready himself, her magic needed to be tuned like an instrument her mother had said. Then she conjured a small blast of magic towards Aaron, she kept much of the power she had reserved for now, not wanting to maim him in the process.

Aaron's hand shot up, palm pressed forward to channel a short-lived arcane shield. The barrier impacted with Aurora's blast, causing it to dissipate and leave Aaron unscathed. With it gone Aaron lowered his hand, although not fully in anticipation of further casting.
"So," He began as his hand slowly swirled, gathering a bright blue light within his fingers and allowing it to fluctuate in his grasp. His other hand reached up to untie the outer layer of his armour, a thick regal leather with a cloak, leaving behind the more combat-ready under-armour. "Have you ever been to Heaven before?" 

A bolt of blue energy crackled forward at Aaron's command immediately after the question, a quick stream aiming to hit Aurora in the lower body. Despite this his question was sincere; why not using a sparring session to get to know each other? Some cultures believed combat was the only way to learn about someone. Although he only read that in a book...

The crackling blue energy that Aaron had sent hurtling towards Aurora hit her right in the stomach, luckily her defensive white shield took most of the blow so the girl only stumbled. 
"Heaven?" She asked between blasts of magic, "Before the Knight's Academy I'd never gone further than my parent's home worlds."

She raised her hands high above her head, feeling the energy of Santori and all the life in it building inside of her and then she unleashed a stream of white energy, blinding to behold and aimed to hit Aaron right in the chest. 

"Anyway, I've heard heaven isn't the holiday destination it used to be, we might need insurance."

Aaron's hand shot up, taking the brunt of the energy in his palm. It sent jolts all over his body as he tried to absorb it, but the attack was just too strong for that. He stumbled back and almost fell straight down if not for his reactions, steadying himself to face her.
"Well, worth a try." He shrugged, straightening himself to continue. "Yeah, hence why they call it Desolace." 

Aaron began circling her now, both hands curled ready to cast more spells. 
"They say my grandmother is an Angel, I suppose rebuilding her homeworld might get her attention." Energy began gathering in both his palms, preparing to be unleashed. "My family tree could get quite confusing." He smirked, before hurling the energy in his left palm in an arc. It swung around to hit Aurora at her side, hopefully distracting her whilst Aaron lunged forward with the remaining energy.

This energy morphed into a solid staff, allowing him to attempt a full sweep at her legs with the conjured weapon. Afterwards he would try to stand over her, pressing the staff down upon her chest lightly.

Aurora didn't have the same worries as Aaron about complex family trees, it had always just been her and her father. One of his blasts of magic hit Aurora straight in her side causing her to stumble and grip her side as the shock surged through her stomach. "Ouch." She exclaimed bluntly. In that moment Aaron had already prepared his next move, using a conjured staff to strike Aurora's legs and pin her to the floor. She lay there for a second, allowing Aaron to believe he had won.

"Congratulations." She smiled as her orb of light floated above his head where he hadn't noticed. The orb headed straight for Aurora's chest, allowing her to emit the energy, shattering Aaron's conjured staff and hopefully sending him flying on his arse.

Aaron did indeed go flying on his arse, laughing it off as he pushed himself up from the floor. "I guess we both learned something there." His hands brushed his clothes down, clearing the dust he had gathered from the old room. "Never let your guard down." At this point he realised a gathering of people by the door, eagerly spectating the two sparring. He smirked at them, before looking to Aurora.

"Looks like this is turning into a practical lesson." Aaron's hand lit up with blue energy again, leaving little break before he started throwing small yet continuous bolts of arcane magic. His form stayed mobile and his shots varied, poking for weaknesses in Aurora's defense and hoping slightly for a counter-attack.

Aurora tried to ignore the crowd that had gathered to watch, she needed absolute concentration for what she was about to do. She raised her hands as Aaron threw continuous blasts of arcane magic towards her. She was consumed in a white glow, all of the shots reverberating off the shield around her. She calmly turned to the new cadets, "You don't have to stand there, recruits are welcome to spar." She smiled warmly as some of them stepped forward to begin practising. 

"Aaron should we discuss some other matters?" She hoped he would agree, it had been a long time since she had cast this much magic and she was feeling rather weary. She let down her shield as sparks began to fly from the cadets as they began sparring. Aurora couldn't help but smile at what they had created from the old shell that was Santori. She walked towards where Amanir rested at the side of the room and then turned to Aaron awaiting his next suggestion.