The Ascension of the Celestial Priest

8; The 'Reunion'.

At first it was a knock before it quickly escalated into a full blast. The door was blown open and in a streak of light Lukas found himself tackled to the ground by a soft figure, under a white cloak that hugged him so tightly that he had no idea what to do next.

"I'm glad you are back" a muffled voice came out from the figure. Lukas helplessly smiled as he couldn't help but circle his hands around her while unfamiliar emotions coursed through his whole being. It seemed like the Original Lukas held deep love for his younger sister such that he couldn't help it but feel the same too despite the different hands that fate dealt them.

"Now, now" he said "I am still here." his voice soothed her intense emotions. She slowly let go and then they stared at each other's eyes for a whole minute. She was only a few inches shorter than Lukas, with long silver hair that fell down beside her in waves. She was ultimately beautiful with pale eyes, brighter skin and a subtle robe that hinted at her growing figure.

But being in her brother's body brought a whole spectrum of emotions that Lukas wasn't expecting. There was joy in his heart, as he was glad he got to meet the fabled sister but there was also pain. He felt guilty that he somehow intruded in someone's life, assumed his identity and continued living while the previous host had long since gone leaving his memories and his long life sentiments behind.

The original Lukas being the first born in Raydore Noble family meant that he was the one supposed to shoulder the whole family affairs in the first place. At the misfortune of their poor straits and the fact that other noble families who used to be close with them ignored their plea for help when they needed it the most, it meant that Lukas and his sister Aria (short for Ariandel) were all they had for each other after the disappearance and the assumed death of their Patriarch father.

Their mother Arianne desperate for a luckier turn of events, pulled some of their remaining wealth and then whisked both of them off to the Awakening ceremony in vain hope that her children will be lucky to blessed with a magical talent worthy enough for the learning institutions to recruit them. And it turned out Fate hadn't completely left them.

Lukas was tested with a C+ Rank Talent with an Elemental trait of Light which in the eyes of the representatives was decent enough for him to be recruited by the Cathedral of Light to be an Outer Disciple. But his younger sister had even more luck than him, her Talent Being of an A+ Rank of Elemental Light warranting special attention that she was modestly fought over before she herself made the choice to be trained under the Cathedral of Light, the very same place her brother was chosen. So the Cathedral of Light somehow obtained two young apprentices, both of them awakened to the elemental Light while one was of a more promising premise than they had ever hoped for.

Since the Awakening ceremony and her rapid progress to the inner sect, she barely had time to see him at all. The Original Lukas being in the outer sector and her being in the inner sector meant that they were separated most of the time. She then discovered just how cut throat the competition in the inner sect was, much more so than the outer sector but still took the mantle in trying to preserve the last shreds of their Noble House together with his brother.

Lukas being of a much lower talent shouldered all of the ridicule and the mockery that people seem to have of him due to envy and jealous at how among the two of them, one was lucky to be talented enough to be a disciple in the inner sector. The Original Lukas shouldered all of this with a silent mouth never even admitting to his younger sister just how much he suffered every day. Adding the fact he took more than a year for him to reach Mortal rank while his sister had just passed the first water shed of cultivation by advancing to be a Mid-Earth ranked mage already.

A Silent pause passed before she quickly looked him over and then frowned a little. Her brother looked a little worn, fatigued but his eyes seemed bright and his mana fluctuations were even stronger. But something had changed, she couldn't exactly tell what but she could a feel a difference within him on a level she couldn't quite catch yet.

Though to their the credit they shared almost very same light features of pale tinted eyes, bright silver hair and the graceful being each of them possessed. They have always been mistaken for twins ever since they were born to the extent that they were forced to get used to it in the end.

Lukas smiled wryly to himself, when he suddenly got punched on his hand out of the blue.

"Ow!"

"That's for giving me a fright" she complained "do you know how much frightened I got when I heard you were lost and probably dead in the Lone Woods" she said her voice cracking with emotions.

Lukas feeling guilty at the prospect that this new sister of his doesn't know his real brother is dead. He steeled his heart before he answered" I got lucky…"

Her sister snorted "Of course you got lucky otherwise if you weren't you wouldn't be here in the first place. You would have died in the some bushes somewhere and wolves would be dining on your corpse leaving me all alone in this stupid place "she nearly shouted by the time she was finished.

Lukas winced "I'm sorry..." he said it sincerely.

Seeing his clear gaze Aria relaxed a little before she spoke slowly. "All you had to do was wait until i became an Elite Inner disciple which by then I could pull you safely to my side as my retainer so you didn't have to risk your life in these ridiculous missions any longer."

Leo sat there to think and he instinctively felt that the original host might have seemed weak in character but he had his own pride. And that pride pushed him in trying to make something of himself without depending on his own sister.

In addition he had even more reasons which included a good possibility for him slip up the more he spent time with her but most importantly he needed those missions. They were also a form of training and he needed to experience this new world and learn so trapping himself beside her might just limit him in more ways than one.

He lightly shook his own head. "No sister I have to make my own way…to you it might seem that i am risking myself but I aim to seek my own opportunities to make myself stronger, force the little potential I have to something greater and that would defeat my purpose if joined up with you."

Aria breathed heavily in anger "are you really that mad brother? We are the only ones left in our family and I being an inner disciple barely stopped our enemies from hounding us every day. In fact they would be really happy to see us disappear into the wind leaving the name of the House of Raydore as an empty vessel to begin with."

Leo looked at his sister and half-smiled “I know you mean well. I know you think what you desire is the best for me. But I won't digress. I want to make my own path, worthy of me being a first born of the Raydore family. I want to be a Crown holder against the vicious noble families who aim to swallow the little we have. In order to do so i have to raise the prestige of our name such that no one will dare mock us or even our family. Sister you took a Good path, and laid a foundation and a temporary protection or our family but that isn't enough. I have to do my part also..."

Her sister looked at his eyes and then she immediately realized what was different about his brother this time. His heart has hardened and his eyes held a hidden gleam that made her sigh. She felt as if she had reunited with a stranger instead of his brother. But the one thing she knew was that his mind was made and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Sometimes I wish I was the first born "she muttered under her breath.

"But you weren't," he added." And if you were you would have bullied me so much…" Leo answered in chagrin.

Her sister laughed "Oh yes I would have. In fact I would have bullied you so much you wouldn't have dared to have such thoughts" she helplessly smiled.

Then Lukas said in a solemn voice, "I don't know about the past but this time…this time I aim to reach the inner sect by the end of this year."

Aria paused before she asked softly "what really happened in that forest?". Because she could tell that whatever happened in those woods had changed his brother, he used to be fairly strong with his fare share of timid in his personality but now all she could sense was a silent determination, with the timidness that previously plagued him disappeared in a flash.

He took a deep breath and the debated if he should really tell what happened, at least to some extent. Seeing that they were the last descendants of a noble family and they might face things of these nature even more he decided to be lay it all for her, in order to make sure he laid foundation for what he felt was the disaster to come.