"Wait, you need my help to purify and eliminate demons?" Vastarael repeated, frowning slightly as he looked from one twin to the other. "This your first Sacred Trial?"
Natalis nodded. "Yes. It's our First Sacred Trial under the Vitalis Divinity. The test is issued directly to us."
"To prove we can wield our Divinity with intention," Denisia added. "And that we won't crumble the second it's used for something... impure."
Vastarael's eyes narrowed just slightly. His gaze drifted to Peroncerea, who stood near the entrance, leaning against a pillar with her arms folded. Her wings were half-unfurled. Her blue irises were steady, locked on the twins coldly.
"Peroncerea," Denisia began gently, "It's... not what it looks like."
That was the wrong thing to say. Peroncerea's eyebrow twitched upward.
"Really? You mean it looks like you're creating a divine demon-obliteration tool and actually it's a birthday cake for me and my kind?"
Denisia winced. "No no, I mean we weren't targeting you. It's just the assignment. Honestly. We can't lie! You know that!"
Peroncerea rolled her eyes, but the edge in her posture softened just a little.
"I'm not mad, I get it. Sacred Trials aren't personal. They're just suspiciously well-timed tests that target entire demon factions."
Natalis shot her an apologetic glance. "You know we wouldn't—"
"I know," Peroncerea interrupted with a dismissive wave. "I'm not offended. Mostly."
Denisia exhaled in relief, then turned back to Vastarael, brightening a little.
"So… will you help?"
He looked at them a moment longer before rubbing his chin. "Alright. First thing's first. Do either of you actually have Circlecraft? Because if you don't, this isn't going to work."
"Yep!" Natalis answered, her hand shooting up like a proud student.
"Me too," Denisia added. "We're Seventh Star."
Vastarael blinked.
"Wait. Seventh Star?"
He repeated slowly, as if trying to make sure he'd heard them right.
"Mhm!" Denisia beamed. "We studied in Minafallen. When the Epoch Cycle was upon us, we carried some books and during our time in Erna, we—"
"—Memorize most of them," Natalis finished proudly. "And we passed all the Circlecraft theory up to Seventh Star by the time we returned."
"That's actually… amazing. Circlecraft Star Levels are stricter than Circlemancy Levels. Most Circlemancers can't even pass the Fifth."
"We know," Denisia grinned. "We even got a commendation from—"
"But have you used it?" Vastarael cut in flatly.
The twins froze.
"Um..." Natalis started.
"We haven't exactly, uh, tested anything in a live setting yet," Denisia added, her tone sheepish.
"So you've never used Circlecraft."
"We have! Just... just making one Mystic Circle," Denisia said quickly. "We built it completely from scratch together."
"Just one?"
They nodded.
"One?"
They both nodded harder. Vastarael sounded halfway between baffled and personally offended.
"Are you actually joking right now. One Mystic Circle? You spent that long studying Circlecraft, got to Seventh Star, and only developed one functional Circle? You're the Andelaris twins. You have divinity, resonance, and sacred arts under your fingertips and you made one Circle?"
They opened their mouths but he wasn't done.
"Do you even understand how utterly disgraceful that is to magecraft? You're not soldiers. You can't swing enchanted lances like Xander or crush warships like Farrynelle. Or even throw boulders like Eldrigan with one hand while insulting an enemy with the other. You're mages and your offensive and defensive potential literally focuses on how many Mystic Circles you can call up mid-battle!"
Denisia and Natalis winced as if every word was a slap.
"We focused, okay?" Natalis finally shot back, a little defensive now. "We put all our time into designing one Array Mystic Circle. A full-scale purification construct."
"It's the one we used when we were trapped in the ocean domain," Denisia added. "It's the Circle that destroyed the Third Pillar."
That finally made Vastarael pause. He exhaled slowly, rubbed his face, and muttered.
"Alright, that… was impressive."
They looked up, hopeful again. He crossed his arms, still not letting them off the hook.
"But still. I've made a Healing Circle, Plasma Circle, Water Circle, Heat Circle, Sapphire Circle, Control Circle, Protection Circle and even a Flight Circle. That's eight. And you made one."
The twins looked at each other, slightly deflated again.
"I didn't even use theory. I trained by myself. And now every Richinaria mage uses my Circles because they work better than what other Circlecraft Mages made. I could make more Mystic Circles. I have drafts. But do you know how long it takes to make a good one or how long it takes to fine-tune a Circle so it doesn't collapse under divine pressure or blow the caster to shreds?"
The twins didn't answer.
"It's a waste of time trying to master every form of Mystic Circle but you made just one? And you're at Seventh Star? That's like becoming a world class chef and only ever cooking scrambled eggs."
"We're sorry," Denisia mumbled.
"Very sorry," Natalis added, bowing slightly.
The tension in the air finally broke when a dry voice murmured from the carpet.
"Take them as your students."
All heads turned.
Adelasta had opened her eyes. She hadn't moved from her reclined position across the twins' laps, but the glow in her gaze suggested she had been awake for at least half the conversation.
"They need structure. Even though Circlecraft is usually based on one's own arcane blueprint... you're a good teacher. You explain well better than anyone they've met, probably."
He stared at her for a long moment, then sighed, shoulders sinking.
"I wasn't gonna say no, darling. The Array was good. Over-designed, but good."
"That's a win," Denisia said quickly.
"Definitely a win," Natalis echoed.
But then Peroncerea tilted her head.
"Okay, but... what is an Array?"
Natalis perked up immediately. "Oh! An Array is a combination of Mystic Circles structured to perform one single action. Like a symphony of the same Mystic Circle but different sizes. Normally you need to be past Fifth Star to even try, but Seventh Star is where they actually become stable."
"Like combining elemental runes into a directed explosion," Denisia added. "Except we use divine purity instead of kinetic force."
Peroncerea made a face. "So basically magic algebra."
"Sure," Natalis said. "But with life-or-death stakes and divine consequences."
"Hah. Great," Peroncerea muttered, folding her arms again. "So long as no one tries to purify me by accident, we're good."
The room went quiet for a beat. Then Vastarael rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Why are all of you like this…"