After a brief moment in the void, I appeared in front of Kalli and Shiveria, eliciting a shriek from the child. Kalli gave me a mock glare and reassured her sister. “Don’t worry, Shiv. Melvin can teleport. Your mother sent him to come fetch us.”

It dawned on me that I could have just told Kalli that we were leaving through mate chat. “Your mom asked me to come get you. We’re going to Celestea.”

“I’ve been there.” She said dejectedly. “I couldn’t revive it. I’ve never seen mother so disappointed.”

Kalli rested her hand on top of Shiviria’s. “The castle is back. Do you want to go see it?”

“What? How?” She asked, her mouth falling open in surprise.

Kalli hesitated and Shiviria continued. “You did it, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Kalli said in a low voice, looking nervously at her sister.

Shiviria’s expression darkened again and she asked, “Why does it always have to be this way? Everything is about you. Mother is going to be insufferable when she finds out.”

“Who cares what she thinks?” I asked, causing both girls to look at me.

I wanted to say more but the looks on their faces made me realize I had put my foot in my mouth. Looking at Kalli, I continued in mate chat.

I don’t get why your mother would attach strings to her love.

Kalli shook her head sadly and said, “Don’t worry about Mother. You are about to meet so many new people. Just wait until you meet Wendy.”

“Who’s Wendy?” Shiviria asked in a timid voice.

Kalli smiled. “Wendy is the nicest person ever. She’s at the castle right now. She does wind magic.”

Wondering how alike the sisters were, I asked, “Do you do fire magic too?”

Shiviria frowned at me. “I don’t do any magic. The castle didn’t give me any. Did it give you fire magic, Kalliphae?”

I inspected the kid while Kalli tried to explain.

Name

Shiviria Celestea Celestea

Class

Scrapped Princess

Level

1

Affection Level

Jealous

She didn’t seem to be awakened but she was still young, so there was always potential. Kalli had a soft tone in her voice as she explained. “The castle didn’t give me magic. That comes from my core and my class. I am a pyromancer. I awakened years ago and even had some training. Don’t worry. There is still plenty of time.”

“I can help!” I blurted out, reaching out to take her hand.

Shiviria pulled her hand back and Kalli leaned in protectively. Gentle, Mel. Tell her what you want to do first.

Oh, right.

Crossing my legs to make myself more comfortable, I said, “I have a special ability where I can awaken you and help with your mana flow. If you’d like, that is.”

Shiviria looked back and forth between us, asking, “Will it hurt?”

I laughed, which caused her to flinch again. Realizing I was still scaring her, I cleared my throat and said, “Only for me. Sometimes I get thrown across the room when I do this.”

She giggled and replied, “Oh. Well, I guess you can try it if you promise it won’t hurt.”

Kalli squeezed her hand as I reached out to take her other one. I could tell that her channels had never been used before the moment my mana penetrated her body.

Shiviria’s body was similar to other unawakened people I had worked on until I got to her core. A translucent blue block hung suspended in the darkness of her core area. Kalli, who was watching me work, gasped as she saw it. It’s so pretty.

I said nothing as I reached out with tendrils of mana to touch the core. It came to life the instant I made contact, the block beginning to spin and shake off what at first appeared to be dandruff.

I began to shiver as the temperature of my mana plummeted, resonating with the core which turned out to be a block of true ice. The dandruff turned out to be snow which swirled around her core in a perpetual blizzard that attached itself to my mana and rapidly moved through her mana channels.

The blowback was minor, only causing me to rock back slightly but it was still greater than when I awakened a normal person. Looking up, I thought a new person sat in front of me. Shiviria’s hair was no longer brown, replaced by icy blue locks that seemed to shine as the moisture in the air froze around it.

Even more striking than her hair were the princess’s eyes. Gone were the golden-brown eyes that I had noticed when I first met her. In their place were dark blue orbs that seemed extra large and glowed from within.

Kalli leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair out of her sister’s face. “How do you feel, Shiv?”

She shuddered, blinking a few times and looking down at her hands. “Different. What did he do to me? I’m tingly all over.”

Kalli gave her a smile of reassurance as she explained. “Melvin activated your core. I don’t know why but not everyone’s core generates enough mana to be a mage. They are called unawakened, I think. Melvin uses his mana to sort of kick the process into motion. It looks like you are going to be an ice user.”

“Do you really use fire?” Shiviria asked, looking like she wanted to see a demonstration.

To answer her question, Kalli held her hand up in front of Shiviria, producing a flame which she then formed into the shape of a stick figure and had it dance across her palm.

Shiviria gasped and asked, “Will I be able to do that?”

Already in teaching mode, I asked, “Can you feel the mana running through your body? Try pushing it out through the opening in your hand. That’s the first step.”

Shiviria scrunched up her face in concentration as she held her hand out trying to follow my instructions. While she did that, I decided to inspect her again.

Name

Shiviria Celestea Celstea

Class

Cryomancer

Level

1

Affection Level

Excited

It was Kalli’s turn to gasp when she saw her little sister’s new class. Mel, look. She has a class like mine.

I was more interested in the snowball that was forming above the girl’s hand.

Look, Kalli! She’s doing it.

Shiviria’s eyes widened as she saw her mana for the very first time. “I can do it. What is this stuff?”

Kalli poked it and drew her finger back. “I don’t know but it’s cold.”

“That’s snow.” I helpfully supplied. “It’s what happens when water freezes.”

“Isn’t that ice?” Kalli asked, laughing.

Trying to think back to what I knew about snow, I said, “Snow is a form of ice. It has ice crystals in it, see. I believe it forms in the clouds and falls in the form of snow.”

“That never happens here,” Shiviria said, looking sad.

I poked the snowball and said, “It doesn’t happen where I live either. Well, perhaps in the mountains.”

“Wait!” Kalli exclaimed. “I saw a mountain with a white top one time. I wondered what caused it.”

“That was snow.” I said wisely, adding, “With some practice, Shiv will be able to make it snow anywhere.”

Shiviria beamed at me, holding her snowball up in the air. “Do you think I’ll be able to do that?”

Our conversation was cut short when we heard Celestea shouting from below. “Children. We are going to set off to Celestea. Come down this instant.”

Wordlessly, Shiviria lowered the rope ladder and descended. Celestea gaped at her and asked, “Child, what did you do to your hair? Did that boy put you up to this?”

Shiviria smiled and chirped, “No mother. I have awakened and I can make snow. Do you want to see?”

Celestea waved her off. “Not now. We will speak of this later. For now, we must travel.”

Kalli slid down the ladder and I decided to teleport to her side again. Shiviria gasped and cried out. “Can you please stop doing that?”

I laughed and said, “But it’s so much fun.”

Charles motioned for us to quiet down and announced, “The sun is already setting. We need to hurry as it is not safe to travel after dark.”

“Or we could teleport there in an instant.” I supplied helpfully.

“You can do that with all of us?” Celestea asked with a raised eyebrow, adding, “And our belongings?”

I looked down at the bags that Charles was holding which apparently contained all of their worldly belongings. “Easily. My current max is fifty people at once.”

Celestea’s mouth fell open as she tried and failed to find words to reply with. Taking that as consent, I grabbed Kalli’s hand and said, “Okay, everyone gather together and hold your breath. Teleportation can be a little jarring the first time.”

Charles took his wife and daughter’s hands and took a few steps closer to us. Then I wrapped my mana around all of us.

We arrived in front of the castle, near the building where I had healed Esha. The town was lively with all of the people I had brought in getting settled.

Shiviria fell to her knees gasping for air but her parents both seemed to have teleported in the past.

Noticing our arrival, several of the villagers made their way over to greet us. An elderly woman fell to her knees when she saw who was with us. “Bless me, it’s the queen. Your majesty. I always hoped you survived that day.”

Celestea rushed over to the woman and reached out to help her up. “Please don’t kneel. I can see that you have already been through a lot.”

“We survived, your highness.” A man who limped along behind the woman said.

Children that I recognized from Kalliville swarmed us and flocked around Kalli. “Miss Kalli, you came back. Can you please make puppets for us again?”

“That’s Her Royal Highness, Princess Kalliphae.” The queen corrected.

The old man laughed and said, “She is also our Empress, your majesty. I don’t know which one is higher on the pecking order but this young lady came to us in our hour of need.”

“Is that so?” Celestea asked, her expression unreadable.

Kalli looked at me nervously. I hope nobody tells her about my prophecy. I would die if my mother heard that.

Not wanting to risk it, I excused us and ushered Kalli’s parents into the castle. Once inside, Celestea took the lead, talking about the castle as she went. “Celestea Castle was originally constructed in the before-era when the ancient mages still lived. The castle itself is considered to be alive. It chooses its mistress, who becomes The Queen of Celestea.”

“How does it choose?” I asked as the queen guided us into the throne room.

Celestea made her way over to the throne as she continued. “When a princess comes of age, she is drawn to a special part of the castle where it presents itself to her if she is worthy. You will have to tell me how you managed to…ow!”

Charles rushed to his wife’s side and asked, “What’s wrong, my love?”

“The throne.” She complained, pointing at it. “It refuses to let me take my rightful place.”

Kalli and I exchanged a knowing look. I pushed her forward.

You try it.

Kalli hesitated. Won’t that just make her mad?

However, she walked up to the throne, pausing only briefly to look at her mother before sitting down. The queen gasped. “Why? How? This is highly irregular. The queen reigns until death. It has always been this way.”

Kalli looked uncomfortable, so I answered for her. “It probably has something to do with the castle itself. When it was destroyed, your reign ended. When Kalli restored the magic, the queendom was reborn.”

“Is that so?” Celestea said, doing her best impression of a royal pout. “I think I am going to retire to my chambers for the evening. I could do with a bath. Come, Charles. Kalliphae, be a good sister and show Shiviria to a bedroom.”

Before we had a chance to reply, the queen swept from the room. Shiviria walked over to Kalli and whispered, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that mad before. Not even when I told her that I don’t care about you.”

“You said that?” Kalli asked, looking sad.

Shiviria laughed and explained, “You don’t understand. She is relentless. Kalliphae this and Kalliphae that. In her mind, you were a perfect angel that could do no wrong while I was nothing but a failure of a princess, and my whole existence served only to remind them how far they had fallen.”

Kalli stood and hugged her sister. “I’m sorry you went through that. I’m going to make it up to you by being the best sister ever!”

Shiviria ducked out of her sister’s grasp and asked, “Can I sit on the throne?”

Kalli looked hesitant and said, “I don’t mind but…”

Without waiting for proper consent, Shiviria sat down and said, “I always wondered what it would feel like. Being queen, you know? I mean, I knew I was a princess. Mother always told me that, but it always felt like a fairy tale. Sitting here and being with you makes it feel real.”

“I wonder if we got it all wrong,” Kalli said, staring at Shiviria. “It let you sit there but not your mother.”

I told Kalli my theory privately.

It’s probably because you gave her permission. Try telling her to get up.

She stuck her tongue out at me, placing her hands on her hips. No!

Just then, Celestea burst back into the throne room. She opened her mouth to speak and then saw Shiviria sitting on the throne. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her words. “You too? No, never mind. I came back down here to inform you that my bedroom is not granting me access. Can either of you do anything? I wish to retire for the evening.”

Realizing that she likely tried to commandeer our bedroom, I suggested, “Perhaps try another room? I think the one you went to is occupied.”

“That’s ridiculous!” The queen shouted. “That is the royal bedroom. My bedroom.”

Kalli and Shiviria watched my dialog with the queen in apparent amusement, trying to hide their giggles behind my back as Celestea got more and more outraged.

Since I was already on a roll, I continued. “I don’t think the castle thinks so. You said it was alive. Perhaps it will show you to your room.”

In response to my suggestion, the bricks started clacking on the floor leading off in the other direction. The queen huffed at the castle and said, “Very well. We will discuss this at length tomorrow. I am too weary to continue. Shiv, don’t stay up too late.”

When she finished speaking, she spun around and strode off after the clacking bricks. Charles followed wordlessly. Once they were out of earshot, Kalli and Shiviria giggled profusely. When they caught their breath, Shiviria asked, “What next? You guys aren’t going to bed already, are you?”

“I was hoping for another bath.” I joked, laughing nervously.

Kalli glared at me and said, “I am definitely not getting in another bath with you anytime soon. Not after last night.”

I gave her a wounded look but Shiviria looked scandalized. “You took a bath with a…b-b-b-boy?”

Kalli turned to her sister and sat on the arm of the throne. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. We just took a bath. Nothing else.”

“B-but, you were naked.” Shiviria squealed.

Kalli turned red. “Well, about that. Um, wait, I have an idea. Would you like to join our group?”

SHIVIRIA CELESTEA CELESTEA HAS JOINED THE GROUP

Joe noticed first. What’s up with all the Celesteas lately?

Kalli replied. That’s my little sister. Be nice!

Wendy’s excited voice came through next. You have a sister? Where are you guys? Oh wait, I see you on the map. I’ll be right there.

Alariel sounded surprised when she said, Welcome to the group Shiviria. My name is Alariel. I do not believe we’ve met. I was unaware the queen had any other children.

Shiviria looked at Kalli and asked, “How do I respond to them?”

Kalli giggled and said, “Just think out loud. You know, like you’re sounding the words out in your head. Be careful though. If you aren’t, people in the group can hear what you’re thinking.”

“Okay,” Shiviria replied, closing her eyes to concentrate.

After a few seconds, we all heard her voice in group chat. Hello everyone.

After another round of greetings, Wendy raced around the corner into the throne room. Taking one look at Shiviria, she said, “She’s so cute! I’m jealous, Kalli. I always wanted a sibling. It’s sort of impossible for my parents though. When they had me, they nearly destroyed Japan.”

“Oh, you have to tell me more about that,” I said while laughing.

“Um, how about no.” Wendy shook her head adamantly. “That’s private. So Kalli, tell me how you found out you had a sister.”