Eden watched the Magus’ black car speed off with a sense of relief. Thanks to Seiko, the situation ended peacefully. As far as she was concerned, that was a good outcome for everyone involved.

Turning around to face Skylar, the Enchantress wondered if perhaps this was a chance for a fresh start. She did help save her from a hunting party of Tower mages just now, so mayhap the girl would be willing to trust her a little.

But at the same time, it was likely Skylar would treat her as she had been since arriving in Britain. The girl had only come to warn her older sister of the ill intentions of the mages from the Shard, even if her warning came out as complete gibberish.

Furthermore, she had ambivalent feelings about her younger sister. The girl clung to their mother, whom she hadn’t gotten along with for quite a while. In addition to this, she was quite hurt when Skylar cut her out of her life completely. That kind of pain wasn’t something she’d quickly get over, as it was possible the same thing would happen all over again.

Her younger sister was the first to speak. The girl’s voice carried a surprising sense of honesty and humility.

“Thank you, Eden. I’m so sorry you got dragged into this situation,” her younger sister apologized.

She was apologizing to her? This was an excellent start to rebuilding their relationship on her part. Though the elder Sorceress would still be cautious, it would be best to meet her halfway. That would allow a mutual understanding between the two to begin forming.

“It’s nothing; I have an inkling of why they were after you. They probably wanted to trade you off for Felicity. Hopefully, they won’t bother you in the future,” the elder Sorceress said, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend and giving her a quick thank you kiss on the cheek.

Skylar looked as though she was about to reply but instead froze up. A second later, she quickly crumpled to the ground. Unfortunately, the Water Sorceress wasn’t able to reach her in time, causing her younger sister to hit her head on the ground.

Whereas a moment ago she seemed fine, the girl now looked like she was in horrible pain. Her muscles were tense, and her body was shaking. The younger Sorceress’ eyes had visibly glazed over as well.

“Camilla, emergency,” Kono frantically said, pushing Eden aside and placing her hands on Skylar’s stomach, “Cure Moderate Wounds.”

On the floor, Skylar’s body stopped moving altogether, appearing to have now completely locked up. If it weren’t for the fact that her chest was still moving up and down, Eden might have assumed the worst-case scenario was about to become reality.

A wave of panic ensued. Whatever was going on certainly didn’t seem natural. Had those mages from earlier done something?

Beside them, Camilla appeared with a burst of pastel blue mana. The Fae was unusually awake, appearing fully alert.

“Seiko, what’s going on,” the Enchantress frantically inquired.

“Is Skylar going to be alright,” a horrified Felicity asked.

“It looks like she’s going into a sort of shock, though I have no idea why. The most likely reason is her injuries were much worse than her body physically showed earlier. Camilla, do you have any clue what’s going on inside her?”

“I’ll do my best to find out,” the Spirit replied as she held her hands over the girl’s body and went to work.

“Skylar, can you hear me,” the doctor asked, pulling open one of the woman’s now closed eyes.

No response came. The Sorceress seemed to be entirely out of it at the moment. Perhaps she’d even gone unconscious and her body was reacting involuntarily.

“Seiko, something’s not right within her,” Camilla slowly stated.

In response, the Biomancer looked at her Spirit with a concerned expression.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not certain I fully understand it, but your healing spell isn’t affecting her body at all. It’s not that the body is rejecting it, it’s like there’s a wall attached to it that’s preventing the healing energies from doing their job.”

“A wall?”

Camilla nodded in response. Her confusion showed itself on her face. Awkwardly, the teenage Fae tried to explain what was going on inside of Skylar with hand gestures.

“For some reason, there are spells I don’t understand placed throughout her torso and head,” the Spirit explained as she leaned in close to Skylar, studying the girl. “But I can’t exactly tell what they are, only that they’re linked somehow to her mind and sloppily cast. It’s only three spells, and it looks like if one targeted her stomach properly, you could dispel all three in one go. I think this might be that kind of magic you warned me about.”

A type of magic that Camilla had been warned about by Seiko? Was it a type of prohibited body modification magic? Her younger sister didn’t hang out with that crowd, right? On the other hand, given the distance that was currently between them, that possibility couldn’t be so easily denied.

The Water Sorceress had heavily focused on tiering up in Transmutation and Evocation alongside her Enchantment, after all. As a young teen, she’d wanted to be a fighter and thought of her natural ability in Enchanting as a mild curse.

But still, body modification magic burned years off one’s life in exchange for permanent physical abilities and benefits. Eden shuddered just thinking of the possibility that her younger sister may have shortened her lifespan so much in her search for power.

Immediately, the Enchantress opened a silent message spell with the doctor. This conversation was best left between the two of them if that happened to be the case. Felicity would likely freak out if she learned her sister was in a dire situation.

“Please tell me this doesn’t happen to be body modification magic. You know, the kind that permanently shortens one’s life in exchange for physical abilities.”

In response, Seiko perked her head up and looked at her as if she’d just asked her a surprisingly irrational question.

“No, if it was that I’d have already given up by now. I also don’t think she’s the type to hang out around that crowd.”

That was a relief. Since her sister hadn’t modified her body, the odds were already in their favor. At least that’s what she was hoping for, even though she knew she was being just a little too optimistic. In reality, this sort of thing had a hitch.

So. if it wasn’t body modification magic, then what was it? Only a few possibilities stood out to her.

Thinking of those possibilities, she found herself reminded of earlier. Apparently, there was some form of Mind Magic at play with Felicity's mind, but that’s all Seiko mentioned at the time, stating she’d go into detail in private with her later. If the same thing was the case with Skylar, then there was cause to be concerned. A more sinister plot would likely be afoot in that case.

Something that would definitely need attention, as she could already think of who would be the next target. And those two were far too young to stand a chance against Tower mages or anyone with years of experience, no matter how talented they were.

But they were in Sydney; it would likely take days for a plan to be formulated around the two, long enough to get in contact with the Headmistress of Lilith’s and warn them that her sisters were in danger.

For now, the more pressing issue was right in front of her, and it was best not to let her mind wander again. Every second may count, after all. And the nagging thought that her sister could die made her more uncomfortable by the second. It didn’t matter to her if they weren’t particularly close, Skylar was still her sister.

“Then this would be…,” the Enchantress trailed off, allowing the Biomancer to figure out what she was trying to imply.

Fortunately, the woman was thinking the same thing as she was, as evident by her quick response.

“Yes and no. Both of their memories have been modified, that much is evident. Whereas I could tell by Felicity’s Sonogram, the more I think about your sister and what Camillia’s told me, the more I’m willing to make the following assumption.

“Skylar’s erratic behavior compared to what she was like in Sydney is likely the result of mid-tier Mind Magic. Just a half an hour ago you two would have been at each other’s throats, but then when something presented itself to break the illusion of whatever spell had modified her memory, her mind resorted to its normal self to a degree. Does that make sense?”

“So basically, her parts of her memories AND personality were modified? But you wouldn’t be able to fix that, would you?”

“It’s mid-tier Mind Magic. With Camilla, if I direct the entirety of a True Restoration spell at her brain it should restore whatever has been overwritten and lost. But this isn’t something that’s going to go away overnight like in Felicity’s case. This is going to take her a week or more to recover. She’ll be lucid by the end of the weekend, but I’m not certain she’ll be capable of basic things like walking until a week from now.”

While the explanation mostly answered her questions, the main issue was whether she would fully recover or not. Would her sister return to her old self, or would she remain the woman she’d been made into by an ill-actor?

“But she will recover, right? What are the risks of doing this without Magitech?”

“I have Camilla, so the risks are minimal. As for her recovery, only time will tell. It’s possible she won’t regain her original personality, but that’s due to the nature of Mind Magic. In a case as severe as this, removing the damage has been made intentionally difficult to do.”

Basically, Skylar may not return to being the younger sister she remembered from Sydney. The sad reality that was presented had to be accepted, unfortunately. There had to be something more that could be done, but now wasn’t the time to be dwelling on it.

Skylar’s pain appeared to be increasing by the second. Though her struggling had mostly died down, sweat was now covering her paling body. The girl’s breathing was also becoming more labored with each second. There was no more time for hesitation and delay; this had to be dealt with.

“Alright, what can I do to help?”

The silent message ended and Seiko looked at Felicity.

Instantly, Eden knew what she was up to. It was a smart idea, distracting the Water Sorceress in case something went wrong. That way she didn’t have the sight of things going wrong scarring her memory for the rest of her life.

“Don’t fret Felicity. Your sister is going to be just fine. Can you go upstairs and clear the boxes out of the remaining spare bedroom? Skylar’s going to need it to rest in once we’re done. Your sister will be just fine, I promise,” Seiko persuasively assured the girl.

Though apprehensive, her younger sister quietly nodded at the trio.

“A-Alright. Please do your best,” she requested before quickly running up the stairs.

The doctor turned to face her Fae Spirit and patted her lovingly on the head.

“I know you wanted to play with her, but it doesn’t look like we’ll get that chance today. Tomorrow, alright?”

“It’s fine, Seiko. I can wait a little longer to make a new friend. You don’t always have to treat me like a kid you know,” the girl pouted and puffed out her cheeks.

“You are a kid. Well, a young teen rather,” the woman chuckled.

The Spirit turned her head away from the pair and continued to pout. While the display was adorable, there were more pressing matters at hand at the moment.

“What can I do to help,” the Water Sorceress impatiently inquired.

The doctor gently stretched out Skylar so she was lying flat on the ground. Thankfully the girl didn’t scrunch back up on instinct.

“What I need you to do, is cast Dispel Magic here,” the Biomancer said, laying her hand on the center of the girl’s stomach. “These spells are likely fail safes that triggered the moment your sister’s personality began reverting to its original state. After your spell’s effect ends, I’ll follow up with a True Restoration that will restore her memory and personality. With any luck, she should eventually return to normal. That’s assuming everything goes well.”

It made sense the spells located on the stomach were failsafes. The Mind Mage that messed around with her sister’s memory and personality likely wanted to cover their tracks. When the realization that her mind had been messed with dawned upon her sister, the pain would force the girl into compliance or kill her. The elder Enchantress had read about the Russian government using such disturbing methods before but never thought she’d see something similar.

It brought many questions to mind, but those could be answered later. For now, helping her younger sister was her priority.

“Alright, let’s do this. Let me know when to start.”

Quickly, Eden incanted Dispell Magic and held it on her tongue, waiting for the moment when Seiko told her to start. Beside her, Camilla positioned herself above the top of Skylar’s head and gently held it between her ghostly hands.

“Go.”

“Dispel Magic.”

As soon as the spell hit the younger Enchantress, she began to writhe about in Camilla’s arms vigorously. Did she fail? Did she accidentally trigger an unknown set of failsafe spells that would kill her sister?

“Seiko,” Eden choked as she watched her sister painfully struggle about.

“True Restoration,” the Biomancer said, holding both of her hands above the younger sister’s head.

Skylar excruciatingly groaned in Camilla’s hands, but the Spirit did her best to support the woman’s head.

After about a minute, the Water Sorceress’ writhing stopped. Eden noticed that her breathing had also calmed. It looked like the Biomancer’s drastic actions had succeeded. Her sister’s life no was no longer in danger, which meant they could breathe a little easier.

“Thank you for saving her life, Seiko.”

Across from her, the woman let out an exhausted sigh and wiped a line of sweat away from her forehead. Looking up with a carefree smile, she giggled and patted Camilla on the head.

“Don’t worry about it; she’s family. We’re in this together, remember?”

That was true. All they really had in this world were each other and perhaps even her sisters now. Seiko did once say she’d treat the Water Sorceress’ sisters as if they were her own family, so long as they were saner than their parents. It was sad, however, that the Biomancer had no immediate family to call her own so the Enchantress could reciprocate.

Flashing her a grin, the Water Sorceress leaned over to kiss the woman on the cheek. There would be time to show her thanks later. For now, getting her sister cleaned up and resting in a bed would be for the best. There was also the issue of her damaged clothes, but a convenient pair of Transmutation cantrips would quickly fix that.

“Prestidigitation.”

Suddenly, all of the blood and grime on the girl’s body vanished in an instant, leaving her thoroughly clean, as if she’d just walked out of a shower. Her clothes were now clean as well. All that was left was to repair the damage to them.

“Mending.”

Instantly, the clothes came to life. Quickly, the holes filled themselves in and the rips reconnected where the threads were severed. Within seconds, her younger sister’s outfit looked as if it was new.

Now that she looked decent, they could take her upstairs to the open guest room, where she would rest for the next couple of nights until she awoke. Though it was possible she’d stay longer, given what Seiko had said earlier

“I’ll go get her a set of pajamas,” her companion noted.

“Oooh I get a set of pajamas? What a wonderful gift,” an exhausted-looking Camilla exclaimed.

Unable to help herself, Eden placed her forehead in the palm of her hand. The teenager certainly was great at comedy relief, but her timing could use work.

Her girlfriend, however, was giggling at the response. The two undoubtedly shared the same odd sense of humor.

“I think it’s past your bedtime. You should get some sleep, that way you can meet and get to know Felicity tomorrow.”

“Fine fine. Don’t stay up too late you crazy kids.”

“You’re younger than I am.”

“Ehehe,” the Spirit giggled before disappearing, leaving pastel blue mana in her wake.

With that, Seiko headed upstairs to go get a set of pajamas for Skylar to rest in.

Eden studied her younger sister’s limp body for a few more minutes.

Who could have thought the woman was in so much trouble when she was causing just as much?

The gentle smile that had formed on the Enchantress’ face warmed the woman’s heart. Long had she yearned for the years she’d spent as a high schooler, surrounded by her bright-eyed younger sisters. And now it appeared as though they may all be together again. In this world where anything could result in their deaths, she found solace in that fact.

The road ahead was still long, and anything could happen. If she reforged her bond with her wayward younger sister, then she’d have to work extra hard to keep her safe and in check.

Eden picked up her younger sister and cradled her in her arms, much like one would a princess. Slowly, she made her way up the stairs. As she was doing so, she felt the girl lightly begin to stir. Looking down, she could see that her eyes were open and glancing around sluggishly.

But didn’t the Biomancer say it was going to be a couple of days before the girl woke up? Why was she suddenly stirring awake in her arms? Was she hallucinating?

“Eden,” the girl asked In a raspy voice.

“It’s alright, Skylar. You’re going to be okay now. Just take it easy and rest, alright?”

“Eden… wait. There’s something… you need to know. It’s about Mom.”

Instantly, Eden snapped to attention. Was their mother involved in having her younger sister’s mind modified? If that was the case, then the woman would be in for a world of trouble.

“Don’t strain yourself. What about her? Did she do this to you?”

Her younger sister, however, was barely lucid, much less able to understand her.

“I found out… that dad had…,” she trailed off, falling limp in her arms.

The Enchantress found herself tempted to jostle her younger sister awake, but knew it wasn’t worth it. She needed rest and time for her body to heal from the damage that had been done to it. It would only be a couple of days. She could wait that out. It was better than being hasty and making a fatal mistake.

At least she knew now that to some degree her father was involved in whatever was going on. If he personally had a hand in doing this to her sister, there would be nowhere for him to hide. That was something she would see to personally. He’d gotten away with enough for one lifetime.

Entering Skylar’s guest bedroom, the Water Sorceress saw Felicity lifting the last box from the bed, her face red from all the physical labor of lifting the boxes to the sides of the room. Glancing in her direction, the girl seemed relieved.

“She’s alright?”

“Yeah, she just needs to rest for a couple of days, and then she’ll be right as rain.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Now that she thought about it, Felicity had experienced the same thing as they had. But no, it wouldn’t be fair to her to suddenly ask her what she knew. Not after all she’d been through today. Perhaps tomorrow she could prod a bit into her.

After setting her other sister down on the bed, she walked over to the girl and hugged her gently, findig herself herself on the receiving end of a hug in response.

“Go get some sleep Felicity. We can talk more about this odd matter when Skylar wakes up. It’d be best if all three of us were on the same page.”

“I agree, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then,” the girl gingerly replied before letting go of her older sister and walking over to the door. “Good night sis, I love you.”

It’d been a long time since she’d heard one of her sisters say that. It was akin to a mana rich tea, filling the body with warmth and vitality, like food for the soul.

“I love you too,” the Enchantress warmly replied, smiling gently at her sister. “I’m glad we’re finally reunited, little sis.”

After the girl went to bed, the rest of the night quickly became a blur.

Mentally, she and Seiko were exhausted by the day’s events, even though it was only 8 p.m. After dressing Skylar in a spare set of the Biomancer’s pajamas, the two opted to retire early for the night. Tomorrow, they could begin to form their game plan for when Skylar awoke.

Sydney.

The entrance of Lilith’s dorms felt oddly welcoming. Unlike the Castle Cove Estate, which was out of the public eye, Lilith’s had many eyes that would catch someone trying to infiltrate it.

It would also grant them a mild degree of privacy. While it wasn’t entirely private, it was better than nothing. That and the dorms had special wards on them that prevented scrying spells from allowing an outsider to look in. The privacy of budding teenage girls was of high importance, after all.

Earlier in the morning, they’d packed and cleaned the estate, leaving it in the condition it had been when they arrived. After having a light breakfast, the two took a cab home to the college.

Upon entering their room, Iris immediately flopped down onto her bed and groaned. The events of the past day had gotten to her, and whenever her adopted sister worried her mind wouldn’t stop running until either the problem was solved or there was a solution for it.

“Luna, are we cursed to suffer,” the girl asked, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“I honestly don’t know at this point, Iris. Let’s just hope Ren and the others are alright.”

Iris shot up from the pillow so quickly it almost appeared as if she’d Blinked. It seemed that the elf had stirred a pot that she should have left untouched.

“No, do not go there. They have to be alright. They have to,” Iris said, her voice full of denial.

Luna put her hands up in a surrendering manner and closed her eyes.

“You’re right, you’re right. With any luck, they’re at the Darwin ISTC right now, getting ready to make the hop over Townsville and Brisbane soon after.”

“I can only hope that’s the case. We both know Tokiwa and Zhenka are talented Maguses in their respective schools. They’re also known for their adventures in the Wildlands, so they should be fine.”

Iris, satisfied with her answer, nodded and then flumped back onto her bed.

“I wonder if they got lucky and found Zoey or Ren a Spirit. Probably not, but we can hope, can’t we?”

“Indeed Mist- Iris. Hopefully, Zoey’s found one. She could really use the boost right now.”

Because Zoey was lagging behind the others, it would be best if she found a spirit that was compatible with her. That would allow her to catch up to Iris’ level of control.

“Well, I suppose there isn’t much we’ll be able to do today other than wait. Should we get some training in?”

Luna’s favorite word had quickly become training over time. Training could take away all the worries in the world, allowing them to focus on themselves and getting stronger. And right now with everything that was going on, that kind of distraction was more than welcome.

“Yes. Let’s do some combat training. We could both use it, especially with your rusty Blink.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad.”

The elf gave her adoptive sister a doubtful stare, one that let her know she didn’t believe her response. Quickly, the abjurer paled and averted her eyes.

“You’re right. I need to work on it.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Let’s get to it.”

And with that, the two prepared for an intense sparring session that would push them to their limits.

Sapporo, Japan.

Ren stood at the entrance of Sapporo’s ISTC next to Eriza, her sister, and Zoey, her friend. For the past two months, they’d survived in the bush on Sakhalin Island, a Purple Zone in Russia that was north of Japan’s northern island, Hokkaido.

The trip had been beyond expectations. In just two months, the Biomancer had learned more than she had in the past five years at Lilith’s aside from her medical studies. She’d even delved into three different dungeons and watched a man wrestle an Owlbear into submission, then somehow befriend it.

The constant danger wasn’t forgettable either. A newfound respect for all the hard work and efforts of Frontier military mages had been forged within her and renewed her resolve to become a talented sorceress.

It was a trip she’d never forget, and she was deeply thankful for the friends she’d made in their guides, Tokiwa and Zhenka. But alas, their time together had come to an end.

Zhenka had decided to stay in Russia to complete a few more Tower requests before returning, so he wasn’t here, which was a shame. He was one of the funnier men the Biomancer had met. When feeding off Tokiwa, it felt like the two were putting on a comedy show.

Understanding her partner’s wishes, Tokiwa guided the group back to Sapporo, where they were currently waiting to depart for Tokyo’s SISTC. The woman was saddened by their departure, but grateful for the time shared with all of them.

The Biomancer burned the visage of the woman standing before them into her mind. She was short and rugged-looking, with short black hair to match her somewhat masculine appearance. Her brown eyes were smiling, and her expression had a hint of mischievousness to it.

“Now remember, the next time you’re in the country you’d better stop in Kyoto. Zhenka and I would love to see you all again, maybe even go on another adventure with all of you. Though preferably longer next time. And Ren-chan, make sure to keep these two in check, kay?”

“Will do! I promise they won’t cause any trouble on the way back.”

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean,” Zoey chimed in.

“As long as Zoey doesn’t throw up I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you again, Tokiwa-san,” Eriza said with sincerity.

“It’s no trouble at all. Like I said, I really do hope we get to do this again. Perhaps your friends Luna and Iris can join us next time.”

“I know they’d love to meet you as well,” Ren replied earnestly, channelling her positive mana one last time for the guide.

The woman seemed to love bathing in her positive aura like many others did, and it was the least she could due as part of a thank you for the woman.

The Magus seemed to bask in her welcoming aura. She took in the positive energy for a long moment, before quietly sighing. The woman seemed to be refreshed, though there was now a somberness to her. It was a longing for this moment not t end, even though they all knew it would inevitably come to pass.

“Thank you for that Ren,” the woman said as she turned on her heel to face away from the group. “Well, I don’t like to get sappy over goodbyes, so I’ll see you around. Ja ne,” she said as she began walking off.

“Thank you again, Tokiwa-san.”

“See you again, someday.”

“May the winds of fate bless you until we meet again.”

With that, the Transmuter was gone, leaving the three behind.

“Well, shall we get going you two? We’ve got a long way home after all,” Eriza inquired, eager to return home.

“Alright, let’s get home. I’m worried about Iris and Luna,” Eriza said, quickly turning around and heading into the station.

“I am as well, let’s hope they’re safe and sound,” the Biomancer commented, following Zoey’s lead.