Cambridge.

On the main floor of Eden’s apartment, a heated battle played out. Camilla and Felicity sat opposite of one another, a bamboo Go table littered with black and white stones separating them. On the couch, Kono watched on in a manner similar to a referee.

Felicity carefully studied the board. She’d only just learned how to play the strategy game hours earlier, but now found herself in a heated 19x19 match with the Biomancer’s Spirit, who insisted she could beat her. The girl even offered to give her a handicap which she’d surely had come to regret by now.

The soft clack of a black stone marked the end of the Fae Spirit’s turn.

“Camilla, your strategy needs serious tutoring,” her master chimed in.

Shooting the woman a deadly glare, the Spirit puffed out her cheeks and grabbed another stone, twirling it about in her finger.

“It’s not my fault. Felicity is just too good at this. She’s a natural,” the Spirit cutely fussed about.

Giggling, Felicity expertly placed a piece on the opposite side of the board, forcing her opponent into a position where she could no longer capture, and claiming an eighth of the board in its entirety.

The suicide rule, as she had been told, prevented a player from playing from setting a piece down in a way such that the stone and any of their adjacent stones would be immediately captured. Because of that rule, there were no longer any feasible ways to challenge her in that particular area barring some small pockets that would inevitably end in captures. As Kono had phrased earlier, playing there was similar to a mage being dead on arrival.

“Gah! How,” the Spirit frustratedly questioned as the stone she’d delicately held launched into the air from the pressure placed on it from her fingers.

“I’m just a better problem solver than you is all, Camilla. On the other hand, you’re a little more analytical than I am in a different manner. If you take this a bit slower, I’m certain you’ll be able to launch a counterattack.”

The elfin girl, oddly enough, seemed to listen to her as she gave her advice, despite the fact that she was a beginner. This time, she took twice as long to place her stone on the board. When the teenage Spirit finally did so, she created a Seki that changed the momentum of a seventh of the board. .

“Impressive move Camilla,” the Japanese mage praised.

In response, the fae spirit let out a small giggle while quickly picking up another stone.

As she scanned the board, the Enchantress determined there were several avenues she could pursue to attempt to usurp overall control of the board from her opponent. Perhaps the best way to proceed would be to break the playing field in half? But would that jeopardize her position in contested areas in the long run?

There was only so much a beginner could do. While she was talented at analyzing situations, she wasn’t so talented that she could become a master of a board game over the course of several hours. Sure she could appear to be winning a few moves from now, but what if Camilla was leading her into a trap in the long run?

Not wanting to delay the game, Felicity chose a spot that looked like it may soon be advantageous instead of the ones that provided immediate results.

To her dismay, Camilla instantly ruined her plans with a well-placed stone that jeopardized a quarter of the board she’d planned on taking over. A possibility she hadn’t realized existed until the stone was played.

It was as if she were a battle mage showing up as a reinforcement to a battle, only to be ambushed as soon as she’d arrived. And she’d just been thinking of how Camilla may have laid out a trap for her. Now she felt as if she were a demi-human who walked right into a slaughterhouse.

“I’m honestly impressed. Even I didn’t see that move coming,” the Biomancer stammered.

How was she supposed to make a comeback from this? From here, every possible avenue forward made it look like the Spirit would begin snowballing toward a victory. Trying to determine a path forward was like trying to find a flaw in a Magi Enchanter’s mandalas.

“Eden if you were,” she began, turning to look in the direction her sister had last been, only to find the woman was no longer there. “Oh, she snuck off.”

“I wouldn’t worry about her. She’s been kicking herself because she believes she should have done something about you and Skylar’s situations. That and she didn’t realize Skylar’s bizarre behavior was unnatural. We know she couldn’t have known what was going on, but she believes she should have known. I’ve learned that leaving her alone when she’s like this is for the best, because she tends to work herself out faster and be more open to comforting after,” Kono explained.

Felicity knew her sister was one to overthink things. The ability to process information quickly was both a boon and bane. Quickly being able to process information meant difficult problems could be resolved in an efficient manner. However, when one examined themselves and found a flaw, they tended to overanalyze and sometimes even hurt themselves. That situation was often similar to a creature core having far too much mana pumped into it.

“I understand. Is there anything we can do for her in the meantime?”

The Biomancer’s face immediately brightened up upon hearing her question.

“There is something that you can do,” she began, gesturing to the board with her hand. “She’s waited a long time to be reunited with you and your younger sisters so the four of you, well five if Skylar turns out alright, to have fun together again. She also loves to play this game in her spare time. Getting better at it so you can play at her level would definitely brighten her rougher days.”

That’s right. Eden hadn’t seen her in seven years. The younger Sorceress fell into step with her elder sister so quickly that it felt like those seven years hadn’t even happened. There was no doubt the separation had caused scars. And those scars wouldn’t heal quickly. Especially since Eden had been worried about her younger sisters all that time.

As the woman’s younger sister, she felt terrible. Whereas her older sister worried about her daily, she was so busy between all the drama, lies and deceit that she’d thought about her older sister on a weekly basis. No matter the circumstances that were before her, it was a horrible thing of her to do. Especially given how much she loved her sister.

If this was a way that could make up for lost time and allow the scars to begin healing, then it was worth investing a significant amount of time into learning the nuances of the game. And for that, she would need a teacher. Fortunately she knew someone who might be willing to act as one.

“Kono, can you teach me the finer aspects of this game?”

At first the Sorceress seeked hesitant. The determination in her eyes, however, seemed to quickly dispel the Biomancer’s doubts. A smirk slowly formed across the her face.

“Sure, but you’ll need experience to understand thos finer aspects. Start by turning this game against Camilla.”

A daunting task. As it currently stood, almost 3/4 of the board was under her opponent's control. If she played just right though, she could quickly chip away at her defenses and perhaps come close to winning. Perhaps even a bold move or two would work to her advantage, even though she’d failed to do so earlier.

“Alright, you’re on.”

“Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you,” the Spirit warned.

“Please give me your all.”

With that, the tensions in the room flared up once again, as the two teenagers began struggling for dominance once again.

Eden silently sat upstairs in the guest room lounge chair, watching her younger sister Skylar’s chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. Seiko was serious when she said the girl wouldn’t awaken today. Fortunately the woman had the foresight to dress her in properly enchanted undergarments so they wouldn’t awaken to a nasty mess that they’d have to clean up.

The hit squad that had been sent after the younger Enchantress had been at the front of her mind for a while now. Whereas the team that was sent to bring Felicity back was subtle and ill-equipped to take her by force, the one that came for Skylar was armed to the teeth. The only thing that saved them was the Mageocracy’s desire to renew good relations with Kyoto. If it wasn’t for Seiko, she might be in Stasis right now.

A chill ran down her spine. She’d gotten away with so much because of her talent until now, but the wolves were beginning to bare their fangs, and she was unprepared. It didn’t matter how smart she was; she was still a woman with an unnatural level of talent. If it weren’t for that talent and Seiko, she’d be an easy target. The Mageocracy was always keen on making sure nothing went to waste.

Oh how she hated this broken system so. She wasn’t without reason either, as there were many things to give her such an opinion. From allowing her father to get away with so much to the Nobility’s crass system of arranged marriages, the status quo of Britain was intent on keeping tradition regardless of whether it was wasteful or not. There were more pressing issues at hand, and this broken machine of a country was not prepared to handle them. That much was evident.

What if another dragon like the Black Sea Dragon were to awaken? Was the world prepared for a years-long beast tide siege on its cities? The answer was no. Humanity was still recovering from the last time that happened.

That was the way things were, she supposed. What could one woman do to change a looming giant when she was nothing but a cog in it, despite her abnormal level of talent?

And now things had gotten infinitesimally more complicated with her sudden reunion with her sisters.

While she originally planned to flee to Kyoto in hopes of finding a master who could push her beyond the limits of Western Spellcraft, the question of whether or not she could leave was now up in the air. She couldn’t simply waltz out of the country with her two sisters. Given their combined talents, the Commonwealth would rather have them killed then let them go to a rival nation. But she also couldn’t leave them behind. That was something she absolutely would not do.

So how exactly was she going to get them to safety? Making sure Seiko returned home was easy. Her lover’s visa was almost up anyway, so she’d have to leave the country soon or seek sponosorship for permanent residency. That was out of the question given her lover’s eagerness to return home and begin aiding her benefactors from Kyoto. Having been to Kyoto herself, she wanted to go with her. She was allotted far more freedom there. Perhaps she could even become a shrine sorceress.

The matter of leaving the country wasn’t the only issue at hand.

Her request to Lilith’s headmistress for an LRC meeting paid by herself was declined. Word about her relationship must have gotten to her, and the woman didn’t want her ‘corrupting’ her younger siblings.

So how was she going to warn her two youngest sisters?

Perhaps once Skylar awoke, she and Felicity could make a combined plea to show that this was no joking matter and the danger her sisters were in was genuine.

Now that her mind had wandered back to Skylar, the words she’d mumbled before passing out currently haunted her.

I found out… that dad had…

What was it that she found out? There were so many possibilities of what her father may have done that it was impossible to determine what happened this time.

If only her younger sister would wake up and finish telling her what she was trying to say. That would end badly though.

Skylar’s body was wrecked from the spells that had triggered inside of her. They’d already applied three different sets of magically imbued bandages throughout the day, and though her body was showing signs that it was healing she still had a long way to go until she was back to normal, months even. It was fortunate the Biomancer didn’t have to perform surgery on the spot. Seiko was talented but not that talented.

Hopefully she had her final projects completed, otherwise she might fail this semester and get ejected from Lucy Cavendish. Perhaps talking to her professors and explaining her injuries away as an accident would buy her time so that she could complete her courses.

The Enchantress snickered. She should be thankful that her sister was still alive. The odds of those spells killing their target were high unless a well-trained medic was nearby. And even then, there was almost no time to properly react. Within a couple of minutes permanent damage would start to occur. The question of why they were placed on her to begin with still loomed, as did the memory magic.

She was unwilling to push Felicity for answers. Not until her sister was strong enough mentally to endure the stress of said questions. When they’d met at the train station, it was apparent that she’d been conditioned to expect a negative response when one appeared cold. Something had to have happened in Sydney, but as for what she had no idea. The severity of it, however, led her to believe that it had been going on for some time.

All she knew for certain was that if anyone was involved with the modification of their memories, then it had to be her father. Her mother would never do such a thing. At least she wouldn’t in her right state of mind.

…

Her right state of mind.

Now that the Sorceress thought about it, her mother wasn’t acting like her usual self when she returned from Sydney. Though she’d become increasingly outspoken and somewhat distant, her warm feelings always seemed to come through their conversations. Thinking back to the welcome home party, her mother was utterly distant. In fact, it even felt like she’d been snubbed.

So what if her mother had the same thing placed on her that had been placed on Skylar, but to a more extreme degree? If that were the case, it would explain why her sisters also had their memories modified by mind magic. Her father would be aiming to control them for some reason.

What was to gain in going that far? What reason could he have to go such a length that he may end up in permanent Stasis or even face execution if caught? There was nothing he could gain by manipulating them.

Unless…

Unless he was trying to manipulate all of them with the goal of abusing Luna’s situation somehow. Could he actually get away with that?

Now that she thought of it, the Mageocracy was always looking to stay in the good graces of Snowdonia. Her scheming father could likely be trying to get back into the good graces of the Militant faction by having Luna kidnapped and given to the elves as a gift of sorts.

If her father intended to make it easy for a hit squad to go after her, then the best way to go about it was to manipulate their family so all of the attention was away from Luna. And aside from Felicity and Iris, the attention was indeed away from the elf.

There were few people who were looking out ffor her as well. The Enchantress herself hadn’t been in contact with her adopted sister for years now and had even felt abandoned by her for a period of time. Skylar wouldn’t have any interest in her whatsoever. And Felicity was deceived, forcing her to believe that she had no choice but to return with her parents.

Which only left Iris and her friends, if they all stuck together with her, to stand in the way of anyone who would wish ill upon the elf. The situation might be direr than she initially thought.

If only she could get into contact with them. Her only hope at this point for that was her plan involving Skylar and Felicity.

Such a plan might actually work, but it would be a few days before it could be brought into motion, time she didn’t have. She would have to sweat it out and wait until Skylar was strong enough to endure such an effort. And despite her mixed feelings towards her younger sister, if the mind magic laid upon her was actively affecting her, then she shouldn’t judge her based on how she’d acted since her arrival.

And so she relaxed back into the chair, idly watching Skylar breathe, and hoping that nothing would go wrong in Sydney while they played the waiting game.

Sydney.

Despite her hopes, Luna didn’t have another ‘dream’. While that was unfortunate, no dreams were better than the nightmare she’d experienced the first time she attempted to sleep. And so she reluctantly accepted the outcome of her efforts.

Despite not having had any dreams, she felt well-rested and ready to take on the day with her head held high.

When the duo left their room, they were met by Eriza, who knew of Luna’s training habits and was looking to be as prepared as possible for the start of the inter-high.

Now, the three of them were quickly making their way through the quiet suburban streets of Burwood Heights.

“So Luna, are you going to join the 5v5 team this year,” the Lightning Sorceress inquired.

“I’d love to, but there are too many risks. If people found out I was an elf, the results would likely be thrown out given Elves are more magically talented than humans are. Can you imagine the mess it would bring?”

Just thinking of all the possible damage to Lilith’s reputation and concessions that would have to be made was enough to turn her face green. Plus, she’d be fully out to society, without someone of significant repute to back her presence in the human city.

“A shame. I was hoping to fight alongside you this year. Make some serious trouble for the other teams like we do as a party, you know?”

The fact that Joseph Banks ESM hadn’t at least made them an offer to transfer spoke volumes. Perhaps because it was a public school its principal thought they had nothing to offer their group. Or perhaps they believed their own students were of a higher caliber than their party, which was understandable.

“She’ll be busy,” Iris panted, “with Polaris’ training and possibly this friend of hers. We still don’t know who they are yet or what they might have planned for Luna. Perhaps they’ll be watching over you to ensure you’re working on what Polaris asked you to?”

Of the three, Iris was the slowest. It was as if a corgi were trying to keep up with two full-bred greyhounds running at top speed. While the girl was getting faster every day, she still had a long way to go to catch up fully.

The Water Sorceress did have a point though. All Polaris had said was that her human friend would contact her once she returned to town sometime around Christmas. What kind of mage in a Frontier City was friends with an elf though?

The only people that came to mind were the Magisters and possibly the Paladin, and the thought of one of those four contacting was disquieting. Especially the one named Walken. She’d only seen him once, and that was only for a brief moment at one of the upper class’ parties. But from what she’d heard about him, it would be in her best interest to flee into the Wildlands and never be seen again should he set his sights on her.

Aside from those four, there were a handful of well-known magus’ that came to mind. And among them, there was one Sorceress in particular that she wouldn’t know how to react to.

“As long as it’s not a Magister or the Paladin I think we should be fine. There are a handful of others that I could imagine it being based on their fame, but who knows.”

“Come on Luna. You know you’d love for it to be her,” Iris said, gushing over the idea of seeing the particular Sorceress she had referred to earlier.

“If it’s her, then I have no doubt you’d be well taken care of. You’d be so busy training that you wouldn’t have time for the 5v5 team, not that I could blame you. That’s an opportunity I know I wouldn’t pass up,” Eriza chimed in, doubling down on Iris’ comment.

Luna changed the topic before things got even further out of hand, “What about you Eriza? If things go well in Japan, do you plan on asking your grandfather to be your master.”

“I wouldn’t. He doesn’t practice Western Spellcraft so I’d have nothing to gain from him. If I would have learned the clan’s magic, then I’d ask him for sure.”

“Wait, you don’t want to learn your clan’s magic?”

“I have no interest in it. It’s quite possible that I’m better off with Western Spellcraft as I’ve been working hard with it and my understanding of it is rapidly growing. No sense trying to rewind the clock, right?”

That was a good line of reasoning. Spending years learning an entirely different form of magic when one could be well advanced in their current craft wasn’t logical. Especially for a future battle mage like Eriza.

Now that she thought about it, would the time spent learning the magic elves practiced be worth it? That should have gone without saying actually. Elves were known for having a significantly advanced form of spellcraft.

Speaking of becoming a more advanced spell caster, there was the question of how their lightning-aligned companion planned to prepare for the Inter-High.

“That reminds me, how are you going to prepare for the competition? Iris already has some intense training planned that focuses on her weaknesses.”

“First, find an offensive Transmuter or an Evoker for our team. Then we’ll get into some heavy training as a team after. Though I’m not certain we’ll find someone at Lilith’s that’ll mesh well with what we need.”

“Are you saying that you’re thinking of trying to recruit someone from another school?”

“Yes. I was thinking of trying to bribe Julia to join us, though she’s stubbornly refused us in the past so I’m not quite certain I’ll succeed in doing so.”

The particular Sorceress Eriza was referring to was a Magma Transmutation student who went to Rosebay, where her master taught. Part of the reason why it appeared to be a futile effort was because it was unacceptable for an apprentice to leave their master once they accepted an apprenticeship. Not only was it rude, it brought to question how loyal they were. A stain on one’s reputation was still a stain no matter how one looked at it.

Though, the idea of the team recruiting someone who wasn’t from Lilith’s was an interesting idea as well. As long as they could find someone who meshed well with them and bolstered their chances of winning then who would disagree.

Perhaps they could find someone with a rare affinity to make their already oddly powerful 5v5 even more powerful. It wasn’t every day that one encountered a group consisting of a Lightning Evoker, a hybrid Abjurer-Transmuter paired with another Transmuter who could double her efforts and a lower end mid-tier cleric. And in the case of Iris, the team’s Abjurer-Transmuter could also simulcast, a rare ability that she’d inherited from her father.

Such a powerhouse team would indeed attract someone interested in propelling their future to heights they couldn’t otherwise reach. That was the allure of the Inter-High competition to them. It was a chance to show themselves off to many people.

“Well, I may not be able to participate on the team, but please do let me know if I can be of any help.”

“You can certainly be of help by helping us train. The more we have the merrier. Though I’m not quite certain how often Ren will be able to train with us since she has her medical training that she has to complete.”

The Lightning Sorceress flashed her a smirk and then took off sprinting. They’d been so involved in their conversation that she hadn’t noticed they were quickly approaching the end of their run, as Lilith’s was just a few blocks ahead of them.

Blazing down the sidewalk, the Ice Sorceress tried to keep up with her running partner, leaving Iris scrambling to unsuccessfully try and keep up.

“Guys wait up,” Iris shouted in between pants, now lagging behind them by at least two body lengths.

Feeling the wind in her ears, Luna sprinted as fast as she could towards the school gates. Though, oddly enough Ren appeared to have been waiting for them out. The girl was in her pajamas, and her expression was one of distress and franticness.

Quickly joining Eriza, she listened to the incoherent gibberish that the cleric was spouting out. Next to her, Eriza firmly planted her hands on her sister’s shoulders.

“Ren, calm down we can’t understand you. What happened?”

In front of them, the cleric took in a deep breath. However, she did not settle down, and remained as upset as she had been, though more composed.

“They just took Zoey. They’re going to marry her off before Christmas,” the girl choked.