‘What was that?’ Rose thought. She had been herself, completely, but it had been a different body, a different voice, and a battlefield unknown to her. The sights. The sounds. The rush of fighting. It hadn’t felt like a dream. No, as her core hummed silently within her, she realized it had been a memory.

‘Bianca?’ She questioned herself. She didn’t know anyone named Bianca. Yet, at the moment she, no, the other her had yelled that name, she had recognized the warmth hidden within and the strangeness of attributing it to a younger sister she never had.

‘Lanxin Melteiff?’ Another name she had never heard of. Though she did know of the Lanxin Desert; the land Alos resided in and so too did its slums.

This was a very big problem, Rose thought. She felt the memory play again within her head. It wasn’t something like Maria’s—the first person and homunculus she ever connected with. Unlike the deceased woman, whose memory was within her like an accessible folder, tangible but uncontrolling, the strange thing she had seen seemed deeper, more. . .concrete. ‘As if it’s a part of me.’ As if it were an experience she had personally lived through.

She squirmed in place, a frown upon her face. Squinted, peeved, but calm, standing amongst her companions as the transport’s latch opened and the light of the city showed.

The first thing she saw was a crowd of soldiers. A crowd might actually be the wrong word. In the vast space where crafts like theirs stayed upon the grounds, men and women geared in military motifs moved about; some augmented with metallic limbs or visible bio enhancements. Black outfits with a familiar insignia upon their chest; a circle, a needle within, and three smaller circles above that needle.

The area was segregated from the rest of the city with its own barrier. Rose blinked her eyes at distant skyscrapers and flying vehicles as she followed Samuel’s movements across a concrete landscape. To her right, Elsa was dragging her bike with them, head bobbing here and there in wonder.

“Is that a fifth-generation mech?!” She yelled and the homunculus looked to see a slimmer, objectively better, mecha than the slum girl had fixed being worn like an every-day battle suit for a soldier far left.

“A part of a mecha division, likely. Could be Assualt but seeing as he isn’t augmented with any obvious large weaponry, he’s likely Recon or Support. There are many subcategories like that in Alos’s military.” Samuel smiled, nodding at a man that had just stopped to salute him, and kept his pace up. “Come, I’ll escort you three out of the compound, leave you to your own devices, then be on my way.”

Lilias walked behind them in silence and though her eyes also wandered about, Rose did not get the impression the girl was in any way impressed. The homunculus’s golden eyes scanned the place and in seconds recognized it as a holding site for military vehicles. Specifically, army transporters.

That wasn’t surprising.

What was immediately surprising, however, was the woman who stood in front of them as soon as they came upon the end of the barrier, causing all four of them to stop in their tracks.

Rose’s eyes immediately widened as memories spun in her mind and her core hummed, recognizing the person.

“Are you. . .”

The woman had a healthy, but pale, skin tone. She was taller than all three girls and even Samuel had to look up to her; though he was a relatively short male. Golden-blonde hair waved behind her and azure eyes glanced over them. She wore a pair of brown shorts which might look like miniskirts to untrained eyes due to their design, and a vest of the same color over a white shirt that tied away to show her midriff; though not as toned as Elsa’s. When she took a step forward with her brown boots, Rose noticed the black choker around her neck and her pointed ears.

“. . .the Silent Witch?”

She stopped before them and smiled, eyes now looking past everyone but Rose.

“It’s good to see you. . .” There was a light smile. “Rose.”

Behind that beautiful figure that sent Rose’s mind running with thoughts and questions, a sleek vehicle of black soundlessly floated above the ground—upon a street of rushing vehicles—immediately captivating Elsa’s eyes.

The tomboy shook her head a moment later when realization dawned. “Wait a minute—you said the Silent Witch? Her?”

She squinted.

“. . .what the fuck it really is her. Heck’s she doing here?”

As someone enamored with all things mage and magecraft, it was no surprise that Elsa could recognize the woman at the top of her field. Not even just her field. She was one of the most famous witches, period. That was how powerful the image of her was within the girl.

“She’s my creator,” Rose muttered.

“. . .you’re shitting me?”

The homunculus shrugged, supposing she never did talk about her creation or creator with her friend. It had simply never came up. Until now.

She refocused her attention to the Silent Witch before her.

“Bianca Idris Blake,” The elf who made her said, “That is my name. Now, would you mind entering this vehicle with me? I’m sure you have quite a lot of questions, don’t you? And I have answers worth giving and little time worth spending.”

Rose raised a brow, finding herself calmer than she thought she would be. Maybe it had been the journey within the slums that tamed down her brashness or maybe it was the realization that Elsa was freaking out beside her—breaths rushed in the glee only a fan would have—that forced Rose to be the calmer of the two.

She glanced into the eyes of her creator and recognized their familiar mix of want and coldness. At one point, she had wondered why that was. Now, she only wanted answers.

“Is it just us two?” She asked.

The Silent Witch nodded. “Yes. Simply the two of us. Alone.”

Rose looked between her companions. Samuel and Lilias didn’t seem to care all that much. They were the type to perpetually maintain straight faces or maybe they simply hid their emotions well. Elsa on the other hand. . .

“Just go,” Her friend said with a sigh, “Text or call or something when you’re done. This city looks big as all heck, we’ll probably have to meet up all over again.”

“Alright, that sounds like a plan.” Rose smiled and faced her creator once more.

“Let’s go, then.”

The vehicle rose into the air.