Mid autumn, age 8.

I finally mastered the "Air Clone" spell.

Not surprisingly, it doesn't work very well.. Instead of incorporeal duplicates, I get floating shadows.

At least they look like I do when I use "Air Veil". Not ideal, but hopefully it will be enough for me to use them as a distraction.

I'm really curious to see what happens when I imprint a crystal with the spell. Mother said it would just make a copy of the person that used it, like a hologram, but that it wouldn't move because you can't control crystals if you're not touching them.

She seems to think it's useless, but I can see several applications. I mean it's basically a perfect mirror in 3 dimensions.

Currently, I'm at Alfred's.

I'm watching the shop while imbuing. I recently got the hang of imprinting while talking, so two birds.

Alfred is out restocking the supply, Sarah is out playing with Sam, and Tony went to Andrews place this morning.

So it's basically just me and Emelia. But of course, she's resting in her room. She's done that a lot lately..

Ever since I took Emelia to see the sunset, she's been kinda avoiding me.

It's not that we don't talk, and I still push her around in her wheelchair.

But she doesn't really engage with me like she used to.

Makes me a little sad really. I wanted to cheer her up, but it doesn't seem like it worked.

Sigh..

Nothing but me and the silence then.

"Are you watching the shop?.." [Emelia]

Or maybe not.

"Yes." [Nathan]

"Do you know where dad went?" [Emelia]

"Ran out of crystals. Went to get more" [Nathan]

It's kinda hard to talk like this, takes a lot of concentration.

"Oh okay.. When will he be back?" [Emelia]

"One hour." [Nathan]

"Oh, okay.." [Emelia]

She turned around and started walking back to her room.

"Emelia" [Nathan]

"Yes?" [Emelia]

"Avoiding me. Why?" [Nathan]

"Wha- what are you.. N-no, I'm not.." [Emelia]

"You are." [Nathan]

".. I'm not..." [Emelia]

She said, with a tiny voice.

"Why?" [Nathan]

It's hard not to be curt like this.

".. It's lonely.." [Emelia]

"Why?" [Nathan]

"You're all going off to school. I'll be here, all by myself." [Emelia]

"We will visit. I will drag them here." [Nathan]

So she was worrying about that.

"Yeah, don't worry sister, we'll visit all the time." [Tony]

Oh Tony's here, I didn't hear him coming.

"Oh, Tony. I- ehm, I-I'm tired so I'll go sleep.." [Emelia]

She said, beet red as she scampered off to her room.

Guess she didn't hear him coming either.

"Hi Nathan, I see you're holding down the fort for dad." [Tony]

"Yes." [Nathan]

"Are you almost done with the crystal?" [Tony]

"No" [Nathan]

"Too bad. I'm gonna go pick up my sword and head back out with Andrew" [Tony]

He says, turning around, walking to his room.

"Wait." [Nathan]

"Hmm? What is it?" [Tony]

"James." [Nathan]

With a jerk, he turns around and looks as me, anger and confusion on his face.

"What?" [Tony]

"James." [Nathan]

"I don't want to talk about that." [Tony]

"Have to." [Nathan]

"I don't want to talk about it, not ever, and especially not when you can only speak in two word sentences!" [Tony]

.. No choice then.

I put down the crystal, interrupting the process.

"Very well then, I'll stop." [Nathan]

"Why? Doesn't that, that thing you do, take a lot of time?" [Tony]

"It does. I just wasted two hours." [Nathan]

"Why? for him?!" [Tony]

"No, for you. Why haven't you even begun to forgive him yet?" [Nathan]

"Because he took it! He just stole it from her!" [Tony]

"You know as well as I do that he didn't know what it was." [Nathan]

"I don't care!" [Tony]

"Why are you so angry?" [Nathan]

"BECAUSE IT WAS MY MOTHERS!" [Tony]

He screamed at me.

"..." [Nathan]

"... Because it was my mothers.." [Tony]

He silently repeated.

"... She... She died when me and Sarah were small.. I only just remember her.." [Tony]

".. Will you tell me about her?" [Nathan]

"... Her name was Amber. She and Dad meet when they were young. He was apprenticing with our grandfather, like you are with him. She had the same weak body as Emelia..." [Tony]

He slumps down on a chair. Then takes out a trinket from his pocket and starts fiddling with it.

"When she had Emelia.. Dad says it almost killed her... She still.. She still wanted us.." [Tony]

The trinket he's holding is copper.

"... She never recovered... When she died, me and Sarah, we uhm.. We got these vestiges." [Tony]

He hands me the trinket.

It's not like the other one. There's still a piece of amber in the middle, and silver trims, but the motif is different.

"My dad says it's because me and Sarah, we-.. We're like two sides of her. They link up, you see. They link up when you put them back to back." [Tony]

"So when he stole her vestige, it was like he stole a part of your mom from you." [Nathan]

He didn't answer. He just sat there, as the tears started to well up.

As the first tear streaked down his cheek, he pulls his legs up and hugs them, his face buried in his knees, and he nods weakly.

"Tony, he didn't know. If you told him, he would do anything to make it up to you." [Nathan]

I put my hand on his head and gently ruffle his hair.

He doesn't answer me.

"I know that it hurt, I get it. But is it really worth throwing away a friend for this? He did it with the best of intentions, can you not give him another chance?" [Nathan]

Silently crying, he slowly nods.