✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「A day after I finally upheld my end of our promise, I went on a window shopping spree all over the place in Alvyion with Miss Charlotte – who had pretty much given me a short tour of the Union of Alvyion. It was on Yuuto-ojisan’s orders and thanks to her, I was able to buy all these cool planet terrain presets which I could later on customise in whatever way I want. Now here I was, on my own looking around for one last time before I had to go to my summons.

The edge of Vynexia.

How do I put it into words? It was a metropolis of neo-futurism.

That's all the laconicism that was needed, really, to describe the apparent modern and high-tech hyperscape that stretched all around the horizon.

The hypercity center of Lyren.

High rise, avant-garde skyscrapers of sleek, slender architecture and spires poking at the skies were outlined in neon lights. Fluorescent holograms of adverts and media were promulgated everywhere while interloping tubules of flowing mana called leylines that twisted and turned all around and above the astral center, warp gates that seemed like spatial nets, ready to catch the bubbling of geodesics, and I could on and on about all the ubiquitous attractions apparent anywhere inside of a main hypercity.

But right now, I’m not here to go sightseeing around a hypercity of which I've been to and seen in multitudinous varieties. Instead, I'm here to board one of the leyline stations connecting to elsewhere inside the Union of Alvyion.

Right now, the place I was at could be considered as the outskirts of the compressed galactosphere, layered in virtual spatial planes which synthesised into one single hyperscape. You could think of these spatial planes as galaxies of different sizes and lengths stacked on top of each other to create this magnificent galactosphere, consisting of galaxy slices – the sheer volume of which isn’t something that’s all too easy to imagine. Translocating across the cityscape, it all stretched out so much they became streaks of streamline colours forming within the tunnel vision generated in my sight. Soon enough, what I could spy sitting there in the sky was an intersphere at which a bundle of leylines had coiled around and converged into – the location of which was Lyren Station. Though I say it’s in the sky, these hyperscapes are merely planes made for the convenience of adjoining multiple cosmic coordinates without straining one's mind on how to navigate within crowded three-dimensional megastructures. They typically worked within two-dimensional planes (or compact flat landscapes) which extend into the third dimension.

As such, the sky didn’t really exist. It was more of a level and closed plane, so what you see in the sky isn’t real from the inside, but outside the centre, it is a real place that exists in which those leylines would actually converge at.

Simply put, the skies one would see within the hyperscapes were fictitious canopies.

How do you get to Lyren Station then, I hear you ask?

You take one of the numerous warp gates inside the cityscape – if you can find the right one – the one that takes you to the different upper and lower spatial planes outside the hyperscape – you would promptly arrive there. There are portals to all places connected to the cityscape and even teleportation mediums in different forms that merge the virtual plane with other places within the city center and they mostly act as shortcuts to the outer galactic bubbles. However, teleportation is only for short-distance travel, at best only a few tens of billions of light years in range. But beyond the city center and into the Union of Alvyion – beyond the star-knitted city center – you’ll have to take the leylines to travel to all other places. And from there, you can reach the smaller spaces with the lesser leylines that flow all across and between the other galactic systems within Vynexia. Even further beyond, you have travel by warp modes that put the prowess of leylines to shame in terms of velocity.

I'm making this sound more complicated than it really is, aren’t I?

But now that I'm before one of the various fixed warp gates (unlike warp modes) that could teleport you all around the hypercity, I could spot a whole load of other Vynexians dotting the skies and the insides of the arc which one would have to survey from left to right in order to fully comprehend the enormity of such massive infrastructure. But they paled in comparison to the size of moons, much less the outer cosmos. Despairingly so.

Leaping off the ground, I entered the warp gate and everything within the periphery of my vision contracted and expanded simultaneously.

Another scenario spread out before my eyes, almost like the dark insides of a dyson sphere with ribbons melting into a single point, while at the same time, branching out into all of Vynexia.

At this moment, I was inside the hollow, spherical interior of a stellar supergiant-sized planet (a hyperplanet that’s as large as some supergiant stars if you didn’t catch my description) that's used for inter-union transport.

Activating my manually configured Ring, I opened up an astral mercator projection of Lyren Station to make sure of which dock I had to go to. And within my periphery came a translucent, abstracted map with nodes and lines sailing across my vision as a strip. It was around 60cm in front of me, which no one else could perceive except I. Not for one moment would a Vynexian be crazy enough to navigate the whole of Lyren Station without connecting to its dedicated station network via the Ring – nor the hypercity center either. You'd have to be connected to the Cosmonet.

A-ha. Found it. Whirling my eyes everywhere around the sky as the strip followed my eyesight and expanded as per my will, the node for the 《Warp Dock》 on the 《1539th platform》 had lit up, where sedated rings rippled out from it inside the astral mercator projection. It made the navigation of the skies much easier with its installation on my Ring around my wrist.

The Chiliocosm of the Heavenly Sky Palace en route to Central Alvyion.

There were all sorts of platforms and terminal nodes everywhere around the station. Terminal nodes (as opposed to the circular nodes depicting the location of its terminal node in the sky) were ellipsoid in nature, entities distorting space to serve as the entry points for the leylines. Navigating through each and everyone one of them was easy – thanks to labelling of each and every one of Lyren Station’s nodes: the names of each line, its dock type, platform number and its next major destination.

And for that matter, Central Alvyion was the next prominent hypercity center where the leylines would converge once more.

Ah! I forgot to mention it, didn’t I? Within each Union, there are a few hypercities spread across each Union along with smaller cities as well. And the hypercities dubbed as 《centrals》 were basically the center of the Union. And each hypercity has at least one leyline station – you know, where all those supernal lines melt into. Then, there are the main hypercities which are the bigger hypercities that are more well-known.

Our domain within Vynexia is a bit peculiar place thanks to the position of the Amamiya Faction. Alvyion is the whole Union which the Amamiya family governs and is currently where the Amamiya family resides. The actual head residency itself is located within the outskirts of Alvyion, in the hypercity named Amamiya which is also – as you may have guessed – named after our family boarding the adjacent Cosmos of Heian. Aokiri is the nearest Union in Heian from Alvyion and even closer still is Snowyln – a mana climate born from the blessings of Elyiere.

Things are very complicated between the different cosmos and as such, the border between both Cosmos is a very hazardous place, riddled in unremitting warfare.

Though, such things are needless to worry about since all the contention between the Cosmos will never reach beyond Amamiya.

Translocating through Lyren Station, all the docks and platforms were whizzing past me thanks to my ‘interstellar hopping’ which I like to call it. I arrived at the dock where a circular ring encompassed the leyline node. It was a waiting lobby for others to use while they waited for a pod to be discharged. Luckily, it seemed that I was the only person taking this route.

Paying for the ride at the terminal and confirming my transaction, I boarded the dedicated leyline as soon as it ejected out a spatial pod from what seemed like nothingness. But really and truly, it was actually teleported here from elsewhere within Lyren Station (I’m guessing). I wondered where it could have been teleported from as I took my seat, glancing at the ever-expanding universe.

Suddenly, it super-accelerated to such high velocity, all my eyes saw were the stars within the astra of space hurdling past. No inertia, no post-acceleration forces were felt, no turbulent noise, a purely smooth expedition. It didn't feel like I was moving and of course I wasn't. The pod itself had been moving along space like being on a conveyor belt, which was why I couldn't feel any preliminary motion.

A plain, spherical orb darting out from the galactosphere. It had left behind the hyperscape with such frenetic shrinking, it was already a dot from where I sat upon the seat of the pod.

Within the pod, I silently stared out to Elyiere.」

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「As I arrived at the Chiliocosm, I gazed outside the leyline station. Threads of colourful gaseous strings wove out the clusters of galaxies comprising the void of space owned by the Amamiya Family. Alighting outside a galaxy, I stepped out from the isolated space within the pod and left within moments.

Personally translocating to multiple islands adrift in space, I stood within the turbid cloak of nebulae and stardust that clung to the spatial continents. Among the vast number of entry points, there was one island in particular I was called out to – a place kept in reserve for the sake of this reunion. Permeating the bubble surrounding that one megafloat island, I could sense a daunting yet elan maid waiting for me inside – beyond the towering, edifice of double doors in sight.

Stepping down in front of the double-doors, I lightly pressed against the cementitious surface, opening it up to a grandiose hall full of scalloped and pearly pillars – tall and upright – lining the promenade with intertwining stairs and mural portals upon other plateaus leading to who knows where?

Cerulean and golden skies shone down with light as if welcoming my presence.

It's been a long time since I’ve last been to the Chiliocosm, but this was my first time visiting the real entrance. My first ever time paying a visit here dated back to around two years ago. But first, let me talk about the year before then.

Before I sent off to Prystia around 6 years ago, Eri-obasama said I could visit whenever I wanted. She had given me a key that could transport me to the Chilicosm whenever I wanted.

During my first year, the Chiliocosm was a free ticket to the outside, but I’d no sooner been sent to the second-year star dorms and it was a world of its own. Like literally...

The reason why I was never able to return back was because the key's connection had been severed due to the second-year star dorms.

Why am I even bothering myself with this?

No point thinking about it now.

There was no way of escaping the second-year star dorms and it was truly a pisstake. Even the other Maidens of Lacuna were taken aback by how frivolous the spatial isolation rites were...

And now that I’ve seen the genuine artifact, the Chiliocosm roused my interest back from the dead once more in light of the many secrets I've yet to uncover about this place.

Ahh… that’s right… I could look back on so much, and it'd only serve to increase how little I knew about these cascading inner-hyperspaces designated within my aunt’s little maze she had going on in here. I simply couldn't help my curiosity at all.

However, there was never a chance I had at plucking out all the various surprises hidden away here. There were just abundantly too many.

The opportunity has shown itself once more and I'll make the most use of it... soon... maybe... hopefully...

I've been kept busy for plenty of my time, what with all the moving around in my life as it took time for me to settle down properly. I would have to explore the Chiliocosm soon enough and I might never find myself stopping!

Ahhh, to think there would be so many things lying in wait for me to discover.

But that time would have to come later.

A maid awaited on standby in front of the entrance as if she had been expecting me, dressed neatly in a pure black dress for maids and a white apron – both reaching just above her knees. Her slender legs were shrouded in stockings the same deep colour as her dress.

Aquamarine locks flowed down the sides of her elegantly proportioned and mature face with eyes the colour of the seas crashing down on those who stared into its depths. Gracefully, she bowed with practiced proficiency and rose back up before the otherworldly beauty herself had welcomed my presence in a saccharine sweet, feminine voice that catered a perfect smile.」

“Myyy~! It's most certainly~ been forever since I have last~ seen Lady Sakuya~!! Welcome back to the Chiliocosm. I hope~ you had a most pleasant journey on upon arrival~, Ojou-chan~.”

“Thank you, Freya-san though there’s no need to be so formal... it wasn’t all too bad taking leylines to here......”

“I’ll consider it~ if you dropped the honorifics~. Otherwise, it isn’t in my place to do so~ unfortunately…”

「Freya-san flashed a wry smile while something seemed to be tugging me from the back of my mind now that I took a closer look at her… It’s most certainly been years since we’ve last seen each other, but I can’t bring myself to believe that the maid of muliebrity before me was the same person. There was this ‘something’ that made her seem completely different. Call me surprised if there isn’t anything odd.

And no sooner had the maid in front of me picked up on my internal quandary, my doubts had dug deeper into my mind ever so slightly. Freya-san proceeded to tilt her head in wondrous query.」

“Ojou-chan~, is something the matter?”

“Hmmm... I can’t believe I'm only noticing now, but my goodness you are soooo gorgeous... Are you really the same Freya-san I know of?”

“Ahaha... I am, of course, the same Freya you know of. Your compliment is most appreciated.”

「Freya. Freya Cephyr.

The first and only Head Maid of Amamiya who's Ayame-obasan's personal attendant, whereas Miss Charlotte was under Eri-obasama’s wing.」

“Something’s different about you. That’s for sure.”

「There’s no doubt that Freya-san is a well-endowed elf so… wait a second, an elf?」

“You are~ indeed~ correct. But it seems that Ojou-chan is in disbelief? You do remember me from before, as expected. But maybe that’s why! It must be my elfin auricles ♪.”

“That’s i– wait, you’re an ELF?!?!? WEREN'T YOU AN ULMIA?!?! HOW DID I NOT KNOW OF THIS!?!?!”

「WHAT!? I’M JUST… so confused... right now…?

No, that makes a lot of sense. Now that I thought about it, it somehow manages to dispel that feeling of dissonance I had. My heart was at rest with relief as I closed my eyes––

––BUT WOULDN’T THAT MAKE IT AN EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM!?!?」

“Your face says it all~, Ojou-chan~. Though there’s no need~ to worry. Surely, ma~ny things have changed over~ the years. I’ve kept it a se~cret for a long time~, but I had decided that there was no~ need to. Not even~ Amamiya-kyo knew of it. Lady Ayame was the only~ person who knew and I~ had personally told. Not even Charl~ knew~ of my true~ identity. Ahh rightie~! It appears that you've already met my junior, Charl~, haven’t you? You must’ve had a great time, I’m guessing. Fufufufu! ♪ ♪”

“NONONO IT’S NOT WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE! And yeah, maybe I have…? Miss Charlotte has~ helped me out quite a lot lately, so please do give her my thanks if you wouu~…”

「Guiltily poking the ends of my index fing– ohhhhh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shiiiiiiit. I’m just adding more fuel to the flame?!

Freya-san’s fury is already causing everything in the background to start burning!!!

KIYAAAAHHHH!!!! SOMEONE GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!!」

“Well, I’ll most certainly make sure to convey your gratitude to her, I swear upon it.”

「No intonation in her voice... someone might end up dying at this rate. Like actually.

Freya-san, I’m terribly sorry about how helpless I was, but please, I hope you don’t end up killing that ‘someone’...」

“In that~ case, there’ll be no~ need for me to introduce her~. We're the on~ly two maids under your aunt's care~, after all. Ah~, speaking of your aunt, she's waitin–”

「Freya-san’s cold conniption was blown away to oblivion. Phew... her voice is back to normal, I think... Wait who's waitin–」

“Freyaaaaaaaa? Is she her– Ohhh!! I’ve spotted Sakuya!!!”

“Eh?”

「A jubilant voice resonated upon one of the plateaus from above, just as my aunt had suddenly decided to show her bubbly, youthful self. As whimsical in nature as always.

The moment I spotted her, she froze for one second and disappeared the next moment before reappearing in front of my face. She then wrapped her arms around my head.

There must have been some serious lag spike in the matrix just now. I couldn’t even see her move at a…?!?!」

“My dear, how have you been doing!?!? It's been so many years since we've last met!!! Look how much you've grown!!! Back then, you were hardly as tall as my knees and that it was before you were even sent off to that shithole at Prystia. Heck, you've even managed a once-in-a-lifetime escape from there!!! Are you getting used to living life around here?!! Have you settled in well???”

“Wait, wait!!!! Too many questions!!!”

「Pushing back her shoulders, I made my aunt release her iron embrace. Her vivacity hasn’t cooled off in the slightest. She truly hasn’t changed one bit, huh?

I’m glad that some things just stay the same as always, and that feeling of relief made something fervent swell up in my throat, but it had instantly dissipated back inside me.

I’m glad we get to meet once again.

It’s been far too long, Ayame-obasan.」

“For starters~, we should head to Milady’s residence~. Standing around here~ at the entrance isn’t imme~diately the best of places to greet~ each other.”

“Ah! It’s just as Freya says. Let’s move elsewhere, then we can all have a fun time, chatting away!”

-════════════════-

“Sakuya-ojouchan, please have a seat~.”

“Ah, thank you Freya-san~.”

“Would you like some tea, my dear~?”

“I would love to!~.”

“Here you go~!”

“Thank you~ ”

「And so, the currents of levity fell upon the symposium within the open garden gazebo. Beneath a lit starry sky, a lively conversation continued to sway forth between us for some time. The wind lightly brushed over the lush meadows with flowers blooming in all corners as we talked about trivial things. What our lives were like over the years, the books we'd been reading, online trends, the newest VR games, the latest shows on air and etcetera.

Sweet fragrances jumped up through the air, as we conversed without a care in the world.

Although–」

“–What’s with this lighthearted, flowery ambience?!?!?”

“Ma~a~a~a~ isn’t it great to just get lost in the flow of things? It’s best to just peacefully settle down~. Let us calm ourselves before we continue.”

“I’m perfectly calm as always, Aunt Aya–“

“Fufu… Sakuya, it’s alright to call me Oba-san if you want.”

“Nn… then Oba-san it is. Oh and also, can we like… stop with the formalities? It’s way too airy in here…”

“He~e~e~, so it seems those boorish traditions at Prystia haven’t rubbed off on you, huh? Well, you are at that age.”

“Huh!? Who now– and stop trying to dodge my question!?!”

「That ‘boorish’ tradition is being awfully subservient towards your seniors, but I’ve had my own far share of such stupid etiquettes.」

“I'm only joking~. Well, I suppose we should get things moving along. After all, it does involve your future as a young Vynexian child.”

“My future…?”

“That's right! It's going to be a serious discussion from here on out~! That’s why it was better to get all the other~ stuff out of the way first.”

“Mm… I get that at least.”

“Let’s begin with you being a maiden of Prystia's Spires. Since you’ve been displaced from beside the Emperors, you're in quite the delicately precarious position, young~ lady. I’m sure I needn’t remind you of that.”

“There's not much I could have done about it. And so, what about it? Will I need to attend some magic institution or academy?”

“It's up to you~ to decide you~ want to do. Whether you wish to stay here with us, or walk another path~ in life.”

“Eh…? Oba-san, just what–”

“Though, that is most certainly necessary in face of the Elemental Pact. The question is what you want to do with that future in mind.”

“Umm…”

「Woah woah woah, there were wayyy too many things off about what Ayame-obasan just said... I can’t seem to get my head around what Oba-san is trying to insinuate. And neither could I come up with a concrete answer to her question.

I'd have to ad lib my response while thinking back...」

“Mm… for starters, I'd like to go to Estrella Galaxis Academy. But that won’t be until another 2 years later or so. There’s not much else that comes to mind otherwise.”

「The truth – I say.」

“Estrella Galaxis, you say? That’s an interesting choice~!! Why there~ of all places?”

「Oba-san asks for elucidation.」

“Isn’t it one of the most prestigious academies in the cosmos? I’d like to go there and see it for myself, maybe.”

「Half-truth, half-not.」

“Haha! Knowing you, I'm sure you will ace the entrance exams in a breeze by the time those two years have passed. Is that all, however? There must be many things you have in mind.”

「The edge of Oba-san's eyes sharpen ever so slightly in anticipation.」

“Well, simply put, there isn’t. And I don’t care about anything that’s happened in the past. I’ve long since been past that point.”

「Half-truth, half-lie.」

“…”

“I've already moved on from it. I doubt I can keep going on like this without finding out what to do for myself. Oba-san probably has something important to tell me in regards to that, I suppose.”

「A lie dripped through my teeth as easily as one would breathe.」

“…”

「And now, my aunt decides to give me the silent treatment. So I was right. Whether it was a fortunate thing to ask in hindsight or not, I didn’t know.」

“Ahaha… so you could tell, huh? I'd be lying if I said there wasn't something I wanted to tell you. You are a Maiden of Lacuna – or at least you were, after all.”

「Ahh, here it comes. The classic line.」

“You have no future besides being sacrificed for Elyiere’s sake. You know that don’t you?”

「So there’s that, but just like me, she lied. ‘How frightening~’ I would say, but…」

“Of course~ I know that! That’s why I’ve finally been set free from such a miserable life ✩. And I fully intend to enjoy my well-earned eternal freedom.”

“Ahahahaha!!! Truly well spoken!! Ahahaha!!! Ahhhh… then there’s no way I can keep it hidden then, can I? It’d be in your best interests to listen to what I have to say then.”

「Oba-san also laughed into tears while wiping her eyes. With a friendly smile, it only made me more hesistant to hear what she was going to say.」

“I'm all ears!!”

“I'm rather hesitant about deciding what I think should be done about you, young lady. Even with your best interests in mind of course and including your younger cousins.”

“Nn…?”

“Because of you being who you are, that freedom of yours is bound to come at many costs. Though I’m sure you’ll probably rend yourself free of such nugatory hindrances. Hence, I’ll be honest with you, my dear. I have no clue what to do, moving forward from here onwards!”

“Nn… Oba-san, please get to the point…”

“What I mean to say is that it will most certainly be dangerous for you to stay here with us, but there's no other place that’s safer for you to be in aside from being here with us. And that is most certainly a problem. And it’s not like you can stay next to me forever. And I wish you could, but I don’t want you to be fettered to us within the Heavenly Sky Palace, nor do I wish for you to be beyond our reach. I can’t help but worry about what to do, do you see where my contention lies~?”

「What to do, huh? You’re making it sound like there’s someone out to get me in my sleep. Just the thought alone sounds absurd, beyond anything I could think of. Here at Sky Palace, there’s no way anyone has the mettle to try anything in our own territory. Unless…」

“Dangerous? Me being here? Is it solely because I'm a Maiden of Lacuna?”

“You're half-right. The other half being that you are someone connected to them, but that’s just a guess on my part.”

“…”

「I took a quick peek at Miss Freya, gauging her reaction at one arc of the tea table, but it seems like she’s not been informed on this matter, for better or for worse. This whole time, she had been listening to us in demur silence.」

“Riiiiiiight, Freya doesn’t know about who Sakuya really is, do you?”

“For be~tter or for worse, I do no~t…”

「In fact~,I feel as if I’m gra~sping at straws, trying~ to recall what it is that I have~ forgotten. I don’t know why, but just listening to Ojou-san speak with honorifics puts me on edge...」

“I don’t blame you… It’s highly confidential too~!! Ne~e~e~e~ Freya, mind telling her about your ‘premonitions’ instead?”

“I don’t mind at all. But as a heads up, Ojou-san, allow me to say that it’s just an irrational feeling I have at best. Whenever I feel this way, the clairvoyance of my Seidr Magic can sense the future, albeit by a veeeeery miniscule portion of it. The stronger the feeling, the more likely that something will happen. But there’s also the chance that it may not be the case. After all, there are many things that my Seidr Clairvoyance doesn’t take into account, since the future is~ volatile. But now’s one of those times where these paroxysms of mine are super redolent. I'm certain that something’s portending to a greater issue.”

“One that cannot be ignored at that as well. And it’s according to Freya’s and mine own Clairvoyance, which makes it even more serious.”

“The seeds of disruption may bloom if we don't do something to prevent it. Though I feel that there’s most certainly something we cannot see that’s going to cause significant change sooner or later.”

“Fine, I get that something might happen, but this ‘issue' still seems quite vague to me. What might that be, Miss Freya?”

“Unfortunately~, I cannot say with utmost certainty. I’m afraid my Clairvoyance cannot delve into the intermittent future with such clari– kh!??!”

「Sudden painful pangs assaulted my mind as I tried to expand my perception of time forwards and backwards.」

“Freya-san, what’s the matter?!?”

“Nothing… my apologies.”

“There’s no need to apologise! Are you alright?”

“Freya, you shouldn’t overexert yourself like that...”

“Nnn…”

“In any case, you won’t have to worry about me, whatever it might be. I'm confident in my own acute seventh sense to danger as an Amamiya ✩.”

“Fufu~!! Well said, Lady Sakuya~. And here I was, making you worry for myself.”

“Don’t get too full of yourself, young la~dy…”

“Fufu…”

“We've gone off topic. Forget about whatever danger that may appear, we'll be the ones to take care of anything that does happen. With all that serious stuff out of the way, if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask, okay?”

“Eh… is that it?”

“Yep! All I wanted to know was what academy you’d like to attend.”

“That was certainly a roundabout way of asking… Well, since there’s absolutely nothing for me to do, I'm thinking of entering the Chiliocosm once more. I'm aiming for Fírinne Libria.”

“Houuu… you’re free to go however deep you wish into Fírinne Libria. Just make sure you don’t die, okay ✩?”

「A bit of an edge to her voice which Ayame-obasan couldn’t conceal. Dammnnnnn, so the Fírinne Libria must be on another level of difficulty. I’m sure she’s aware of how much I’ve grown. Even then, her voice was wet with belligerence.」

“Oba-san doesn’t need to worry. I’m not so weak as how I used to be.”

“I wonder sometimes, just what is it that motivates you to risk your life so recklessly like this?”

“It’s a secret! Oh, and I’d like to be allowed the honour of tutoring Sora-kun and Yuki-chan. Would that be a problem?”

“Ara~ a problem, you ask… if anything, I hope you aren’t addressing them with honorifics unlike with us, young lady.”

“...!!?”

「Crap!!!! It’s too late to undo what’s been done!」

“H-huuuh?!?!! Or course not!!! T-there's no w-way I'd slip out on honorifics! Anyway, I thought I might try to introduce them to a few things which they might find interesting. Like teaching them certain mathematics, or the ways in which–”

“Spit it ouuuuut…”

“Nnn… fine. So far, it doesn’t look like they have any knowledge of how mana works beyond the regular manifestation of their auras and controlling it, right?”

“Nn… you're correct. And it's because they're prohibited from studying magic. Your uncles have given this a lot of consideration, such that they won't be allowed to learn magic until their fathers decide otherwise. Especially Sora-kun's father.”

“Ha~a~a, aren’t they just being too harsh??”

“That’s how it’s always been…”

“Okay, fiiiiiine!!! I get it. Whatever. Forget I even asked. But–“

“It’s because they’re reluctant to practice their Valier Arts, and now they’ve almost alienated themselves from it. They absolutely hate their fathers for it with a burning passion.”

“Yeah, I could tell that much. Fufu~ ~ those knuckleheads totally deserve it.”

「Even though Yuuto-ojisan came off as amicable, humans always have another side to them in the end. I’ve never really interacted with my uncles all too much so I wouldn’t know much about them anyways, but I can tell from what little I’ve known.」

“So then you should have some idea of what mayhem you are about to bring yourself. Good luck with that, Sakuya. Those two will do anything but sit still and learn.”

「I guess I shall then interpret that as being allowed to do whatever the hell I please if it means I am not found out. Hehe…

Oh, that’s no good. I can’t let out an inherent smile.」

“Don’t worry, I'm sure it'll somehow work itself out. It’s for my own satisfaction, Oba-san. I don't really have much that I can do, and I wanna get to know my only two other younger cousins before I can no longer see them.”

“Is that so~? Then do as you please~.”

“Thank you, Oba-san! Oh, and Freya-san, could you keep this a secret? In fact, put every maid under a spell command!”

“Of course~! I'll do what I can~!”

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「For so long, our recorded history of the past has been so obscured in face of the coronation of the Elemental Emperors – which went back well over 120 billion years into the past – both signaling the beginning of the Prystian Era and the end to a history shrouded in darkness. And before then, our history remains a mystery such it cannot be traced back from the vestiges of time. Not a single remnant remains of what happened before the Emperors appeared and appointed themselves as the rulers of Elyiere.

So much is left unknown and now, I might just be grasping at the opportunity to maybe find out what it is.

The Fírinne Libria and the Estrella Compendium might contain what I seek. I should be able to access the library here at the Chiliocosm. And if it means I must attend Estrella Galaxis Academy to get my hands on more keys that are needed to unlock the ancient history of our cosmos, then there’s nothing more I'd want.

No matter what it costs. I'll either die finding out what the Emperors wish to keep untold and away from prying eyes or else–

I'll kill them all before they reach me.

And so, I had been throwing around these thoughts of mine before shoving them out to the back of mind.

Laying down on the azure, phosphorescent fields of my own habitable planet, I stared up at the vacant sky, twinkling with supernal stars that were always ever so present. Clear, dark, quotidian night times were such rejuvenating moments of the day on this planet teeming with life. You could just feel yourself dissolve away into the warmth of darkness you would entrust yourselves to every night. The season seemed to be summer, so the nightly winds felt uplifting. Just thinking about it makes me want to drop dead and sleep as my soul desires, but not until it's time.

Screw my circadian rhythm to hell. Hah.

I needed to finish casting this spell in case anything goes wrong.」

“Older Sister, we're here!”

“Umm… Elder Sister, are you feeling alright?”

“Nnm?? Yeah of course. Why… do you ask?”

“You seem like you’re reaaaalllly tired, yanno?”

「No shit, I just had the most nerve-wracking teatime of my life.」

“Ah…? Do I? I do feel a little sleepy but that's about it.”

「Aaahh... so bothersome... Have you ever once felt your tiredness waning away just as you were about to peacefully enter a state of slumber? My eyes were closed, but I could clearly sense their auras undulating ever so slightly. They gave off a nostalgic warmth that I was ever so well acquainted with, but it drew out my consciousness a bit too much. And that was all it took for my ennui to almost vanish away to oblivion. Though that was just the beginning.」

“Hehe… Then, let’s wake Elder Sister up, right Sora?!?!!?”

“YEAH!!!!”

「Jumping up a few meters, both Yuki and Sora shifted their weight onto their feet, turning into a diving kick.

Aahh... if they were being serious, I myself might end up being hurt if I didn’t move.

But... I was too sleepy to bother. As such, their kicks effortlessly sunk into my stomach. Wait...」

“Nn– Khahh!?!?”

「WHAT THE HELL?!?!

Haphazardly rising up, incessant waves of dull throbbing tormented me as the white of my eyes appeared. I could see stars revolving around my crown, only to shut away my eyes to the screaming in my guts.」

“Unnggg...”

「Damn that really huuuuuuuuurts... I clutched the area around my stomach in pain. What were those idiots thinking...?」

“And now we run!”

“Huh…? Where do you two think you are going?”

““Eep!??!?””

「My Od surged, spilling out my amethyst mana in a show of indignation, their knees gave way from sensing such a dense emission of mana and now they could no longer move. Losing the strength to even cry out, their limbs became numb, dropping face first into the ground as if someone had cut the strings of a marionette. They were shaking in fright, turning and squirming to look back in ice-cold panic.

It's no good trying to lightly scare them this way. Hehe! Reeling back my onslaught of mana, I simply had to ask what went through their minds.」

“What made you two think that was a good idea?”

“Elder Sister was about to fall asleep, so we tried waking you up!!!!!!”

“You could have done it in so many different ways, yet you chose the hardest way… my goodness.”

““Bleughh!!!””

「T-they had the arrogance to stick out their tongues… Even though they looked like they were about to piss themselves… Then, I’ll be obliged to give them what they deserve.

Ice-cold smile, initiate.」

“Alright then. Since you two are so eager, why don’t we start your magic training? I'm not going to go easy on you at all. Zero mercy.”

“H-hehe… born ready.”

“Elder Sister doesn’t need to ask! Let’s begin already!!!”

「Lifting themselves up, they were ready to take on whatever came their way.」

“Hnn… alright.”

「They’ve got guts, I’ll give them that. Casually, I stood up while spreading out my arms. All sorts of shapes and magic circles merged into six different patterns of varying colours. And from each rite symbol, it’s respective form manifested according to its nature – each representing one of the main magical elements.」

“Ohh!!!”

“Paradigms…”

“First of all, you should know that there are six different elements of magic. Do you know these elements are called?”

“There’s light, water, wind…”

“Darkness, fire and earth, right?”

“Correct. And that’s all we're going to do today. We're done here.”

“Eh?!?”

“Huh? W-what do you mean?”

“There’s nothing more we can do right now. I was just checking if you already knew the names of the elements since we're starting right from the beginning. However, you two aren’t even on the starting line. By that, I mean I can’t teach you two anything more as you are, right now.”

“EHHH?!!??! But didn’t you say you would teach us how to use elemental magic?”

“Well yeah, but not now. That’s for another day. There’s something even more important we have to perform before your real training starts. It’s only just the beginning for the two of you.”

“And that’s?”

“Do you two know what it felt like, getting kicked in the stomach?”

“Ehh…”

“Oh crap, she’s still upset…”

“I'm not. Forget about what happened earlier. It's a genuine question. Have you two ever felt serious pain before?”

“…”

“Hmm…”

「That’s some strong enmity. I see... so it’s only ever been that bad...」

“Hahaha! That’s perfect! You can stop now, that’s all I needed to make sure of. My goodness, you don’t have to continue glaring daggers at me... Now let’s move on to the important bit.”

“Ummmu!! Seriously, what are we doing?!?!”

“Let’s get this started with already!! We're just wasting time...”

“Didn’t I say this was only just the beginning? It won’t make a difference no matter how much we rush.”

「Walking up towards them, I held out my hands in an endearing gesture. Since they had these looks of embezzlement on their faces, they didn’t have an earnest clue of what will happen next.」

“Come, you two. Give me your right hands .”

““Nn…””

“I want you two to promise that you won’t be mad with me, no matter what I do.”

“What, are you going to do?”

“I can’t tell you what that is, of course. I'd be ruining the whole point if I did.”

“Hm…”

“Sora, let’s just get this over with so we can learn magic, for real this time!”

“Oh… alright then!”

“I'll take that as a 'yes’ then?”

““You bet!””

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