「A broad halo of light shone within the cementitious entryway of the Chiliocosm. From within that light, a silhouette of darkness swayed in nihilent suspension.

Touching down on the insipid and desolate stage that lacked any remorse, I collapsed down on all fours in despair.

The warm, pleasant skies turned livid with murky clouds overhead as thunder roared in shallow zaps.

Ahhh… it’s no good. I can’t see anything. My eyes are out of focus. Heck, am I even looking at anything? No, everything's pointless. It's all pointless no matter what I do or how I do it.

Maybe I should just give up? Should I give up now?

261 failed attempts and not a single answer in sight.

I kept on executing the algorithm again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again…

…and nothing works at all?????」

“Hm…? Lady Sakuya?”

“That is Lady Sakuya, isn’t it? Why would she be here?”

“Yeah, isn’t it too dangerous for someone so young to be here?”

「Aah… yeah… I get that. They’re new around here huh? Everyone knows that I’m an exceptional and regular visitor. There were many whispers and hustles from the others within the Chiliocosm’s main lobby. Whenever you fail, you’re brought back to the main lobby, where there are at least a few thousands of onlooking challengers. I’ve gotten used to this spectacle so no surprises here.」

“Nah, that’s like what…? The hundredth time she’s failed here? I’ve lost count.”

“Ah… poor girl. How unfortunate.”

「Please. Shut up. I know that already.」

“L-Lady... Sakuya? Did you fail a trial just now?”

“OF COURSE I DID?!! Wait, who...?”

「Out of nowhere, I heard someone’s familiar voice tremor through the promenade. Tilting my head in the slightest amount, I saw the perplexed look that person had given me.」

“Nnn yeah... Miss Charlotte... I'm still struggling with the Chiliocosm's trials...”

“Fumu... I see. It appears that you've been challenging Fírinne Libria. It can’t be helped then – it is one of the most difficult localities to access. Lady Sakuya really is trying her hardest to beat it. That’s quite admirable.”

“There’s only a single step separating bravery and recklessness, you know? Right now, I fall into that reckless category. Anyway, what brings Miss Charlotte here?”

“I’ve been searching for you. The young masters have asked me to inform you that they await your return.”

“Sora and Yuki...? I see...”

「They’re still coming back even though there’s no need to…」

“Please, tell them ‘Lady Sakuya is busy right now’.”

“Haha... it would be difficult to convey that message to young masters…”

“Nn... alright, I understand. Then I shall excuse myself. Have a good day, Miss Charlotte!”

「 “Lady Sakuya, if I may, I'd like to convey one more thing to you.”

“Hm? What might it be? If it’s an apology, it’s not like you need to.”

“Fufu... you got me there. Will an apology not work?”

“Regardless of whether it’s an apology or not, you seem like you have something you want to say...”

“It is as you say. The crystal rite decomposition has proven successful.”

“Eh!? Really??”

No way… they managed to decipher Untelhimmel-class rites...? What a pleasant surprise Charlotte-san has brought.

“Yes. The breakdown of the rites showed the Institute that the crystals were a medium used for teleportation rites. And they’re not warp crystals nor high-speed leyline placers.”

“Genuine... teleportation rites? No way, why would anyone have teleportation artifacts?? No, what’s more unusual is how they have their hands on so many of them.”

“If the enemy is capable of reproducing the ancient class of Lost Rites in vast quantities, we might end up having to deal with a lot more than just the echelons of the Vynexian Republic.”

“Is there a chance... that they are after me?”

“Eh?? Why would they be after Lady Sakuya? The blame rests solely on my shoulders for drawing out my sword before you and being deceived by the enemy, but I feel it was just an unlucky coincidence that my thoughts lead to the young masters. Though I cannot deny that you being targeted is a very real threat.”

Basically, a euphemistic way of saying there’s no point in aiming after my life.

But that’s terribly wrong. A bad assumption to make. And only a few people like myself and my aunts would know that.

But then again, just why? In what way would it do any good for others if I were taken out?

“What makes you so unsure?”

“My thoughts at the time simply went astray. I was thinking that if any other crystals were secretly planted once more, I should destroy them. I scanned the cosmos but came across Lady Sakuya training the young masters in magic.”

“…”

“They tried to sabotage the network of the Retinue and even used parasite-like magic that can possess the mind. By targeting me, the enemy attempted to break apart the liaisons of the Heavenly Sky Palace – which is why they were aiming after the most prominent members of the Retinue’s Three Divisions. If Lady Sakuya thinks that her life is at risk, us Servants and Guardians will make the utmost effort to protect your life.”

“There's no need. If I needed to be protected from people who can kill me, I'd need someone who's at least a high-rank Ordinaire.”」

“I understand. That is all I wish to say. I'm grateful for your time, Lady Sakuya.”

“Miss Charlotte, you know you don't have to be so formal...”

“Fufu... it is part of my job. But I'd happily consider it if Lady Sakuya wishes so. Oh, and also–”

「Translocating beside me, Miss Charlotte whispered in my ears the most audacious escapade suggestion possible. Actually no, it was telepathic. She did it on purpose.

“If it’s Fírinne Libria’s trials, why not borrow a few things from the Institute?”」

“EHH?! But that's––”

“Yes, I know. You probably won’t be allowed to handle anything on your own, but knowing you, I’m sure you’ll figure out something.”

「––exactly what I'd call reckless…」

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「And just as Miss Charlotte had correctly informed me, Sora and Yuki were the only ones waiting at the top of the castle tower on my home planet. But they weren’t the only ones lying in wait. As I glanced over to the moon of my planet, I recognised quite the number of familiar presences so I sort of knew how this might play itself out.」

“Older Sister!!!”

“She’s here!”

「I landed outside on my courtyard when Sora and Yuki had jumped down from the top of the spire to where I was. If they have something in mind, then I'll listen to what they have to say. Otherwise, I hoped that I could quickly move on to what I needed to do next.」

“Hey you two. What brings you here?”

“Ahaha… we were wondering about that ourselves, but we couldn’t remember. Anyways, come play with us!!”

「Grabbing both my hands, they began levitating up into the air. They really did want me to follow them, but I can’t really comply.」

“Wait, hold on! I'm sorry, you two. I know you want me to join you and all, but right now I'm a little busy with a few things.”

“Huuh!?! That's a lie!!! After all…”

“After all…?”

「Yuki paused as soon as she realised that there was something awry going on in her mind. Most of their memories over the past couple of months were erased after all. It’s no wonder their minds were in conflict with memories of one another.」

“Hn–??”

“Wait, huh??”

“You all can go have my share of fun for me. Sora, tell Lucy and everyone else alright? I need to get started with my own projects. I won’t be able to concentrate if everyone’s here to distract me.”

“Hehe… we're not stopping until you come as well!!!”

“Haaah. I know you won’t stop. So, keep trying your hardest.”

「Heaving a sigh, I knew it’d be impossible to coax them. Instead, I just have to make them give up.

Slipping my hands out of their grasps, I took a few steps back before turning my back and looking at them over my shoulder.」

““Ahh!! Wait!!””

「Reaching out in vain, they caught empty air in their palms as I kept moving further away.」

“Fufu. 『Radial Blast』.”

「I walked away with a sly grin as I shifted Yuki and Sora helplessly, way beyond the exosphere.」

-════════════════-

“Wahhh!!!!”

Over on Sakuya’s moon, Sora and Yuki entered the atmosphere and blitzed the ground as a cloud of regolith was thrown inside everyone’s eyes.

“““Woah!?!”””

A tiny crater formed once the silvery pair shook the surface, causing the others to let out shrieks of surprise.

“Heeeeey!! Soraaa!! Your older sister’s not coming, is she?”

Calling out to Sora, Ronan asked as he moved over to the edge of the crater and peaked inside. Deep within, his voice echoed to a silver-haired boy shrouded in dust, comically splayed out. Pulling himself from the settling dust, he looked up at his company in reply.

“Nope! As you saw, we got flung out from Older Sister’s planet! She said she was busy and told us to go ahead ourselves.”

“Then let’s take her out then bring her over to the park! We all got a score to settle from last time!”

The one who brought up such a hot-tempered scheme was Lucy – a twin-tailed girl with red ribbons tying her locks in place. Looking down and Sora and Yuki who were both standing at the bottom of the crater surrounded by many others.

“Wait, Lucy… you do realise we’re lost against Miss Sakuya each and every time, right? Right?? We don’t even have a chance!”

Alin refuted beside her, his steel-framed glasses were crooked before he fixed them back as if trying to persuade her against it.

“Alin’s right. We could never defeat her.”

“No one here could hold a candle to her. We really shouldn’t try.”

“Yeah, let’s respect what she wants to say. Otherwise, they all might be sent into a gas giant’s core…”

That sentiment was shared by the others as well, as they looked at each other and spoke amongst themselves.

“Hmph! I got a few tricks up my sleeve. If everyone focuses on distracting her, I’ll be able to bind her in place with my Elemental Magic.”

“Ohhh??? If Lucy says so, let’s try it then.”

Yuki grinned impishly as the rest of the children were spurred on by the slight chance.

“EH!?? Can you really???”

“As if your Elemental Magic would work against her. She’s a Prystian Maiden, remember?”

“We won’t know unless we try!”

“Alright! What’d you say, everyone?!”

“““Yeah!!!”””

A verdict was settled upon as they all cried in unison, raising their hands.

-════════════════-

「Assuming a posteriori that their entire syndicate might try raiding my planet and drag me out, I’ll wait and see what Lucy might try with everyone. Though I can’t waste my time finding out.

Moments later, everyone began skydiving headfirst into the atmosphere of my planet. I never thought I’d ever say this, but it’s literally raining children.」

“Fufu… that’s completely fine – you all can keep falling to infinity as much as you want! 『Limitless Boundary』.”

「A bubble of mana latently spread across the sky in the airspace above. Okay, maybe I should watch them struggle a little first.」

-════════════════-

“Huehue… keep flying guys!!!”

“…”

They kept flying. Their wings were eagerly spread open, even if it were a figure of speech. Hence why their wings could never bring them closer. They flew and flew, dived and dived, further and further but soon they came to realise that something was awfully wrong.

“…hold on, is the surface really this far away?”

“It shouldn’t be… we’re getting closer, aren’t we?”

“We… should????? But we aren’t!?”

“Huh!? But we are moving towards it, aren’t we!?”

They were, and they could tell. But therein lies the crux of Sakuya’s spell. Was it an optical illusion? Was it truly a reality manifested? They couldn’t see through Sakuya’s hex.

“Then tell me why we aren’t getting closer?!?”

“As if I know!”

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「I couldn’t say when exactly everyone left since I only stayed for a few moments before I blocked out all outside stimuli. Soon enough, Sora and co. had all departed from my domain – reluctantly giving up on trying any further. I’m sure they noticed the spatial barrier separating my domain the moment they were outside the space of my galaxy.

Not a single person remained any longer.

Exactly as it should be. Exactly as it’s always been.

The face of my planet shied away from the star a horizon away.

Darkness had breathed upon the current time of twilight.

The whole kingdom below the elevation of my palace was full of warmth – a mere façade of a sad reality.

It swept through my whole palace in yonder, cascading from the evening to night, as if wondering why a light hadn’t been exhaled for all among those alive at the palace?

The answer was simple.

Within this dead galaxy was none except I. And I who needed not the luminance of light had found solace within this darkness.

Within my chamber, only the fluorescence of the many virtual holographic screens had lit up my visage.

Just the way it should be.

Ayame-obasan was right. I should just keep to myself. That way, no one else will have to be hit with misfortune except I.

If anyone was aiming after my life, then no one else will have to get hurt trying to save me. In this world, I am all by myself with no one else. If I ever get attached to something, I’ll only lose it. It’s happened far too many times for me to count.

Yet I can never seem to keep myself away.

Why is that?

Even I’m not sure why. Why I’m so stubborn. Why I refuse to change. Why I can never be so decisive.

Maybe it’s because that’s just how I am. What I am, who I am, why I am.

Just a mere misfortunate girl.

One whom fate has decided not to pity.」

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「Weeks have passed this way. Has it been a few weeks, months? I sure do wonder… I haven’t been keeping a track of time at all…

It’s been a while since I’ve told Sora that I’d holed myself up inside my own world. I haven’t even spoken to anyone for quite some time. It was only I to myself.

I had borrowed spare equipment from the Institute over at the Equaliser’s Supercluster to fine-tune my Ring with good enough Occasionally, I’ve been visiting the Chiliocosm just for the sake of it.

I’ve almost perfected it. Just a few little longer.

Next time, for sure–」

Rling!

「A shrill sonorant sound resonated within my mind. A message? My first message in a while. I opened up the message and read its contents.

And I simply couldn’t believe a single word that was written.」

【 Announcement:

A notice to all,

On the 19th of Nelven, Lord Kaito’s family will depart for the Union of Miyagi. The Council of Heian has sent an envoy, calling back an Amamiya to the Celestial Center. Assemble on the day to see off the Lord’s family for the Federal Capital.

–Freya Cephyr, Head Maid of the Servants.

12th of Nelven 725 】

“E…h? Mi- MIYAGI?!?!”

「Miyagi.

Miyagi of all places.

Why? I just couldn’t fathom why. Even shooting up after lying down for so long didn't make anything clearer.

I also couldn’t help but wonder why anyone from that place would want to have anything do with the Amamiya. Our ties have long since been severed and after all this, why would the Council want to call anyone with ties to the Kurogane back?

Forget this. I can't stand the fact that I’m so clueless about this. I’ll try asking Eri-obasama and see if there’s anything I can learn.」

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Year 725 of 727,237th millenia of the 120th eon of the Prystian Era. The 19th of Nelven came and went, much to Sakuya’s disapproval.

「Among the meadows of verdurous, grassy plains, darkened by the swirling paradigms of stars twinkling in the vacant heavens, a shrill cry diffused from the voice of a young girl in denial.」

“Nooooo!!!! I don’t wanna gooooo!!!!! Sora!!!! Elder Sister!!!! UUUWAAAAAAAA!!!”

“Wait, Yuki... come on, don’t cry now! We will definitely get to see each other again! I'm sure of it!”

Comforting the snow-haired lass was the ululating child’s cousin, earnestly trying to placate the endless stream of tears shed by her. A warm-hearted beauty with long, flowing midnight-coloured hair and eyes that seemed to consume darkness itself.

“...R-really!?? H-hic... pinky promise??”

“Un... it’s a promise.”

“H-hic... Elder Sister, when is the next time we’ll see each other again?”

“I'm certain it won’t be long. Maybe after a half a year?”

「That’s a bit of a stretch… but it isn’t entirely off. We might not see Yuki again for a long, long time. I’m sure it’d sadden Sora not being able to speak with Yuki. No matter how one saw it, they were as close as real siblings rather than being cousins.」

“Noo!!! That’s too long! WAAAAHHHH!!!”

“Then, next time we'll have so much fun we won’t ever have to stop! Okay? Now, be a good girl...”

“Noooooo~!!! I wanna stay with Older Sister!!!”

“Then how about this?”

The onyx black bracelet wrapped around the older sister’s wrist gave off a resonance to which the white-coloured bracelet on Yuki’s wrist had picked up. It flashed in faint luminescence before it faded away. Yuki’s tear-stained frown instantly inverted into a vibrant, elated smile. It was an expression of pure happiness.

“Older Sister, thank you!!!”

“Well then, we should head inside now, Lady Yuki. It is time for us to depart.”

Her personal maid, Charlotte, intervened in their final conversation as their third interlocutor, cutting short their farewells with a bow.

“Ah~ ~!! No, wait!! Charlotte!!”

“It would appear that this is our final farewell, Lord Sora. I bid goodbye on behalf of Lady Yuki.”

“Uhn. Then goodbye it is. Yuki, we’ll definitely see each soon! Just you wait!”

「Sora and I watched on as Yuki and Miss Charlotte walked away, stepping into the warpcell that threatened to swallow the horizon. A quartz globe with contoured edges and striations, wrapped with transparent strips of enchanted polymers to view the outside universe. Rites were carved into a torroidal ring that bulged at the rear. A luminous ring with a ball of light in the center began to glow, ready to activate.

The former pair of servant and master disappearing into the interior as the latter pair patiently awaited in kenospia. Moments later, the cell silently floated up into the air as it disconnected from the dismounting pad implanted into the ground. It levitated as a precursor before suddenly soaring almost horizontally, far beyond the exosphere of the planet and tracing out a slight parabola a little ways above the horizon. The arcing exhaust of mana emission stopped at one point as it was evident that the cell blitzed across billions of galaxies in that single gesture alone. They were too far away for our own enhanced visual prowess to even detect, nor follow.」

Sora and the little lady accompanying him, whom he so affectionately calls his 'older sister' by seven years, Sakuya, had bid farewell to their other relative, Yuki Amamiya. It was a sudden parting, in it such that the branch family had to leave for business left unattended in the Heian Cosmos. Whatever it was, Sora would never know, neither did the young girl with pure white hair and snow-coloured irises, nor the raven-haired older sister. Sakuya’s memories of her would remain intact within herself despite however little time they spent with one another. It was only a short fraternity of six months.

“It's going to be much quieter without Yuki, huh…?”

“Aaah~ ~ it’s because no one else is around. They're all so stuck up! Not even our grandparents came… couldn't everyone at least send Yuki off a bit more properly?? The only ones here are the many Servants, Guardians and our friends...”

“Sora, grown ups aren’t always going to be there whenever you want them to. Everyone else is also busy with their own lives. Adults have a lot of responsibilities so it can’t be helped that they don’t have much time available to them.”

“Then just make time, damn it.”

「That, they can’t do ei~ther unfortunately, Sora... But saying something like that, it's kinda wasted on you though, even if I do say so myself.」

“Well, let’s go back. Is there anything you want to do?”

“I don’t know ~ ~ Eh!? Why are you acting so nonchalantly?! Yuki just left for Heian, you know!?”

“Fufu... It’s nothing to get so excited about, you know?”

“Why's that!??”

“How about we spar for a bit to blow off some of that energy?”

“Hell no... why would I have to spar against you?? Stop saying the same annoying things that everyone else does! They keep rattling on and on about having to learn how to be a proper swordsman. There’s litera– I mean, but that’s beside the point?!”

“It's a large place, this world of ours... You may never know what will happen to yourself or even others. You may never know when fate will take away something precious and throw it away into the darkness.”

Sakuya's eyes seemed as if it were staring into a decrepit place, rather than the starry rivers in the night sky.

“...a very dark and never-ending abyss.”

Though it was in a whisper, which would inevitably fall on deaf ears, it was a pessimistic acclamation all the same. Nothing Sora could ever hope to understand.

“Yeah right. If such a time ever comes, I'll be the one to change destiny.”

「I see. ‘Destiny', but not ‘fate', is it? How bold…」

“Fufu! I believe in you! Even if you are a genius who can control magic so adeptly, make sure you keep that to yourself. If a mage that can manipulate destiny ever comes around, ring me up, okay? Vynexia would go crazy if one suddenly showed up.”

“Fu-fu! That’d be a testament to my abilities!”

“Then why didn’t you prevent Yuki from leaving?”

“Uhh… yeah about that, what did you give to Yuki?”

「Ahhhh… the keen idiot realised. I was hoping I'd get out of here without catching anyone’s suspicion but on the contrary, he dodged the question.」

“Nothing you need to know about. You’d just make things worse if I told you. Well then, I'll be on my way. See you later, Sora.”

“Ah?! Wait!”

Displaced by empty space, or so it seemed, Sakuya's physical appearance was gone in a split second. It didn’t concern Sora, for he knew she might have warped over to her galaxy in one corner of the Amamiya's residential quadrant within the Inner Sanctum. But she did end up leaving behind an inquisitive Sora who wondered what Yuki was given.

「Oh well... Even up until the last moment, I couldn’t figure out why it was so necessary for Oba-sama and the others to visit the Cosmos of Heian. It was infuriating how I was left in the unknown.

But I hoped that I would eventually find out why through an intercession via Yuki.

An answer I expected. An answer I never got in the end.」

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「That’s right. If it was Yuki, I was hopeful that she might hear something she shouldn’t have. For a week or so, me and Sora had been keeping up with their progress.

It was for that reason I had put a hiatus on my project and spent the week before their departure writing up rites to upload to Yuki's Ring and configure its firmware.

That way, we were able to stay in touch with each other and Sora would come over whenever he wanted to have some time talking with her – mostly before they would go to sleep.」

[ “Everything here is covered in snow!!! I couldn’t believe it back when Elder Sister said Snowyln was literally a wintery mana climate!!!” ]

“Why don’t you look at that... I was right. Though, mana climates like Snowyln are typically quite dangerous places. I hope everything’s sailing smoothly over on your side.”

[ “But it's so pretty?!” ]

「Haha, pretty things are usually quite thorny. Trying to appreciate it blindly might end up torturing people in plenty of painful ways.」

“Hnnng!!! Damn it!!! I should’ve just snuck inside the warpcell two weeks ago!!”

[ “Hehe, yeah right. You'd have been kicked out by Mother in no time! You'd have been left inside some void to die...” ]

“Huh?!? What was that!?!”

「Look at them go, jabbing each other in amiable ways. Though, I couldn’t help but smile at their innocent interactions.」

[ “...uki... it... ime... to... eep...”

“Okay, I'll be there! Ahaha, I kinda have to go to bed right now...” ]

“Un. Let’s end it here then. Good night and sweet dreams, Yuki.”

“Yeah, good night! We'll call again at a later time, alright!?”

[ “Yeah, sure! Good night!” ]

-════════════════-

“Hnn!!!! Now what to do...? Hiyup!”

On board the warpcell, it was no exaggeration to say it was a world of its own. Yuki herself would know best as the holographic panel before her had minimised and dismissed itself once she had leapt off the modest mansion’s roof. Luscious fields were paved with paths lit by the lumen spheres lingering in the air. Lying on the ends of the paths were various other settlements and modern buildings in which others had resided within.

Up in the air were various other structures resembling tree houses which were connected through branches of promenades – leylines in fact. Such was a sight that extended as far out to the outer walls that encapsulated the warpcell.

It was safe to call it a miniature-sized magical city – inside an intercosmic spaceship.

“Young Lady, wher– ah, there you are.”

“Miss Charlotte? Hehe...”

Giggling in a haughty manner, Yuki had caught onto Charlotte’s presence in front of her on the ground. Her attendant had finally managed to locate her young master, which seemed to spark something in Yuki’s mind.

“Lady Yuki, please let us not play this game…”

Charlotte’s eyebrows twitched as she amiably smiled, knowing full well the extent of her young master’s puerility.

“Too bad!!!”

Dashing away in enthusiasm, Yuki had soon enough absconded across the fields a fair distance away. Only the swept-up winds of her escape had remained… and a dazed Charlotte.

“Haa~ ~, there's even a Manalised Deep Field put in place...”

Charlotte sighed. Within such a field, it was harder to move around at exorbitant speeds, much less chase after a young recidivist. For mages alike, it was akin to being submerged within the aquatic depths of the ocean, walking upon its seabeds while being mounted with high water pressure.

Meanwhile, Yuki had raced out to the outer confinements of the warpcell, reeling the attention of others as she flew by. In due time, she had reached the edge of the warpcell whereupon the disk of the cityscape had ended. Beyond it was a deep gap that couldn’t be traversed unless one flew over it or crossed an actual bridge to the mechanical gates that lead to the outside of the warpcell.

Of course, Yuki wouldn’t dare risk her life by exiting out into the dangerous vacuum of space while the warpcell literally warped across Elyiere – let alone within a mana climate like Snowlyn. Instead, she dropped into the gap and rotated half a turn before landing on the bottom side of the disk.

The bottom hemisphere was pretty much an identical reflection of the hemisphere on the flip side. Yuki continued forth and hopped up to the upper stratums of the mirror side until she was satisfied with her location. Hence, she stood over the edge of a leyline bridge where she could see everything beneath her with hawk-like awareness. Even then, she had let her guard down in a most spectacular manner.

For Charlotte was already at Yuki’s back.

“Lady Yuki.”

“HUWA!??! How’d y–”

Startled by Charlotte’s unexpected voice, Yuki had lost her foothold as she turned around in surprise. Calling her from behind had caught Yuki off guard and in a frenzy, she slipped off the edge of the leyline. She froze in mid-air before the artificial gravity of the disk began to exert itself on her body, panic blooming on her face. Incisively, Charlotte grabbed onto the arm of the snow-haired lass who was about to fall and holstered her back up to security.

“Be more aware, Lady Yuki. Let us return now.”

“Hngg… I don’t wanna!! And how did you get here so fast!?!”

“You simply didn’t detect the presence of myself, that is all there–”

–is to it.

“ –!?”

In shock, Charlotte bristled as if her own being was assaulted with devastation, thrown into mercurial chaos – the sheer might of which had forced Charlotte to astronomically heighten her own prowess to match. To fend off against the malignant deluge of mana that crawled up her spine, prickling her skin.

『Partial Release』

Unshackling the boundaries of her soul, Charlotte’s aura of mana flared up as she shielded herself and Yuki for the sake of ushering away the incessant surge of mana that would otherwise crush herself and her young master.

The brevity of her voice was caught frozen in trepidation as a numinous presence made itself known. A disconcerting disturbance within Elyiere that rattled the mind – as if all sentiments of fear, consternation, and peril had become palpable and mired her senses in evident distress.

“Hm? Charlotte, what’s–”

–wrong?

Yuki didn’t have to ask any further. Yuki herself saw a sight for which Charlotte’s eyes could not. Witnessing an awry reality manifest itself before her, the sight confused Yuki.

For what appeared to be a ceiling overhead was cleanly pared away in an instant. A veil of darkness spilled inside as her eyes widened in disbelief once she understood its aberrant nature. For Yuki hadn’t perceived what curtailed the vessel’s shell a single moment earlier.

The perforation of the sky was accompanied by a jolting shock, potent enough to bifurcate the warpcell asunder. In no less than a transient second, the extirpated warpcell had scuppered through deep layers of floes of unparalleled scale. All personnel on board had braced for multiple bone-shattering impacts as flakes of broken matter knocked against the air each time, scattering in all directions.

The only reason why the warpcell hadn’t crumbled in its entirety to nothingness was because its spatial domain was still intact. It just barely held the spaceship’s infrastructure together as something half functional. But even such diminutive fidelity had withered away the next instant as the dilapidated warpship thoroughly succumbed to its death.

Like the darkness of ink, a fluid began to inundate the torn-apart insides from the openings above. It was a cyclical skyline of impending disaster.

“H…uh… what’s…?!”

“Cursed Water!? All Lumen mages, cast 『Purification』!!”

“Quick, set up a 『Void Seal』!!”

A grand unison of Guardian mages assembled once they became aware of the unforeseen contingency. Raising their own spirits in the same manner as Charlotte, they poured their mana into casting multiple series of magical rites, counteracting the waterfall of destruction.

“『Graphene Membrane』.”

Following up with additional support was Charlotte, adding her own spell as another layer to the defence in hopes of attenuating the viscous fluid. Her mesh netting of graphene latched onto the furthest edges of the dome whilst it formed an unassailable gap in symbiosis with the high-class magical rites where the Cursed Water couldn’t encounter.

Over time, her membrane began to wear away from the fluid’s cursed mana. Soon, the net fell apart as Charlotte struggled to keep up her spell. Once it was fully broken, she tried attempting once more but was stopped.

“Charlotte, there's no point in contending against it. We’re up against the Cocytus.”

“Mama!?!”

“The Cocytus of Snowyln!? Milady, you mean the beast of legends…?”

“It’s a matter of fact. I can’t think of anything else that could release such magical pressure. Though, to think we'd be fated to such an untimely meeting with the beast itself.”

“Milady, I doubt we have any chance of winning against it, so I suggest–”

“Running away, huh? Take Yuki while you still can as we try to buy time. You must keep her safe no matter what, Charlotte.”

“Y-yes! Understood!”

「There was simply no other alternative. Yuki had to be saved at all costs. Because Yuki was…」

-════════════════-

“『Eis Glacia』!”

Conjured forth was a wave of glaciation. A vein of pure ice had frosted the colossal downpour. But to no avail, the raging vortex of mana continued to descend from where the ice had not promulgated.

“That cursed water is the Cocytus’ Mana Domain! Keep it away from getting any closer at all costs!”

““Hai!!!””

“Now then, I suppose I should go and introduce myself to the rogue spirit.”

“Kaito, I'll come with you.”

「Translocating beside my husband, I heard an earful of a ridiculous proclamation. Where does this idiot get off thinking “I suppose I should go and introduce myself”? The Cocytus isn’t some beast one should be taking lightheartedly. I would’ve rebuked him if not for the severity of the situation.

Kaito is our only hope at survival whilst he wields the Eis Qrysta – a Seraphal-tier Lyxion.」

“H-hey hold on Eri, we're talking about the Cocytus, you know? Even I might not be able to handle it... you sure about letting Yuki and Charlotte go alone?”

“Of course, I am. Right now, our main priority is making sure Yuki escapes alive. Even if I left with her, no one here except you would even have a sliver of a chance against Cocytus, let alone stopping it in its path. Don’t go dying all too quickly.”

“Alright, alright. Then we’ll have to make sure we get out of this alive to see Yuki once more! Isn’t that so? But I do need to ask, how do we even begin to fight back against it??”

-════════════════-

“ –!? Miss Charlotte!!! What's going on!?”

“Don’t worry, milady. We only happened to encounter a fairly vicious beast on our way to Heian... We're just having trouble fighting against it... Haha...”

「‘Fairly vicious’ I say... putting it so euphemistically, I couldn’t help but laugh despairingly.」

“No! You’re lying!!! Mama! Papa!! T-they won’t su...survi-vive against s-such a th...thing!! It’s t-t-too powerful!!”

「She might be right there... That insuperable beast, no, that thing is not something a mere mortal could ever hope to defeat.」

“Lady Yuki, please believe in your parents.”

「Having already fled for a few warpexes, I could still feel the Cocytus' malevolence from such a vast distance as if it were up close and personal. Wait, I could… still feel it…?」

“They’ll definitely prevail agai– hk~!!?

「I couldn’t believe it. Shivers ran down my spine as I witnessed the Cocytus’ Mana Domain expanding faster than I could translocate.

Escaping from the beast's grasp is now impossible. We’d be blessed by Elyiere if a wormhole opened up right about now.」

“『Graphene Icosahedron』!”

「A perfect enclosement of triangles agglutinated around both myself and Lady Yuki, blocking the ever-expanding sphere which was more like a wall of water zooming closer to crush everything in its wake. It finally caught up and it was raring in all its might to drown us.

The two of us will die at this rate.」

“No, no, no… we can’t die… we just can’t… Are we really–“

“Lady Yuki… neither of us will die. We’ll just have to wait till–”

“L-lies… they won’t be able to beat it. It’s too strong… but I promised them… Sora, Elder Sister, everyone… that we’d see each other again…”

「It can’t be… An emblem of mandalas lit up Lady Yuki’s chest. Is she trying to break the memory seal…? What a futile stru–.」

“DAMN IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WON’T DIE FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!!!!!”

Crack.

“ –!?”

「Impos–」

“『CELESTIAL BRE– GUH?!”

“Lady Yuki!! Do not waste your mana!”

「I may never get the chance to apologise to the young lady for caving in her stomach. To think she’d break the seal at the last minute… I don’t know what miracle had brought about this silver lining, but at least for now…

…there’s hope.」

“Ack… kuh! N-n…o… what… are y…ou–”

“If Lady Yuki runs away now, I’m sure you'll be able to outrun the Cocytus’ Mana Domain. This is farewell, Yuki. 『Luxon Shot』.”

“Mis– ...ch............RL........O...”

「Encased in an orb that glistened in purity, it shall protect Lady Yuki from all dangers till she is safe. I heightened my concentration as time reduced to a fraction of what it should be. I will even weave a rite imbued with my mana which will keep protecting her even if I were to die.

Once I released my state of Ascension, the orb pierced the murky heavens of Snowlyn to a settlement which I could only pray will shelter her.」

“In the end, we won’t make it... Who would have thought that their familiars really existed... ahaha... hahaha…”

A truly dry and rueful laugh. Within incessant blizzards, her eyes were shut as Charlotte equanimously resigned to her fate.

『Let it be known, the coldness of death.』

The ethereal voice of a spirit spoke its will and it became a manifested denouement. Within the primordial winters of Snowlyn, the frozen winds piled up deep within the snow yet another inopportune tragedy.

Hidden from the knowledge of the heaven’s that sought not such stagnance in this world.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

「At another time it was meant to be, but such a time never came to be. For what it was worth, to us, it was the last time we had conversed with Yuki for quite some time.」

16th of Undyst, Year 725 of 727,237rd millenia of the 120th eon of the Prystian Era.

「Almost a month has passed after Kaito-ojisan, Eri-obsama and Yuki left Vynexia for the Heian Cosmos along with a handful of Guardians and Servants including Miss Charlotte.

Within two weeks, they should have arrived at Aokiri and from there, Kaito-ojisan's ensemble would have continued their intercosmic itinerary. Their destination being the Celestial Capital.

Yuki was supposed to contact us once more as soon as they alighted at Aokiri.

However, it's been 12 days since Yuki had last been in contact. Exactly 27 days have passed since they departed. I've started to wonder if something serious occurred.

Serious enough that all communications had broken down between our Rings.」

“Ne~ ~, Older Sister... it’s almost been two weeks since we’ve heard anything from Yuki! What’s happening on the other side??”

“I know no more than what you know. In fact, I'd like to know as much as you do. But you know how it is. Not even your father, the head of Amamiya, knows of their current situation. There’s been no updates from anyone within Heian.”

“Ummm... can you ask my father one more time??? He might have found out something by now!”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“No way! Not in a million years!”

“It can’t be helped then. I wouldn’t be able to face your father. Oh well, look at time. Right now, you need to be worrying about going to sleep. We can worry about what’s happening tomorrow.”

“Nnn... alright. I'll be back tomorrow then.”

“I'll be waiting.”

-════════════════-

Pushing those thoughts aside, Sora would patiently wait for his star to rise the next day without prying into matters any further.

He curved around the surface of Sakuya’s mid-sized planet to the leyline situated which connected her home to all else within the network of leylines amongst the voids, linked with a plethora of latently visible lines extending out beyond the galaxies like invisible spider webs.

Pouring his mana into a bubble of mana known as a leyline point, the geodesics of space glided him along at superluminal speeds across the Inner Sanctum in a motion not so different from a conveyor belt.

He warped away by boarding the leylines designated within the Inner Sanctum. If leylines were like pedestrian pathways, then a transfer point would be more like a personal bus stop.

Flying through the conduit of space, he reached his own dwelling among the stars. Sora disengaged from the leyline that shot across the star system and descended down onto the umbra side of the planet.

Floating isles walked among the clouds above the telluric planet, defying gravity in all possible ways. But it was not such an outlandish scene to witness – for mana could bring forth even the most impossible of phenomena to the forefront of reality.

“9 o’clock huh?”

On his wrist was the Ring: a plain, lustrous circlet that shone a silvery colour and worn like a band. It enabled the wearer to have access to the magically interconnected network that stretched all across the cosmos of Vynexia – a technology far more advanced than virtual reality, both holographic and embedded into the mind. Verily, it was the quintessential height of mana technology that has been perfected by the magic races littered across The Four Cosmos–

–though, it’s rather commonplace…

Sora willed a holographic analogue clock into existence by using the Ring with his mana that surprisingly appeared in a 24-hour format.

But it was only in 24 hours.

Sending a wave of mana that traversed to all corners of the globe, he suspended himself in the atmosphere without a care in the world. Pulled towards him by a potent, invisible force was an island accommodating what seemed like an empyreal palace. Advertently, Sora let himself be embraced by nature’s hand as he plummeted to the heart of the palace – a wide open canopy above a king-sized bed that was truly befitting of a stature worth a castle.

Splayed atop the feathery soft bed without a sound, the blanket superposed on the mattress leapt up ever so slightly, before Sora tucked himself under it, and thought once more about how he would sink into the soporific world beyond his consciousness.

Closing his eyes, shut out from the canopy of stars to optical darkness, Sora's conscience was immediately cut from the physical world.

Asleep.

【 12 o'clock 】

Midnight.

The quotidian hour of darkness had struck Elyiere. It was Sora's eighth birthday starting from this very locus of time.

As of this moment–

–the seal that barricaded the memories of his past life… would finally be lifted.

‏‏‎ ‎

‏‏‎ ‎

‏‏‎ ‎

‏‏‎ ‎

‏‏‎ ‎

꧁꧂