Niamh fiddled with her pen while watching Marron out of the corner of her eye. The junior officers’ office block faced the west, giving them a lovely view of the Tidelands and the multi-hued atmosphere above the line. She’d always loved looking at it, despite the danger it represented.

Rumiga City, where she was born and where her family was based, didn’t have a Tidelands but it did have the Passage that led to Delovine. The Passage was much narrower, of course. The Watchtower guarded over five leagues of the Tidelands and beyond that stretch was the thick planar barrier that protected Rumiga from the ravaging Chaos Sea. The barrier wasn’t so much a solid wall but a buffer area that slowly led to the Chaos. One can only leave Rumiga through the barriers but one cannot enter. Not that it was safe to exit that way in any case.

The Passage was less than a longstride wide and to traverse it safely, one had to have an incredibly strong Field, at least Knight-Captain level, or ride on an Ark. The Rumiga Passage wasn’t the only one in the plane, by any means, nor was the Faron Tidelands the only one of its kind here. No, it was merely these two that were controlled by the Empire. One led to the rest of its territories and the other was a fount of wealth. The latter led to danger, too, but there was no fortune without risk.

Marron was busily scribbling on papers and, every now and then, he sent out a messenger crane. The enchanted paper flew out of the room through a small opening above the door, just the right size for the cranes to fly in and out.

The messenger cranes were her work, at least those used in the Watchtower. It had been her major in Sharom Academy, one of the Imperial Academies in Rumiga City. Rune Scrivener. She etched patterns on the paper using a mixture of powdered white jade, rare earths, and ink, which basically gave the cranes the ability to fly and seek out the correct recipients.

“Why is your sister so beautiful and you look like...that?” she asked idly.

Marron’s hand froze and he glared daggers at her while she smiled innocently.

“Serious question!” she continued in a singsong voice.

Marron sighed. “I get asked that often enough.”

“Oh, stop pouting, you’re not bad-looking yourself,” Niamh grinned, “just that when you two are next to each other, I wonder if you’re really siblings.”

“Yuriko looks like Mum. About the only thing she got from Da is her height. I think. Well, she’s as stubborn as the rest of us too.”

“Hu-hmmm. That doesn’t answer my question. You should have inherited at least some of your mum’s looks too. Not that Knight-Captain Virgil isn’t handsome or anything like that. Ehehe.”

“How would I know? That’s just how our Heritage went. That’s also why I thought it would be impossible for her to receive the Davar Heritage since she took after mum. But it didn’t look like she got the Mishala Heritage either. It's quite a fascinating mystery, having a throwback Heritage like that.”

“Well, that’s actually not that uncommon,” Niamh said while spinning her pen around her fingers. “In the city, there’s a lot of unknown Heritages, about one in five, maybe one in six, receive one that isn’t their parents’. Might be their grandparents’ Heritage or even further back.”

“Right, it’ll help to identify it after she inlays her Facet. Then we can ask the Ministry to help us trace it.”

“Is she still having trouble?”

“I believe so. It’s been three weeks since the Ritual.”

“Don’t worry, that’s not the longest on record. I think someone took almost a year to finish their initial inlay back then.”

“Yes, but that child had always been slow.”

“Don’t worry so much. Everybody figures out how to inlay their first Facet sooner or later. The Ritual practically guarantees it.”

“I hope you’re right.” Marron returned to his writing, looking completely serious.

Niamh kept staring at him, sometimes directly, at other times out of the corners of her eyes. Marron was quite tall, about the same height as his father, which meant Niamh reached only up to his neck. He was quite muscular, not in a vein-bulging way, and the militia uniform hid most of it from sight. His body had a nice V shape, which she found rather mouthwatering. He cut quite the masculine figure and when he activated his Facet, his eyes glowed an ethereal shade of purple. Niamh shivered and bit her lip.

“Is it cold?” Marron asked her with a frown.

“No, it’s nothing,” Niamh sighed.

The problem was that Marron was so focused on his duties that he barely thought of anything else.

“Ancestors!” Marron cursed as he perused another report. He jumped to his feet and started for the door.

“Hey, wait!” Niamh called out.

“Come on!” He held the door open for her while she hurriedly slipped on her shoes. “Where are we going?”

“To the instructor’s lounge.”

“Wait!”

Marron’s stride was long enough and, even when he was just walking, Niamh needed to hurry to keep pace. Now that he was hurrying, she could barely keep up. The long hallways weren’t doing her any favours either.

Marron glanced back and saw her panting so he mercifully slowed down. But a minute later, he was rushing again. By the time they were at the lounge, her undershirt was soaked with sweat.

“Armsmaster!” Marron yelled as he burst inside.

“Wha-?” Armsmaster Byrne, Leader Yoran, and even Spellweaver Merill were drinking tea inside.

“Team Leader Davar. What brings you here?” Company Leader Yoran asked while giving him a censorious look.

“Forgive my intrusion but I have a grave concern.”

“What is it, Marron? You need not be formal here,” Armsmaster said, after making a placating gesture to Leader Yoran.

“I’ve received a report that the Wyldling Wave is imminent. At least within the week.”

“I understand that. We received the same report. What is your point?”

“I request that you postpone tomorrow’s field trials. It could be dangerous for the Novices.”

Byrne crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “No, I don’t think they will be in much danger. The field trials will be held in the Shillogu Woods up north. That’s more than five leagues away. It’s not within the danger zone.”

Niamh could see Marron holding in his frustration. “No, sir, I still feel that it would be dangerous.”

“Do you have any evidence that would substantiate your feelings?” Leader Yoran asked.

“I’m afraid not, ma’am. Just an ill feeling.”

“Hmm, well, we cannot cancel the trials just on the say-so of a junior officer. But your protests are noted.”

Niamh watched Marron’s face twist with frustration but he took a moment to compose himself.

“Do not worry, even if the Wave reaches Shillogu, it wouldn’t be enough to threaten them. The outpost there is good enough to hold off any number of swarmlings that might appear.” Leader Yoran said.

“Please take good care of them,” Marron said before he gave a salute and left. Niamh didn’t leave with him though, Armsmaster looked at her and raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Do you mind revealing how the teams were formed?” Niamh asked.

“Why would you want to know? You want to volunteer as a minder?” Armsmaster smiled, “You’re Facet isn’t suited for sneaking around, Miss Randall.”

“I'm just concerned about Marron’s sister,” Niamh blushed. “Marron said she hasn’t even inlaid yet.”

“Ah, well, I wouldn’t worry about her. She is skilled enough in the basics that she won’t be a burden to her team. She’s also a good enough marksman, even if her Facet isn’t specialised.”

“Really? What are her stats?”

“She had over ninety-nine percent accuracy at two hundred paces. It takes her a bit longer to generate a bullet, around ten seconds, but that’s sufficient for a first strike. She has enough Animus to fire fifteen shots and still have half of her reserves. Her melee skill is good enough and as long as she works with a team, she will not be in much danger.”

“I see. Then I am relieved.”

“The teams for the cadets have already been decided. The list will be posted near their dormitory room tonight. You can just take a look then.”

“But I might be busy later. I’m sure Marron would like to know how they will be arranged, too. I’ll bring him a copy.”

Armsmaster gave her a sidelong glance, “It’s like that, huh?”

Niamh nodded with a smile. “It will be.”

“Well, I won’t stand against young love. Here.”

Armsmaster Byrne wrote down the names on a sheet of paper and handed it to Niamh. She looked at it immediately.

First Team :

Orrin Cael Foster Krystal Farrow Zorin Yuriko Mishala Davar Mikel Cypher Pike Heron Synka Muryh

She didn’t bother with the rest.

“Thank you Armsmaster.” She left after giving a salute.

‘Now where did Marron go?’ she thought idly. ‘I guess I’ll wait at the office instead. I still have to scribe more cranes.’

Back at her desk, she slowly ground an ink stick on her inkstone while adding a pinch of powdered white jade in the resulting liquid. She infused the inkstone with her Animus, quickening the process to incorporate the varied components in the ink.

She placed a sheet on her desk, securing the edges so it won’t flutter with each passing breeze. She dipped a thin brush into the ink and started drawing patterns on the paper. It took her only a minute to finish the sigils and when she was done, the paper folded itself into a crane. When she touched the head, it unfolded back into a completely blank, pristine sheet save for a thumbprint-sized mark on the upper right corner.

She had finished more than twenty cranes when Marron returned, still fuming.

“What is it this time?” she asked gently. None of the other junior officers in the office so much as looked at them though she could practically see their ears grow longer.

“Vice-Com won’t let me organize a search party,” he groused, “he won’t consider my request to move the cadet’s training activities either.”

“You went behind the instructors’ backs?”

“It’s my sister’s safety and my father’s. What do you think I should do? Just sit here and wait?”

“No, of course not. Hmm,” Niamh spun the brush on her fingers, forgetting the ink still on the bristles. Her sleeves were covered in streaks of ink before she noticed. “Ancestors.” She muttered. Purple Animus covered her sleeve, gathering the ink from the fabric, the droplets on the desk, and even on the bristles of her brush into a small black ball that hovered above her fingers. She dropped it into a glass vial, scooping up the remaining ink on the inkstone while she was at it.

“Since little sis Yuriko hasn’t inlaid her Facet, you can apply for an increased guard for her team. You can also do it if you want to.”

“No, I have my duties here.” Marron brow furrowed. “Ah, I know, I’ll ask…”

Thud, thud.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Niamh called.

The door opened to reveal exactly who they were talking about. Yuriko glanced curiously around before zeroing in on her brother.

Niamh frowned. There was something different about the girl, something that drew the eye of everyone in the room, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t Yuriko’s physical looks. There was a light that seemed to radiate from beneath her skin, covering her with a thin halo of sunlight. It was visible for less than an instant but Niamh caught it.

“Maru, I’ve succeeded,” Yuriko grinned as she approached his desk.

“In what?” Marron asked dumbly.

“I’ve inlaid my Facet!” Yuriko squealed.

A shadow crossed over Marron’s face before he grinned widely.

“That’s wonderful.” He jumped up, embraced his sister and whirled her around, despite the girl’s protests.

Niamh couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Marron was really uptight and seeing him loosen up like this was a treat.

“So what is it?” Marron asked after setting his sister down.

Yuriko’s grin faded and a troubled look appeared on her face. “That’s the thing. I’m not sure.”

“Eh?” Marron gasped, echoed by everyone who was eavesdropping.

Niamh frowned. This was a troublesome matter.