Yuriko opened her eyes and blinked in confusion as the morning sun shone through the windows of her bedroom. She was in her bed, of course, clad in a sheer nightgown and tangled in her sweat-soaked blankets.

What in Chaos?

She distinctly remembered leaving last night to go to the Palace with her cousin. She was sure she left the mansion. They had a chauffeur bring them to the Palace Quarter on a landcrafter, and she remembered using the lanes to speed their travel across the giant space. When they arrived at the Dome, they had to climb a long spiralling stairway up several storeys before they could even enter, and when they did, it was to a strange, confusing maze filled with mirrors, mists, and floating pillars.

The two of them must have walked for hours without meeting anyone, but Miya didn’t seem worried. In fact, from her cousin’s blank expression, she wasn’t sure if the girl could feel anything. Her attempts at talking and prodding were met with silence and apathy.

Finally, after some time, she heard a voice call them. She didn’t remember the words at all, and she had the vaguest impression of the voice. It was low and sultry, but that was about it. And then…nothing. She woke up. Here.

How? What happened?

Her thoughts whirled and went round and round in circles even as she tried to recall every detail she could from the brief meeting. She was sure she heard the Progenitor, and she was sure that the voice felt familiar, but for the life of her, she couldn’t quite place why.

How did she get back here? The Dome was leagues away from the city manor and someone must have carried her here. It couldn’t have been Miya. Her cousin fainted even before she did. Could it have been the Shadow Guards Miya spoke of?

Eyes widening in realisation, she flared her Anima as far as it would go, trying to sense the hidden with her light. She caught a glimpse of shadow at the edge of her perception range, a slender hand with a finger pointing towards the side table. Directly at a piece of paper weighed down by a gold crown.

The coin was worth ten thousand Sovereigns, and someone used it as a paperweight?

Her perception with her Anima was acute enough that she could read the words written, even if the paper had been folded in half with the writing concealed within.

“Permission granted.”

Yuriko struggled out of her bed, reaching for the paper before she remembered that she didn’t actually have to move to pick it up. An Anima hand did it for her, carrying both the strip and the coin. Nothing else was written on the strip, and except for the elegant calligraphy, nothing else marked it.

The Shadow Guard remained elusive though, and she wasn’t sure she liked anyone hiding in her room. However, since she couldn’t really do anything about it, she just pushed it to the back of her mind. If they could not hide while within the light of her Anima, then all she needed to do to make sure she was safe was to keep it flared and to expand its reach.

No, no. There were more important things.

She had permission? Somehow, the words offended her. It was her life, she should be able to come and go as she wished. A moment later, she shook her head and wondered at her own turbulent emotions. Well, the important thing was to get going. She had to catch her cousins before they left Realmheart.

Her gear and clothes were already ready. She threw on her new clothes, the grey overcoat over a snow-white long-sleeved button-down shirt with ruffles along the neckline, tight-fitting trousers that hugged every curve of her legs, stockings, and her new hiking boots. All of it was of forceweave and along with the runescript weaving should be able to last her a long while. The coat was absent of any insignia, and was honestly a bit warm for the current weather, but who knew what the temperature would be like in the Chaos Sea. Well, she kept it open for now.

It hung almost to the back of her knees, but the upper part adjusted to fit tightly over her torso. It was stretchy enough not to restrict her movements though. Hmmm, she felt like she forgot something…

Ah, yes. Weapons.

Her side-blade had not been replaced, so she had to make do with a combat knife and a Plasma Lancet. Come to think of it, since her Anima could now manipulate objects and not just repel them, maybe she could have more than a single Lancet and fire them at the same time? Something to think of, anyway.

Or maybe you could just grab a pebble and throw it real hard?

‘Maybe,’ she thought.

Anyway, she wasn’t leaving without a Plasma Caster though, even if she wouldn’t use it for anything other than deterrence. Her swordsmanship had far outstripped her marksmanship at this point, but that wasn’t something she was willing to give up on. And with her expanded Animus reserves she could afford to be wasteful to train.

The problem was, she didn’t have a Plasma Caster. The last one she used had been borrowed from the Ebon Horizon. Miya said that the Mishala Clan didn’t use something so crude. Ah well.

The gold crown flipped to her hand. Maybe she could just buy one? Not here in Realmheart though.

She was finally ready after she pocketed the permission strip. She did a quick check on her toiletries and made sure that the canister of Ambrosia was secure in her hip satchel. Then she grabbed a royal blue ribbon, still made of forceweave, and used it to fix her hair into her usual ponytail.

Ryoko gazed at her with a pout outside her room. “Where are you going, young mistress?”

“Er, out,” Yuriko muttered.

Ryoko nodded, then sighed. “I wish to accompany the young mistress.”

“Uhm, why?”

“You won’t be back here for a while, won’t you? You’ll need an attendant to take care of your needs.”

“Uh, I guess. But I have to leave now.”

“No worries, young mistress, I’m ready.”

Ryoko pulled out a pack and slung it over her shoulders. For that matter, the older woman wasn’t dressed in her uniform but in a more casual blouse and skirt.

“Er, alright.” Yuriko sighed. “Uhm, is Miya in her room?”

“I think I saw her staggering to breakfast.”

“Oh,”

“Would you like some before we go?”

“Ye…no, I shouldn’t.” Yuriko sighed. “I don’t know what time my cousins leave.”

“I see. I’ll have some sandwiches made while the landcrafter is readied.”

“Er…”

“To reach the Sunset Quadrant we’ll have to take the Sky Tram, don’t we?” Ryoko grinned. “I have the schedule. Even if we leave now, we’ll have to wait nearly half an hour before the next one leaves. We have time.”

“Oh, alright.”

And that was how ten minutes later, the two of them were in the landcrafter being chauffeured to the Sky Tram Tower while eating a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches. And nearly half an hour later, well before midmorning, the two of them boarded the Sky Tram, and in another few minutes, were well on their way to the Sunset Gate.

________

“She didn’t even say goodbye,” Finan said morosely as he stared at the images projected on the crystal screen.

It was of Yuriko and her attendant boarding the Sky Tram, and there was a resolute look on her face. There were some changes, too, he thought. Her posture and demeanour were that of supreme confidence, which was a bit different from her usual. She’d always been confident, but there had been something that drew her worried thoughts.

There was none of that now.

“What do you expect?” Draknon Filus Garderon snorted. “You didn’t even attend her Presentation.”

“I didn’t want to give it away,” he sighed.

“Ah, yes. That little quirk of yours,” his other companion, Aerda Noel Leon grunted. “Everyone knows who you are, Fin, even if they pretend they don’t.”

“She didn’t.”

“That’s ‘cause young lady Mishala’s a bit of an airhead.”

Finan snorted, “Yeah, a bit. Quite endearing though.”

“Admit it, you just like winning at Shatran,” Drak grunted.

“Considering neither of the two of you is a match for me, I’d say there’s nothing wrong with that,” Finan glared.

The other two burst out laughing but then quieted down when the steward entered the room. He gave a low bow to Finan then gestured to the doors. Finan sighed and entered, eyes widening as he saw who exactly was in the throne room. There was his mother, of course, or rather, just her projection. Her real body was elsewhere. Mother wasn’t on the throne though but seated on a comfy armchair while another woman sat across the table from her. The woman had long tawny hair with feline ears sticking out from the top.

Finan hurriedly averted his eyes before the Mishala Progenitor’s Mien could turn him into a mindless zealot.

“Ah, my son,” the Verdant Empress said when he entered.

“Good afternoon, mother,” Finan said as he bowed low.

He was the 29th Pia’Vasi, the youngest of the lot. The 28th was older than he by nearly nine decades while most of the others had already succumbed to the relentless passage of time. There were eight of them left, with the other seven ruling the core planes in their mother’s stead.

“As expected, your descendant chose to flee,” she said to the Mishala Matriarch.

“What would you expect?” The other woman snorted. “A few weeks doesn’t make bosom friends. I don’t think little Yuriko even knew his real identity.”

Mother shrugged. “Well, what say you, child? Will you go after your bride and bring her back?”

“I’d like to go, Mother, but not to force her back here,” Finan said after a long, drawn out breath. “I have been dishonest with her and I’d like to remedy that. And, if given the chance, I would like to court her.”

“Strange choice, young one. You could already claim her,” the Mishala Matriarch chuckled. “I see you’d prefer something longer lasting than momentary pleasure.”

Finan flushed but kept his face even. “Yes, I would.”

“Well, it’s your choice. Bertrand didn’t have the courage to pursue Sadeen and even now regrets it.”

Finan bowed. “I have your permission?” He directed the question to both women.

“Yes, well, you’d have to ask her yourself. The pact between our clans does not include what you want.”

“You may go, child,” Mother said airily, “but don’t forget to continue your education. Make sure your entourage contains suitable people.”

“Yes, Mother,” Finan murmured. He gave another bow to the Mishala Matriarch, backed up a dozen steps before he spun on his heels and left the chamber.

Once he was in the antechamber, he said to Drak and Aerda, “Pack your things. We’re going.”

Drak guffawed while Aerda just shook his head and sighed.

_____

“Feisty young lad, isn’t he?” Misha murmured while Vietlanna, the Verdant Empress shrugged.

“Ah, youth,” she chuckled.

“You’re such a voyeur,” Misha complained while she sipped her tea. Even though this body was only a projection, her tongue still worked.

“You’re one to talk.” Vietlanna rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I’m not the one harvesting her own bloodline.”

“Instead you pimp out your girls,” the Empress sneered.

“Hmmph!” Both of them snorted at the same time.

“You love living vicariously, don’t you?” Misha said after a while. So did she, for that matter, but she wasn’t locked in Realmheart.

“It’s a break from my labours.”

“Ah. Hmm, on an interesting note, you wouldn’t believe who came waltzing into the Dome last night.”

“Hmmm?”

“An old friend tangled up in the Threads of Fate. He tried so hard to escape but his sins have caught up to him.” Misha chuckled.

“Which one is that?”

“Hie hie! I won’t tell you. Take a guess!”

“Misha!!!”

The Empress Ellana’s, plaintive tone would have shocked any of her subjects, and would have ruined her ice cold reputation, but Misha only laughed harder.