Before I knew it, the finals had come and gone in what felt like the blink of an eye. The week had passed so quickly and without issue that I could hardly believe it when I was able to sleep in, welcoming the sweet warmth of my bed sheets for just an hour more.

But, while I had been long since finished with the tasks put upon me for my finals, Tulip was still working away at hers.

Really, it was only her exhausted expression every day when she eventually returned to our room that I could see the difference in the number of classes we had.

Today was no different than any other, I sat alone in our room with my gaze turned out towards the window. There, far in the distance I could see the distant ocean, I could even see the slowly forming spec that was Arcadia.

I could see how the city was shaped from this distance, the reaching tendrils that grasped out for the land away from the ocean. The majority of the city was almost in a teardrop shape thanks to how it was built upon the archipelago; several separate layers existed within the city at that. The layers varied from homes to manors, shops and businesses all finding whatever spot they possibly could within the city.

It was quickly approaching evening, the lights in the streets looking like thousands of veins which pulsed life throughout the capital. I couldn't see any people, we were much too far away to make out that, but I could see the signs of harvest within the fields that reached out seemingly endlessly between Arcadia and Ferilis.

The door clicked open behind me, drawing my gaze away from the cityscape and towards the exhausted figure of Tulip as she stepped in. Her eyes looked dreary, her hair sticking to her frame while blotches of ink stained her face and hands. Her rubellite eyes met my gaze, softening into a rather calm expression.

"Long day?" I asked softly.

"Very," She answered with a heavy sigh. Tulip reached for the buttons holding her top together, loosening a few so that her midsection wasn't being held nearly as tight as a corset. With a soft huff she fell into one of the padded chairs, her head leaning back. "Economics finals are done… Which means all of mine are finally done." She looked around as she finished, groaning a before she asked:

"Could you bring me my brushes? My hair feels awful…" She looked at me with pleading eyes—For a moment I debated saying no, just to tease her a little, but with a shrug I stood up.

"How about I clean it up for you?—We are back in the dorm now." I tried to sound reassuring as I grabbed the bag, noting how Tulip visibly stiffened. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who remembered what she had said while we were in Ferilis.

Things had certainly been a little awkward between the two of us since the ball. I just wasn't sure how I felt about anything, I wasn't even sure why I had such a bad reaction to being in that crowd—It had just felt like every emotion was hitting me at once there.

"Sure…" Tulip said, sounding a little uncertain as she shifted her seat. She turned it to the side, allowing me to pull another chair up behind her. I set the bag of brushes down on the table as I sat, starting by pulling Tulip's hair over the back of the chair.

Her hair was much longer than mine when it wasn't done up in one of her braids. It cast nearly all the way down to her mid back when I pulled the braid undone, with a small handful of hair I grabbed a brush and began to make even strokes throughout it.

"Probably won't be as nice as what you do…" I muttered, despite that Tulip let her head lean back as she relaxed.

"So… You wanted to hear a bit about my dad?…" Tulip asked, her voice filled with hesitation that I could feel wafting off of her in waves of anxiety.

"Or just your family—I want to know why you can't tell me things, but…" I trailed off, biting my lip as I paused to think for a moment. My brush strokes still remained even, gently pulling the knots out of Tulip's hair until I continued; "I get it if there's things you don't want to say, or can't."

Silence followed my words, one which was only broken up by the marginal wooshing noises of the brush running through Tulip's hair.

"Father's magic…" Tulip began, her hands quickly opening and closing almost like she was flexing her fingers. "Father's magic works only within truths. He can choose the truth, if he is focused. I can't say much more, because if one of his 'Truths' are broken, he knows." Tulip spoke quickly, the tension in her shoulders rising with each word until it released all at once with a sigh.

"So my father?…" I asked hesitantly.

"One of his truths. One which I don't know the answer to," Tulip answered. "It… Might be why you don't remember things too." She added, sounding rather uncertain of herself.

This time it was my turn to fall silent as my motions continued—It was convenient, because I found a particular knot in her hair where the base of the braid had been. That knot made a pleasant excuse to stay silent as I thought about what that answer meant.

"What do I get if I win?" I asked as the brush finally took a single, smooth stroke through the knot.

"Huh?" Tulip asked, her head turning slightly as if to look at me.

"If I beat Kendrick, what do I get?" I asked, my voice taking on a much firmer tone.

"Nothing that can help you, Kirin. Father wouldn't give those back, even if it was part of a deal for winning," Tulip's voice was filled with all of the sorrow I could feel, aching down to my bones. "But, you're having those dreams, right? There's always a chance that as you get stronger his magic will get weaker on you." Tulip offered, her tone sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than me.

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I held a breath in, one which desperately wanted to escape as a disheartened sigh. I wanted to know why, why they had to go through something so extreme—Something to the point of erasing an idea, yet keeping hatred. What was the purpose of it? Obviously, no one knew that answer, or, if anyone did, they didn't deign to tell me.

"If I have to become stronger than anyone else before, just to reclaim what was stolen from me? Then I'll do it," I finally broke the silence, determination filling my voice as I did.

"Keep saying that and it just might come true." Tulip said, a single hand raising to cover her soft giggle.

"Maybe I'll just go and scream it during that fight." I smiled a little at the thought—I knew I wouldn't commit to something that obscene, but it was certainly an amusing thought.

A comfortable silence filled the room, sitting with just enough of a presence to let a soft smile rest on my face. Curiosity however wasn't so easily tamed, especially not when Tulip was willing to speak of herself.

"What… What is your family like?" I decided to ask as I quickly approached the end of Tulip's hair.

"They're…" She began, thought heavy in her tone. "My mother was a great woman. But, she died pretty soon after giving birth to Poppy—My younger sister—So, it's just her and my father." Tulip's tone was somber, but she didn't sound anywhere near as closed off to this line of thought.

"You don't talk about your family much, huh?" I stated the obvious fact, to which Tulip just shrugged.

"What's there to talk about? It's no secret that my Father and I don't get along. Poppy is just young, she hasn't even joined in on political talks yet," Tulip sighed a little before continuing. "I miss mom, but I've had half my life to get used to that fact." Tulip fell silent, resting her head back while I continued my work.

It didn't take much longer for said work to be done, only a handful more passes needed to get her hair almost completely untangled.

"There, that should be everything," I declared, shifting back in my seat. "Want anything else?" I offered, a smile still resting on my face as I set the brush back into its place.

"Hmm, do you still have that pendant from the market?" Tulip asked, turning around in her seat to look at me.

"Yeah—" I said, blinking in surprise before pulling the pendant out of my ring. It fell lightly into my hands, still looking much the same, the image still remaining blank. "I've been checking it every few nights… But nothing has changed." I offered the pendant to her as I explained, dropping it into Tulip's proffered hand.

"Maybe if I…" Tulip muttered as she took it, her eyes closing as flickers of darkness shifted through the pendant. Its silver structure remained unchanged, yet I could see Tulip's mana surging throughout it.

"What are you doing?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as I did.

"I've learnt a few ways around Father's magic in my life…" Tulip said, her eyes still closed in focus.

She continued on like this for several minutes, her brows furrowing in focus as shadows grew more and less intense in waves. Only once she opened her eyes, offering the pendant back towards me with a smile did I move.

"Try it now—I don't know if anything will have changed, but, maybe." Tulip certainly didn't sound confident in herself, but as I took the pendant I flashed her a smile.

"I mean, you tried. That's more than I've ever grown to expect from people, so even if it's still nothing, thanks all the same." My words brought a smile to Tulip's face, one which grew a little wider when I shifted my seat. By the time I was finished we sat side-by-side, Tulip comfortably able to look over my shoulder and at the closed pendant in my grip.

With a soft inhale, I closed my eyes. It took only a few moments to find the flow of mana, a few moments after that I was able to pull the vestige strings away from my body and into the pendant—Nothing felt different this time, it felt the exact same as it had every other time I'd bothered to look at it.

Only once I opened my eyes did I see vestiges of differences. Shadows clung to the silver metal, framing it like the night sky painting the background around a star. Blue specs of magic tried to pierce through the veil of shadows, yet they bounced back like oil dropped upon water.

"Is that?..." I began, my voice shaking with anticipation while my free hand reached out.

"It is," Tulip said, her smile widening with some satisfaction in her voice. "Happy birthday, Kirin."

My breath hitched in my throat from Tulip's words. It really was that time of year again—Probably a day or two off, but… It has been nearly a year since my life changed. A year since I first awoke my magic, a year since I was given a chance to live.

With a shaking hand, I reached forwards towards the tiny latch upon the pendant. That single latch, protecting its secrets like a horde, I pressed softly.

"Don't expect too much…" I had to tell myself, my heart pounding as I stared at the pendant. I felt scared to open it, scared that I'd be disappointed, scared that I might not like what I see behind it.

"Open." Akemi's soft voice reached my ears. She looked up from where she lay on my bed, her trio of tails shifting around while her gaze locked onto me—Even she sounded hopeful, in her own blunt way.

"Go on." Tulip urged softly.

I had to let out a long, steadying breath before I could begin. My shaking hand reached out, hooking underneath the latch to flip it open. Tears reached my eyes before the picture could even fully register.

Through blurred vision I was already making out the soft pink hair, the soft expression, the genuine love in her face. My heart ached, it ached so mournfully for something I could never hold dear, something I would never be able to reach.

Even if I had never seen her face, I knew without a doubt, my mother was reflected upon the pendant.

Her face was so similar to mine, the soft, curved features with only a slightly angular chin. I even had her eyes, a deep, blood red. Her hair was different, a soft pink that if made several shades lighter could have reached my silver.

But there she was, my mother, in all of her glory. As my eyes traveled, leaving behind her face and fancily clothed body, I noticed the text etched into the bottom.

"Is that?…" Tulip asked, her voice filled with soft disbelief.

"My mother… I know it is," I said with confidence in my shaking voice. I raised the back of my hand to my teary eyes, wiping the droplets to clear my vision. "What does that say at the bottom?…" I wondered aloud as I brought the pendant up closer to my face.

Tulip gasped as she leant over, her body growing stiff and eyes snapping wide when she read the text. I very nearly had the same reaction, my jaw growing a little slack when I read it.

"Lady Empyrean, Hibiscus Berna."

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