It was late morning, a few days after the ball. I stood outside the airship dock, the small one located just outside of the Valley of the Lost. It was a beautiful summer day. A few clouds floated in the sky above. The weather was perfect, just the right temperature. It helped that I wore casual and comfortable clothing instead of a typical House scion outfit.

All around me, House Sturm retainers hauled luggage up the airship dock and onto the House Sturm airship. The rest of my family and friends had already boarded the airship. The only exceptions were myself and Harvey, who stood next to me wearing his student robes.

"Are you sure this is all right?" He asked, nervous.

He looked up at the House Sturm airship with an uncertain expression on his face.

"As I told you yesterday, yes." I said, giving him a reassuring smile. "My father finished his preliminary investigation, and agreed to sponsor you on a probationary basis. He'll have people look deeper into your background, but unless they find something egregious, you're fine. Now come on. Don't you miss your family?"

In the days leading up to our departure from the Solarian Imperial Academy, I alternated between training and spending time with my friends, Harvey included. While Corrie proved abrasive, sometimes too abrasive, Lorelei's warm and welcoming nature more than made up for it. In time, Harvey grew more comfortable with us. Little by little, he started to become a part of our small group.

With luck, I'd be able to tell him about martial arts, Murim, and my plans for Clan Sturm sooner rather than later. After all, while Harvey was my friend, I also wanted him to work for me.

I also remembered to consult one of the Solarian Imperial Academy's professors, an expert on spirits, about Aurora's condition. However, this proved to be a waste of time. The professor was rude and condescending. Worst of all, she knew nothing useful. Both Aurora and I were disappointed by this.

At least Father finished his preliminary investigation into Harvey, so there was some good news. He had Trent Jeffers look into Harvey's life here at the Solarian Imperial Academy. Afterwards, he shared Trent's findings with me.

As expected, Harvey led a difficult life here at the academy. He endured bullying, humiliation, and ostracization. The other students also spread nasty rumors about him, which made his life even more difficult.

To my complete lack of surprise, Lady Daisy played a major role in all that. However, according to Father, she wasn't the mastermind behind it all. It turned out that she was following orders from another House scion, one from House Montgomery.

What if Lady Emmaline's attempt to humiliate me at the ball hadn't been random? Perhaps she, or her House rather, had an interest in Harvey as well. Maybe they wanted to recruit him. That would explain a few things. However, their interest must've been shallow, which was why Lady Emmaline's revenge amounted to nothing more than petty tricks. I mean, she never even approached me herself.

Regardless, Harvey himself was a diligent and hardworking student with a spotless record. Despite the bullying he endured, he maintained high scores and earned the top spot in both his grade and the entire academy. That was enough to convince Father to sponsor him, for now at least. He would need to look into Harvey's family and such before making the final decision.

When I heard this, I went up to Harvey and told him the good news. At first he didn't believe it. However, I managed to convince him in the end. He stood there for several moments with a stunned expression on his face. It took him a while to come to terms with it all.

After Harvey recovered his composure, I asked him if he wanted to come with us to Sunheart in order to visit his family. As expected, he demurred at first. However, now that House Sturm was sponsoring him, it wouldn't be unusual or inappropriate for him to come with us.

Besides, we needed to speak with his family to finalize the sponsorship. Harvey was underage. This meant we needed to secure his parents' permission. However, given the situation, I doubted they'd say no. And if they did, I'd find a way to convince them otherwise.

However, after packing his stuff and coming with us to the airship dock, Harvey got cold feet at the last second. I was beginning to see a pattern with him.

Despite my words, Harvey remained rooted to the spot.

"If you don't hurry up," I said in a faux angry tone, "I'll knock you out and drag you onto the airship myself."

Harvey gave me a skeptical look.

"Wouldn't that be kidnapping at that point?" He asked.

"Yes." I said. "So, prevent me from becoming a criminal and get on already."

That was enough to convince him. Harvey boarded the airship, with me right behind him. A little while later, the airship took off and we were on our way to Sunheart.

The journey to the imperial capital didn't take too long, just a few days, since it was located close to the Valley of the Lost. Along the way, Kaylee and I took it upon ourselves to teach Harvey etiquette. Now that he was a beneficiary of House Sturm, he could be considered half a member. He was similar to Lorelei in that regard.

Since sponsoring Harvey was my idea, I decided to teach him myself instead of leaving it to Mother. Kaylee offered to help, which I accepted. I mean, I saw no reason to decline. She was Harvey's schoolmate and when the autumn semester started, she would be the one to look after him. Letting the two get to know each other and bond seemed like a good idea.

Harvey proved himself a quick study. He learned the basics of etiquette in mere days. Unexpected, but not surprising given his intelligence. I believed that with enough time, Harvey would be able to pass himself off as a House scion. Well, except for the lack of mana.

Helping Harvey, in addition to my own training, kept me busy. Good thing too. We were heading to Sunheart to meet with Clan Thorne in order to discuss my engagement with Lady Annabelle, aka Anna. Whenever I thought about it too much, I started to get nervous. What if something went wrong? What if Anna's family didn't like me? What if Anna changed her mind?

These thoughts, as well as a whole host of other "What ifs…?" plagued me whenever I thought about the matter too much. Most of the time, I kept myself too busy to let this happen. However, there were a few times when I couldn't help myself.

When this occurred, I touched the choker that Anna gave me. It reassured me, like some kind of totem. I drew strength from it, and all my fears faded away.

No matter what happened in the future, Anna and I would face it together. As long as I remembered that, everything would work out just fine.

And so, that was how we spent our days until we arrived at Sunheart, the capital of the Solarian Empire.

It was late morning when the airship neared Sunheart. Everyone gathered in the dining room. It had a massive window that took up an entire wall, which gave everyone a great view of the landscape below the airship. The conditions were perfect too. The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight.

Father and Mother sat next to each other, off to the side. Meanwhile, the rest of us gathered in front of the window. Sunheart itself was quite the sight to behold, and none of us wanted to miss out on it.

For Lorelei and Corrie, this was their first time seeing the imperial capital. As for me, while I had visited Sunheart before, I hadn't seen it in over twenty five years. I looked forward to seeing how it compared to the city in my memories. Harvey lived outside of Sunheart, so it wasn't a new sight to him, but he had never seen it from the air before.

The only one who didn't seem excited was Kaylee. Instead, she wore a pensive expression on her face. She must've been thinking about the Sunheart from the First Timeline. I didn't know what happened to it, but I doubted it was anything good.

"Are you alright?" I asked her in a low voice.

Kaylee started, as if waking up from a daze, before turning towards me.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" She asked. "I was lost in thought."

I looked at her, worried.

"I said, are you alright?"

Kaylee gave me a reassuring smile.

"Yes." She said. "Rather, I will be." She nodded in the direction of Sunheart. "Seeing the capital before it…Well, seeing it again will help settle the anxiety in my heart."

Without saying a word, I held my hand out to Kaylee. She stared at it for a moment, before grasping it and squeezing tight. Her hand felt cold and clammy. It appeared that despite her words, my sister felt more nervous than she let on.

"There it is!" Corrie cried out, her voice filled with child-like wonder.

Kaylee and I looked out the window just as Sunheart came into view. I sucked in a breath. Sunheart looked much more majestic than I remembered. It was a massive, sprawling city, one on par with the metropolises of Earth. Millions of people called it home. It sat in the middle of a verdant plain, covering hundreds of square miles. Three concentric walls, each several hundred feet tall, divided the city into four districts.

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However, what caught everyone's eye was the golden palace that hovered in the air above Sunheart. This was the Solar Palace, home of the Sun Emperor, the immortal ruler of the Solarian Empire.

When I first saw it all those years ago, I thought it was the most magnificent building I had ever seen. After my transmigration, a part of me wondered if my younger self had exaggerated the Solar Palace's magnificence. It turned out that no, I hadn't. The Solar Palace looked like the residence of a god that had descended to the mortal world. That was the best way I could describe it. All other descriptions fell short.

Hundreds of airships flew in the air above Sunheart. Private airships, commercial airships, and massive barges meant for transporting cargo. There were even a few military airships that belonged to the Sun Guard, the Sun Emperor's private army. They maintained a perimeter around the Solar Palace, ensuring that no one flew too close.

As our airship drew closer to Sunheart, we saw its various districts in greater detail. The area located at the foot of the outermost wall was imaginatively called Outwall. It was an independent town rather than part of Sunheart proper. However, Outwall was so intertwined with the imperial capital that most people forgot this fact.

This was where most of the commoners of Sunheart lived, including Harvey's family. While it was by no means a slum, it was more rundown than the rest of the capital.

Within the outermost wall, also called the Earth Wall, was the Earth District. This was where the lesser nobles and wealthier commoners lived. However, that was all I knew about the Earth District since I never visited it before.

Deeper within the capital lay the Sky District, the wealthiest and most affluent part of Sunheart. This was where the Houses resided, at least those that could afford a residence in the Sunheart. In addition to the beautiful residences, the Sky District had everything that any bored House scion could ever want. Entertainment venues, shopping areas, expansive parks, and so on.

I had been in the Sky District a few times, whenever my parents dragged me to high society events in Sunheart. While I knew more about it than the Earth District, I hadn't explored it all that much. Whenever my family visited Sunheart, I spent most of my time in the House Sturm residence, like a true homebody.

Beyond the Sky District, in the center of the capital, was the Sun District. It sat right beneath the Solar Palace. The only ones who could enter the Sun District were the Sun Emperor himself, and a select chosen few. It was forbidden for everyone else. We couldn't even look into it from the air. Some kind of magical shroud or veil hid it from our eyes.

There were plenty of theories about what was inside the Sun District, but no one knew for sure. Well, except for those who had visited it. However, those people kept silent about what they saw.

As our airship flew over Sunheart towards the Sky District, Kaylee's grip on my hand tightened. I glanced over at her. Her face looked pale, and she wore a pained expression. She must have sensed my gaze, because she turned to look at me. I saw horror and despair in her eyes.

"We can't let the past repeat itself." Kaylee whispered. "All those people…" She trailed off, before she shook her head and repeated herself. "We can't let the past repeat itself."

I looked into Kaylee's haunted gaze, and nodded.

"We won't." I said.

The despair in Kaylee's eyes eased and she gave me a relieved look. She turned to look out the window again, before leaning her head on my shoulder. I looked out the window as well. Lost in our own thoughts, neither one of us said a word for a long while.

Our airship landed at an airship dock in the Sky District, before everyone disembarked and headed towards the House Sturm residence in Sunheart. While it wasn't as large as Sturm Manor, it was still pretty big, especially in the capital where space was at a premium.

It was a blue and white townhouse, three stories tall, surrounded by beautiful flower gardens. Like Sturm Manor, the townhouse's decor favored simplicity and elegance. For security, rather than a wall, there were several magical barriers in place.

My family and I settled into our own rooms within the residence, while my friends settled into the various guest rooms. Well, except for Harvey. He planned on staying with his family during the summer.

After resting for a bit, we gathered in the residence's dining room to eat a light lunch. It was a lively affair. Everyone talked about what it was like seeing Sunheart from the air.

When we finished eating, we split up. We had a few days until the meeting with Clan Thorne, so we decided to handle some business in the meantime. Mother took Kaylee, Lorelei, and Corrie out shopping.

"I'll also take this opportunity to explain to Kaylee why we're in Sunheart." Mother explained.

That caught me off guard. I thought my parents had already done that. That was why I hadn't said anything to Kaylee. I thought she already knew.

Wait a minute, did that mean my sister didn't know that I was going to be engaged to Lady Annabelle? I mean, the choker I wore was a pretty big clue. However, she never gave indication that she knew what it meant.

When I realized this, I snickered. A part of me wanted to go along with Mother and the others, just so I could see Kaylee's reaction when she learned the news. However, I had gone shopping with Mother once before. It was a decision I regretted to this day. I didn't care to repeat the experience.

As for Father and I, we decided to visit Outwall with Harvey in order to meet with his family. We were already in the area, so we might as well deal with it as soon as possible. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, we decided to hire a plain and nondescript carriage instead of a House Sturm one.

Of course, Leroy and Trent Jeffers came along as well. The former drove the carriage, while the latter rode alongside him. I felt a little bad for them. It was hot here in the capital, hotter than in the Valley of the Lost. Perhaps we should get them a cool treat after this, as a way to make it up to them.

As our carriage traveled to Outwall, I stared out the window. Going through the Earth District and Outwall was a novel experience for me. I already knew they differed from the Sky District, and had seen the differences from above. However, seeing them up close was another matter.

The Earth District was clean and well-maintained. Guards patrolled the area to maintain order. However, it wasn't as beautiful as the Sky District. Still, the people that lived here didn't seem to mind. They wore cheerful expressions on their faces as they went about their business. It was clear that they lived well. Overall, it looked prosperous and bustling.

That said, the differences between the Sky District and the Earth District weren't as stark as the ones between the Sky District and Outwall. The latter was rougher and more rundown. It reminded me a little of Icefall City, but less clean. While guards patrolled the area to maintain order, they weren't as present as they were in the Earth District.

The people in Outwall also looked more rugged, as if they had seen their fair share of hardship. Despite that, they looked happy and well fed overall. While they didn't live as well as the people in the Earth District, they weren't destitute either.

To my dismay, despite our attempts to avoid attracting attention, we stood out. While our carriage looked plain and nondescript, that was by House standards. In Outwall, it was one of the nicer vehicles around. People watched us and whispered amongst themselves as we passed them by. A group of children even chased after our carriage for a bit.

I sighed. Oh well.

Harvey's family lived on a street filled with shops. There was a grocer, a dressmaker, a tailor, and so on. All of the buildings were two stories tall. The shops occupied the first floor, while the owners lived on the second floor. From what I understood, this was a common arrangement in large cities within the Solarian Empire.

Our carriage parked in front of the shop owned by Harvey's family. It sat between the tailor and the dressmaker. How convenient. The shop looked old, but clean and well-maintained. A wooden sign with a black shoe painted on it hung above the front entrance. Next to the front entrance sat a large glass window, which gave us a clear view of the shop's interior.

Inside, I saw that shelves filled with already completed shoes occupied half the shop. Workbenches, various kinds of equipment, and unfinished shoes took up the other half. A wooden counter separated the two halves.

There were three people inside the shop: two men and a woman. The two men looked similar to Harvey: thin and pale-skinned with shaggy brown hair. They both wore tough looking outfits, which included leather aprons. It was difficult to discern their features from this distance.

The woman, on the other hand, had a thicker build, olive toned skin, and curly black hair. She had a pretty face, though it was clear that time had taken its toll. I guessed she was in her mid to late thirties. Like the two men, she wore a tough looking outfit, though without the leather apron.

I glanced over at Harvey. He stared at the people in the shop with undisguised longing on his face.

"Your family, I presume?" I asked.

Harvey nodded.

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

With that, I opened the carriage door and stepped outside. Like in Icefall City, I caused a commotion the moment people saw my face. Women, in particular, seemed distracted by my appearance. By this point I was used to it, so I ignored it as best as I could.

The people of Outwall regarded me with a combination of curiosity and wariness. I could almost hear what they were thinking. It was obvious that I didn't belong. In that case, why was I here? What did I want?

The peoples' expressions turned to recognition and surprise when Harvey stepped out of the carriage. Unlike me, he was born here. He was one of their own. They knew him. No doubt, his appearance must've deepened their curiosity. What was he doing with someone like me?

Father was the last out of the carriage. He also attracted a lot of attention, but for a different reason. Unlike me, he wasn't a pretty face. Instead, he had the bearing and presence of a lord. He had been born and raised into power, and it showed. If the people of Outwall looked at me with wariness, they regarded him with outright caution.

"Trent," Father said, "stay here. Keep an eye out for trouble."

"Yes, my lord." Trent said with a nod.

"You too, Leroy." I called out.

Leroy nodded.

"Shall we?" Father asked, gesturing to the shop owned by Harvey's family. "You lead the way, Harvey."

"Yes, Lord Sturm." Harvey said, both awed and nervous around my father.

The three of us went inside the shop. A bell hanging above the front door tinkled when we entered. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of leather and oil. The sound of cobblers at work reached my ears.

"Welcome to-" Harvey's mother started to say, but then stopped when she saw who it was. "Harvey!"

At the sound of Harvey's name, the two men in the back stopped working and looked in our direction. Harvey's mother walked around the corner and rushed towards him. I saw that she had light gray eyes. Harvey must've inherited them from her.

"Mom!"

The two embraced each other. After a few moments, they pulled apart. Harvey's mother cupped his cheeks and fussed over him.

"Oh, look at you my boy." She said. "You're all skin and bones! Did they not feed you properly at the Solarian Imperial Academy?"

"Mom," Harvey said with a groan, sounding embarrassed, "I'm fine. They fed me well."

Harvey's mother frowned.

"Clearly not." She said. "Now that you're home, I'll treat you to a proper meal." She paused. "Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you said you weren't coming home for the summer."

The two men in the back stepped past the counter. I took a closer look at them. They looked like older versions of Harvey; one by a few years, the other by a few decades. I assumed they were Harvey's father and older brother. Like Harvey, they also wore thick glasses that obscured a good part of their features. Were those also fake?

"Eustace," Harvey's father said in a surprisingly deep voice, "we have guests."

Harvey's mother, Eustace, noticed us for the first time since we entered the shop. She stared at us with a stunned expression on her face, her eyes wide.

"Greetings." Father said. "I am Bryce Sturm of House Sturm. I would like to speak with you about your son's future."

And that was how we met Harvey's family.

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