Nyssa did not know much about the Spirit Races. Few did. But she did know about the origin of Spirits. And the world she had summoned through the Lost City’s legacy. A dark, barren world, devoid of any life or light, that came as small, black dot, smaller than what could be observed through naked eyes. Even through Spirits, the dot could easily be mistaken as the gap between two grains of sand, or a speck of dust floating in the skies.

  It was only when that speck of dust exploded, expanding into a giant, black sphere, that six Wanderers noticed its strangeness. And the dark, ominous breath it was emanating. Not as ominous as the sword in the hands of the Lady of Thorns, but ominous enough for the six of them to lose their trust in the red glow covering their bodies. At the very least, they saw the wisdom in retreating from the strange, dark sphere, that appeared so abruptly.

  Unfortunately for them, their wisdom proved to be of no help. By the time they could retreat even a tenth of a metre, the sphere had already expanded to a size large enough to engulf them within its shell. And it kept growing until it had also devoured the Lady of Thorns. Then, and only then, did the sphere stop its expansion. And in the very next moment, it had shrunk back to a ‘speck’, vanishing from Alnea’s sight.

  “Master!”

  “Your master is fine,” Daena said, dissipating the lightning shield, while staring solemnly at the ‘speck’, as it drifted with the wind, yet never moved from its place. “She was the one who summoned that sphere, after all.”

  “Can you see what is happening, Aunt Daena? Do you know where she has gone?”

  “…No, but it is not hard to guess. The fluctuations of Spirits are too obvious…”

  “What fluctuations?” Daes said, following her mother’s gaze with confusion. “All I see is just empty air.”

  “…That is because your head is also empty,” Daena said, glancing at her daughter with a glare, before turning back towards the ‘speck’. “The fluctuations I am talking about are not that of Mysteries, but of pure Spirit Power.”

  “…Spirit Power? Did she not recover her connection with her Roots already? Why is she still using just her Spirit?”

  “She?”

  “…Are you not talking about Alnea’s master?”

  “I said, pure Spirit Power. Pure. Not tainted with anyone’s breath.”

  “Pure Spirit Power? Does something like that even exists?”

  “…How do you think the Spirit Power Crystals are made?”

  “…From ‘pure’ Spirit Power?”

  “…And a few other things. But yes, pure Spirit Power does exist.”

  “…Even so, what does it have to do with Alnea’s master?”

  “You do not understand,” Daena said, resuming her solemn tone. “Although Pure Spirit Power is not rare, for it to exist in such quantity, and in such quality… There is only thing I can think of that would match all the descriptions.”

  “What is it?”

  “…That is not something you should ask about,” Daena said, glancing at Alnea. “Just know that your master is fine.”

  “But that blessing you told us about—

  “Will not work for them anymore,” Daena said, turning back towards the ‘speck’. “Those idiots really dug their own graves this time.”

  “Then my master—

  “She should be back in a while.”

  “…Thank you, Aunt Daena.”

  “It is alright,” Daena said, glancing back at Alnea with a wry smile, losing all the solemness from her voice. “This is what I should do as your elder.”

  “…When did you become so understanding, maa?”

  “When I did not have to run around everywhere, wiping someone’s ass,” Daena said, rolling her eyes at her daughter, before glancing at Tia. “I have already asked Nyssa to take care of my useless daughter—

  “I am not useless!”

  “But I know her. She is not the kind to stay out of trouble. And capable as he is, little Alnea—

  “…I am not little anymore…”

  “And I do not go looking around for trouble.”

  “—will not be able to keep her in check. So, while you are with them, I hope you will help me keep an eye on her, and stop her from provoking unnecessary troubles.”

  “It will be my honour, your High—

  “There is no need to be so formal. Or nervous. Just treat me as you would treat a friend’s mother. You can even call me aunt, like little Alnea.”

  “But—

  “No buts. Or I will get sad.”

  “…I understand, Aunt Daena.”

  “Good girl,” Daena said, widening her smile, before summoning a bluish white ring, just like the one she had given to Alnea, and stuffed it into Tia’s hands. “Here, keep this.”

  “There is no need—

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  “Since you have already called me your aunt, then why are you treating me like a stranger?”

  “…Can I also call you aunt?” Daes mumbled, but was promptly ignored by both, her mother, and Tia. The latter, mostly because she was overwhelmed by all kinds of emotions.

  “I—

  “Stop hesitating like a little girl. If you are feeling shy, then just treat as a payment for preventing my silly daughter from getting into trouble.”

  “…You can rest assured,” Tia said, nodded her head, as she clenched her fist, the one holding the ring. “I will keep a very strict eye on her.”

  Yet, the more solemn Tia became, the more she irked Daes. Though nothing irked her more than her mother.

  “…Stop treating me like a child!”

  “Then stop behaving like one. Even the three little ones are more mature than you.”

  “…I am mature too,” Daes mumbled. “And they are not mature. They are just afraid of you.”

  “That is not true,” Yuri said, shaking her head, before blinking innocently at Daes’ mother. “Big sis Daena is so kind and gentle. Why should we be afraid of her?”

  “You…”

  “I know that we may have some misunderstanding between us, but that does not give you the right to slander us, Wanderer Daes.”

  “…What did you call her?”

  “…Big sis. Why?”

  “…She is my maa!”

  “So? She looks just a year or two older than you. What should I call her, if not big sis?” Yuri said, before turning back towards Danea. “Was I wrong?”

  “Of course, not,” Daena said, patting the cute little girl’s shoulder with a wide smile on her face. “You can call me whatever you want.”

  “No! Absolutely not! You—

  “Ignore her,” Daena said, waving a finger in direction of her daughter to shut her mouth. “She just says whatever she has on her mind, never thinking about the consequences.”

  “…It is alright, big sis Daena,” Yuri said, glancing at Alnea. “I know how you are feeling.”

  “…Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “But that is also why I can say with confidence that she does not mean any harm,” Yuri said, ignoring Alnea’s objection. “Though she has a hard mouth, I can feel the kindness in her Heart. In that regard, she takes after you.”

  “…What a sensible girl,” Daena said, gently caressing Yuri’s head, before letting out sigh. “If only my daughter could be as sensible as you…”

  “You should not blame her too much, big sis. It is not entirely her fault. Being imprisoned in the same city for so long, just because her teammates betrayed her… It is no wonder that she always speaks so harshly. Anyone in her place would have long given up on the world. It is only because of the excellent strength of her will and Heart that she has not completely given up on herself. And she has also finally begun opening up…”

  “…What a good girl. If I did not know that you were from the Union, I might even have been tempted to kidnap you back to the Thunder Canyons, or at least, take you as my disciple.”

  “…We did not mean to deceive you—

  “I know. I know. You do not have to explain. And this is not something for you to explain either. I just hope that when you go to the Union, you will not let my daughter suffer too much.”

  “…She is Alnea’s Dependent. Just that alone is enough to ensure her the best treatment. Still, I promise you that I will never let her, or even Tia, suffer any injustice in the Union.”

  “…Shouldn’t I be the one making that promise?” Alnea mumbled, prompting both, Yuri, and Daes’ mother to glance at him. One with a glare, and the other with an amused smile.

  “I kind of understand what you were talking about earlier,” Daena said to Yuri, before facing Alnea with a solemn look. “I know you only want to show your sincerity, but not everyone is as honest and straightforward as you… In short, you better not make any promises before you reach the True Rank. Especially not in front of any Wanderers above the Mystic Rank,”

  “…Did you—

  “And you better not talk about it so carelessly either,” Daena said, putting a finger to her lips, and winking her right eye. “Some things are best kept as secret. At least until you can bear their price.”

  “…I understand,” Alnea said, with a hint of red creeping up to his cheeks. “Thank you for reminding me, Aunt Daena.”

  “…For some reason, you do not look as cute anymore,” Daena said, clicking her tongue, before turning towards Yuri. “Anyways, I hope that you will not mind my silly daughter’s tantrums, and take care of her for my sake.”

  “No need to worry, big sis Daena. The Union will be like a second home to her.”

  “I hope so,” Daena said, waving her fingers to remove the shackles from her daughter’s mouth. “You better not give them any trouble, Daes. Or I will clean you up myself when you come back.”

  “Tsk. I know. And will you stop worrying about me? First Alnea’s master, then Alnea, now even Tia and Yuri… Just how many people are you going to ask to take care of me?”

  “…However many people it takes,” Daena said. “This is the first time you are going to be all by yourself. And you will be gone for ten years at once…”

  “Ten years is not even that long. For you, it will be just a few trips to the Origin Sea.”

  “…Yet, for you, it will be long enough to break through two, or even three Stages…”

  “…Fine. I will not provoke any unnecessary troubles. Will you stop embarrassing me now?”

  “…That is much better,” Daena said, resuming her smile, before turning back to the three girls, summoning a few more storage rings while she was at it. “I see that you three do not lack any storage devices, but we left the city a little too abruptly for me to prepare any other decent greeting gifts for you…”

  “It is alright, big sis Daena,” Yuri said, taking the lead in receiving the storage ring, before glancing at Cecilia and Vestia. “No one would say no to a little bigger storage space, am I right?”

  “…I did feel that the space in my pouch was becoming a little inadequate for my needs,” Cecilia said, picking up one of the two rings left on Daena’s outstretched palm. “Thank you for the gift, bi—Aunt Daena.”

  “…Well, you should indeed call me aunt,” Daena said, nodding after some hesitation. “I remember your father used to call me big sis.”

  “You have met my father?”

  “Not just your father, I have also met your mother and grandmother… It is an old story… You can ask your mother when you go back.”

  “…She just makes excuses, and never tells me anything about him.”

  “…She probably has her reasons,” Daena said after some pause. “But I am sure that she will tell you their story one day. You just need to win her approval.”

  “…I do not need her approval. If she does not tell me about my father, then I will just beat it out of her when I grow stronger than her.”

  “…Spoken like a true Serpian,” Daena said, patting Cecilia’s shoulder with her free hand, while letting out a light laugh. “I am looking forward to that day.”

  “It will not be long,” Cecilia said, clenching her fist, while Vestia kept shifting on her feet nervously. Especially when she felt everyone’s eyes fall on her. The only girl who had not taken Daena’s gift.

  “…It is alright,” Daena said, gently patting Vestia’s head. “You do not have to be so stiff. I will not eat you.”

  “…I…”

  “She is just a little overwhelmed by your kindness, Aunt Daena,” Alnea said, stepping in to take the ring from Daena’s hands and put in Vestia’s. “There. She got your gift now.”

  “…You truly are a cheeky little brat,” Daena said, smiling at Alnea in amusement, while Vestia looked down at her feet, trying to hide her red cheeks. “But you are also a little reliable. No wonder you can fool such good girls.”

  “…I did not fool them. I convinced them with my sincerity.”

  “Then I will see how you convince their clans,” Daena said, more with a smirk than a smile, before turning back towards the ‘speck’. “But for now, let me have a talk with your master.”