Zerine and Varino walked along the halls of the compound. It was strange to be back home. The layout of the house was easier to navigate than the fairies, but it felt different. It was a still home, and it was nice to be back, but there was a part of her that yearned to be exploring. Although the greeting she had gotten by the slimes and elementals when she had arrived definitely felt like home. Being tackled by slimes and spirits was an interesting experience and one that filled her with warmth. She might have some trouble with her social life, but at least she could call all of them friends. Their affection went a long way to making her feel more comfortable.

But they were heading towards her brother’s room, taking their time simply enjoying the familiarity. Zerine took a sip from her morning spirit fruit smoothie and sighed happily, echoed by Varino, who had just finished munching on a mana crystal.

“You know, some things just don’t change. I leave for a few months and he still struggles to get up in the morning,” Zerine said.

Varino whistled.

“Yeah, I thought Mili would be motivation to change that too.”

She walked up and knocked on the door.

“Oi, Naro wake up! Your amazing sisters have returned.”

No response.

Varino burbled, pointing at the door.

“A ward? Why would he have a ward up?”

Varino shrugged and drifted on a cloud, placing a hand on the door. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared before fading.

Varino chimed, saying she was done.

“Awesome! When did you learn how to undo wards?”

Varino gave her a beaming smile and whistled.

“Huh, I’m glad those dragon rider lessons can be fun.”

Zerine opened the door and skipped in.

“Wakey…oh.”

Milli was in the room. Her naked form laying in such a way her thighs were over where her brother’s face should be. Her head was bobbing up and down on…

“…OH MY GODS!” Zerine practically shouted. She ran out the door, Varino holding on to her shoulder. With a bang, she closed the door.

Varino burbled a comment.

“Well, that…that. I’m not explaining any of that to you till you…you know what I’m not. Its considered an intimate act, very intimate. At least I know they really love each other and certainly do not regret that soul bond.”

Varino fluted some questions.

“No, with the ward up, I didn’t know they were that and didn’t pay attention to the impressions. And no, we won’t do anything of a kind when we bond. It’s something between lovers,” Zerine said, trying to get the image out of her mind.

Varino tilted her head, her shining silver and blue eyes confused.

Zerine sighed, slumping against the wall far enough away that the normal enchantments made it so she didn’t feel impressions from all of that. “Love is…is complicated emotion, Varino. It’s hard to explain. You know those romance books you had me read? We talked about love then, do you remember that?”

Varino chittered, sounding like a wind chime.

“Yeah, like that, love. And they even did something from that third book in the series. If I recall it correctly.”

Varino made an “o” shape with her lips. She whistled, making Zerine laugh.

“Yes, they were having…fun. We aren’t saying anything about this to anyone, got it?”

Varino saluted, placing her right hand in a fist to her left shoulder, patting it twice, chiming her promise. After an extended pause, Varino burbled an excellent question.

Zerine snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think they stopped…gross. We should go.”

She was grossed out by it being Naro and Milli, but a part of her was jealous at what they had and certainly that they could do what they were doing. Thinking it over, she may have two potential someones that may be willing, but she didn’t really have time.

Was she making excuses? Hell yes. Was it partly because she was terrified to get impressions from those she would be with? An enormous yes on that, too. Did that mean she would take a risk of having something like that? No, at least not soon. Besides, anyone could get that release without someone else helping.

Her thoughts came to a halt when she noticed Varino was peering closely at her face.

“What are you doing?” Zerine asked, dreading what the spirit was going to say next.

Instead, she did something unexpected. Varino hugged her head and cooed, saying that Zerine would find her someone someday like Milli. Her words made Zerine’s throat tighten. The words hit harder than she expected, but maintained control. She would not cry this time.

“Thank you,” Zerine whispered, patting Varino’s back.

Varino patted Zerine’s head, chiming that she would always be by Zerine’s side.

“Together, always,” Zerine said softly.

Varino beamed and sat back down on her shoulder.

A minute went by.

“Soooo, this is a thing,” Zerine said awkwardly, glancing down the hall at Naro’s doorway. They were supposed to make sure he was up and wouldn’t be late. But…

Varino chimed.

Zerine sighed. “We…wait…I gues.”

They waited another few minutes till Milli stepped out wearing brown training robes. Seeing Zerine and Varino waiting, her cheeks turned bright red. Even the ears turned red.

“You know knocking is a norm for a reason,” Milli said, placing a hand on her hip, trying and failing to look stern. Her cheeks and ears were still blazing.

“We did. Then Varino said there was a ward on the door.”

“Yeah, to stop people from barging in like you did. But we should have heard…your…oh,” Milli frowned for a moment and sighed. “I think Violet, my familiar, changed my ward to cause something like this. She is a bit of a prankster.”

“Violet? Like the pixy with violet-colored wings. The one that calls herself that?”

“That is the one. She is the fun I needed and quite helpful for my healing, alchemy, and doing stealth attacks.”

“Congrats! When you go to an academy, she will be delighted. Violet has always wanted to go beyond the city limits for some adventures.”

Varino cheered and gave her own congratulations.

“Thank you. And I can hardly wait for that too,” Milli said, grinning. “But let’s head to the training island and chat on the way,” Milli said, gesturing for them to come join her.

“You know, Shara told me that hiding anything from Beastkin like what you two were doing is impossible unless you wash up. So…yeah Zara will know.”

Milli laughed.

“Yeah, after the first time something like this happened Zara knew immediately based on the looks she gave me and Naro. So awkward, but we guessed we needed to clean up better. But having confirmation is good to have. It’s a bonus having a partner that has a water affinity, so washing up after is fast,” Milli said, getting less shy as time went on.

“Beastkin senses are so strong,” Zerine sighed wistfully. “I sometimes wish had them tool.”

“Don’t be too envious. I can’t imagine what they smell that we don’t,” Milli said, shuttering.

“Varino, do you smell things?” Zerine wondered. How had she not asked this years ago? Then again, maybe she had, but didn’t remember.

Varino tapped her cheek and shrugged, chiming, saying some scents come across, but others not so much.

“Huh,” Milli and Zerine said at the same time.

“Right, so tell me, how has living with the fairies been? Oh, and training with the dragon riders!” Milli said excitedly as they started down the stairs, heading to where the concealed entrance of the training island was.

Zerine took a long sip, enjoying Milli’s reaction, having to wait for her response. After a few seconds, Milli stuck her tongue out at Zerine, which made Varino and Zerine laugh.

“Where to start. Oh, wait, don’t drink that,” Zerine said.

Milli had snatched her drink and sniffed it.

“What is it?”

Varino piped a bright flute note.

“Spirit fruit smoothie?”

Varino and Zerine stared at Milli.

“My pixy familiar translates for me.”

“Right, pixies can translate,” Zerine said as Varino facepalmed. “This is a special blend of my own. Its got tea, mixed with yogurt, spirit fruits, and some herbs to be a pick me up in the morning. It’s great! I could make you one minus the spirit fruit, of course.”

Milli stared at Zerine.

“You still eat and drink spirit fruits? I don’t want to sound rude, but you have quite the privilege to even have such access to the fruits. You're going to need to get used to not having access to such things when you go to which ever academy you plan on attending.”

After another sip, Zerine sigh contentedly. “I know that’s why Varino and I are enjoying it while we can. They taste too damn good.”

Varino chittered her agreement.

Milli giggled.

“Oh, and Bernard now has a spirit fruit tree growing in our greenhouse now.”

“Really!?”

“Yep, the plan is to harvest the fruits to make the elixirs to help those with weak foundations and make others that help heal the metaphysical channels and the spirit.”

“Whose idea was that?”

“Mine,” Zerine said casually as Milli started the process to revealing the training island portal.

Milli paused and looked at Zerine.

“I know you don’t want to take over the barony, but you have a knack for it, if not the mindset.”

“Thanks, but I just wanted to help and, like you said, I have quite the privilege of having access to it. With all the fruit Varino and I have eaten, we have seeds for a few, so we plan on planting more on this island. But we have to make a spiritually neutral area for that. Our greenhouse was already set up that way so it was easy to plant one.”

“Damn, that’s clever.”

“Had to make up for this one’s gluttony,” Zerine said, jerking a thumb at Varino, who blew a raspberry, startling a laugh out of Zerine.

Milli shock her head.

“Still, that is a great idea.”

“Only made possible thanks to the fairies moving back.”

“Talk about privilege. But those elixirs, being cheeper here, will be a boon for many,” Milli said, stepping back as the portal was revealed. A swirling oval shape of purple and blue energy filled the dingy basement with its ethereal glow.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“We won’t let it get to our heads. But back to the academy talk-”

They stepped into the portal that Milli had revealed. Swirling energy encased them.

“What one were you thinking of applying to?” Zerine asked once they appeared on the pink sand of the island.

“I’m looking at a few, probably the same as yourself,” Milli replied.

So began a chat about their goals in the coming years. On the way to the training building, Zerine saw far more fairies, even dragons, flew in the sky. With all the people, the island felt far more alive than the last time they had been here. It was just another reminder of how many things had changed in such a short time, while others had stayed static.

They were interrupted in their conversation by a blur that shot out of the training building, heading straight towards them with a joyous shout. It took the second the blur took to reach them for the words to process.

“SIS!”

Estel appeared and lept into her arms. Zerine laughed, catching her sister and spinning her around, getting a laugh in response.

“Your both back! Missed you two!” Estel said as she embraced Varino, who burble her own greeting.

“Welcome home, you two. Where’s Naro?” Markilo wondered as he and Zara appeared in a guest of wind.

“Probably on his way after a late wake up?” Zara said, eyeing Milli, whose ears turned pink.

“He shouldn’t be too far behind us,” Zerine said, covering for Milli, who was still too flustered, absolutely giving away why he was late.

“Hmm, you're still not allowed to train, but you can do some basic work outs just to make sure you don’t get too out of shape,” Zara said her gaze taking in Zerine.

Milli and Estel both froze and turned to Zerine and Varino with suspicion in their gazes.

“They can explain while we head to the building,” Markilo said, gesturing for them to get going.

Varino and Zerine took turns explaining what they hadn’t gotten a chance to with their letters. After that, the group separated to go through morning training. Zara had an avatar working with Zerine while her true form was with the others working on mana control. Zerine stretched, lifted weights, and went for a swim in the warm water.

Eventually, it was time for breakfast, and Zerine found herself surrounded by friends and family. It was this that truly made Zerine feel at home. They all wanted to hear what Varino and Zerine had been up to saying their letters home weren’t enough, so they regaled them. Spirits and pixies soon surrounded Varino and Zerine as their tales went on. Several pixies were sitting on Zerine’s head, playing with her hair while she talked about the still in progress Skyboard project.

They eventually had to stop so the rest could go about their normal duties, training, and classes for the youngest. Eventually, it was only Varino, Zerine, Vinessa, and Zara in the room. Although pixies and spirits were still hanging around, hoping for more story time.

“So, what now?” Varino whistled.

“Both you still have normal lessons with Marcy today, and magic training, Varino. Zerine, Vinessa, has a list. Correct?” Zara said, glancing at Vinessa.

“You and I are going to the city joined by Sashi to work on that control over your instincts,” Vinessa said, grinning as Zerine groaned.

“Good luck. We’ll work on your recovery after the intersection,” Zara said, patting Zerine’s shoulder, then she headed out.

“We could do that now,” Zerine said, hoping to get out of the city visit.

“Ooh, no. You're stuck with Iridesium-rankers,” Zara said, her cat tail swishing from her amusement.

Hey at least there is confirmation on Vinessa’s rank, Zerine thought

Varino patted Zerine’s head, chiming that it’ll be fine and to think positive.

“I’ll do my best,” Zerine grumbled.

***

“This sucks,” Zerine groaned, her head on the tea shop table.

“Come now, you don’t seem as nervous as you did before and only two migraines aren’t that bad,” Sashi said, taking the chair across from her.

Zerine only grumbled an inaudible response.

“Your tea. I already mixed in you special addition,” Vinessa said, placing a cup in front of Zerine before sitting next to her. Zerine eagerly took a long sip.

“So why do I have such powerful teachers today? And Sashi, I thought you would get ready for…” she looked around the busy place and leaned forward. “Ascending?”

“We are the only ones that can keep you safe while we test and train this ability. And I’m as ready as I will ever be. But we also have some things to discuss with you,” Sashi said.

“Give me a minute. I need that elixir to kick in,” Zerine said before taking another large sip.

Vinessa shrugged when Sashi glanced her way.

“Just listen,” Vinessa said when Sashi raised an eyebrow after a minute of silence, where Zerine sat with her eyes close. “We-”

The world froze.

“Well, well, it’s great to see you again, Zerine,” a voice said behind her.

Vinessa and Sashi stared, frozen in shock, as the figure came into view, running a hand along Zerine’s shoulders. The goddess of knowledge sat next to Sashi. This time the goddess wore robes of deep purple with a trim of gold with shining violet eyes that almost matched Zerine’s own eyes. With a lazy wave of her hand, Zerine found she could move.

“Now people may not recognize you two powerhouses, but spies have entered this city in droves due to the ending of the intersection and the gathering the Countess and Trevels are having. You should have had this conversation in my temple,” the goddess said, pouting playfully.

This was an unexpected shift in behavior compared to her last visit, Zerine thought.

“It’s an honor to have you visit, but we thought our usual process to make it private would be enough,” Vinessa commented, raising an eyebrow at the goddess antics.

“That simply isn’t good enough. Especially when so many gods and ascendents are watching this region.”

“Few can even tell if those gazes are upon them, so how were we to know?” Sashi wondered.

“You should assume at this point any notable area has eyes and ears, unless protected by a god or ascendent. Like the Trevel home, temples, the palace, and others like that.”

“And our conversation would have gathered attention from such beings?” Vinessa wondered, titling her head. Zerine let the three talk and focused on taking sips of her delicious tea, enjoying the feeling as her mind relaxed.

“Well, just be better next time. But we have limited time, so you two go first,” the goddess said, cutting off Sashi's and Vinessa’s questions.

“Alright, so Zerine,” Sashi said, glancing to see if the goddess would interrupt, but the goddess just nodded for her to continue. “I have had similar conversations with Naro, Estel, and Varino. As of today, they have received their inheritances from me. As their catalysts and other needs have been covered by your parents, except for Varino’s final few natural treasures, which she now has, they received some items that should last them a very long time. So that leaves just you. As we don’t know what direction your mana or affinities will go, most of it will be withheld until you get your crest and get a handle on what comes with it.”

“Raith, Zara, Cal, and Ava will be the final say on when you get it,” the goddess interjected.

“Yes, that is assuming one of them is nearby whenever that happens, which it being such a tremendous change, they will make time,” Sashi continued. “If you find another creature to be a familiar, there may be something used to give aid that comes out of your inheritance. But other than that, the rest will wait. I just didn’t want you to get jealous or annoyed when you see what the others have received. Oh, and I’ve finished researching that gem that was gifted to you. It’s quite the find and should wait till you get your crest as well, so you use its full potential.”

She placed a small gemstone in front of Zerine. It was round with many facets, each containing different parts of the night sky, but at the center of the gem almost suspended with in it, was a four pointed starburst that glowed. Zerine put it in her spatial storage, where she was totally not going to forget about it.

“That isn’t the only thing you wanted to chat about, so go on,” the goddess urged them.

Vinessa glanced at the goddess, who was beaming at Zerine. It wasn’t exactly comforting that a goddess was taking such an interest in Zerine well before she got her crest. But this news was only going to add to the eyes following Zerine, so she guessed gods watching her were going to happen no matter what.

“During the celebration at the Countesses household Zara is going to introduce two people to you. There will be three questions asked from each of them. Do not lie, be yourself, and everything should be fine. Oh, and you're going to be acting like Milli’s bodyguard, so we can start pushing your cover story.”

“Ah, now I get all the simulation work on being a spy and playing a role,” Zerine said, nodding.

“It’ll be the same story for all the academy trips you two will do after your time with us,” Vinessa said.

“Hmm, makes sense for her guard to go to the same place,” Zerine said, mulling it over. Being a guard had a lot of upsides. The best one being it gave her the excuse not to bother talking with people at social gatherings. The next best thing was the clothes. She could always wear her armor, although it would need some touch ups to be presentable depending on the setting. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

The other bonus was that they both had Wisteria academy as their top pick. It would be extremely tough for her to get in without her crest, but she had made so much progress working with Vinessa. Overthinking was still a problem for her, but the past few months she started to feel more confident in herself, so maybe she had a chance.

“Your alter ego is on a trip to another country and many people have already seen her, so this will help separate your Cooper identity with the Trevel one,” Sashi added, pulling Zerine out of her thoughts.

“That frees me from having to wear those fancy dresses, thanks!” Zerine said cheerfully. Dresses weren’t awful, but she hated the overly fancy kind. The simple and eluent ones she liked, but the ones that seemed expected for noble women to wear were not her style at all.

“You’ll still have to wear nice armor that is appropriate and functional,” Vinessa said. Zerine only shrugged. Still better than having a corset slowly killing her.

“And why did this require a goddess to visit? Don’t get me wrong, it’s an incredible honor, but this doesn’t seem like something that would need you. And I may remember this wrong, but I thought I wouldn’t see you again till after I get my crest,” Zerine said, eyeing the goddess curiously.

“A goddess can’t pop in to visit favored acolyte?” the goddess wondered coyly.

“Acolyte? I just volunteer and like learning stuff. Now I am an acolyte? That’s…new. Does it come with any perks?”

The goddess laughed, while Sashi gave Zerine a warning look and Vinessa lightly elbowed her.

“With what is coming for you, I have to lay some claims or I’ll miss out. So consider yourself an acolyte till you get your crest, then we can talk details. But because I can’t say too much, I’ll just help a little with these instincts your having such problems with. So ask away.”

“Can I suppress them like I did in the past?”

“Nope. Once you fully embraced them on the island, you can’t go back.”

“Then how do I control this? And will I become dependent on this mixture Sashi made for me?”

“That powder will only be needed till you get your crest, so don’t worry about it…well, it mostly won’t be needed,” the goddess shrugged. “But as for control, you're trying to suppress it to reduce what is coming in and you actively focus on the information, but there is too much. Think back to how you filtered it out when you were little. Sure it was suppressed, but you were letting the information flow by only paying attention to what was necessary.”

“Yeah, I got that idea, but like you said, there is too much.”

“Too much become the approach takes too much focus. During fights, you describe hearing a melody. So, why don’t you focus on the melody of information around you and only pay attention when the cords or songs change? It’s your old approach, just refined further.”

Zerine opened her mouth, going to say that would it be difficult if not impossible when she froze. Would it be impossible? As the goddess said, there was a kind of flow to it all. This would force her to change how she perceived the impressions, but she could do it.

“Hmm,” the goddess said, sounding pleased. “Now you're thinking out of the box. With magic, my dear, it comes down to intent and imagination. Make a firm imagine in your mind and you’ll surprise yourself with what you can do. Just look at how you started using mana barriers as platforms. Nobody does that, but your unique approach and out of the box thinking created a new movement option for yourself. This shift in your thinking is a path you can follow to gain control over your ability, but know it will most likely change when you get your crest and so your approach will need to adapt.”

“I don’t suppose you can tell me when that might be?” Zerine said, doubting that the goddess would answer, but it was worth the shot.

“As someone wise once kept telling me…no spoilers,” the goddess said, sounding like she had heard that phrase thousands of times. “Oh, and when the time comes, make sure you get it on your back. If you don’t, you’ll regret it. But that is all I have time for today. So See you after you get your crest and remember what I said last time.”

And without another word, the goddess vanished. Sashi and Vinessa tensed, but evidently the goddess had hidden her presence because no one from the temple showed up, nor did those around them seem like they had sensed anything.

“Well, that was a thing…again,” Zerine said.

Sashi and Vinessa looked at one another, having a silent conversation.

“Right, so let’s get back and start practicing with that advice in mind,” Sashi said, getting to her feet.

“Wait my tea!” Zerine said and quickly finished the now cool tea. It was still good. She made a mental note to make it cold during the summer times.

They had Zerine practice with her ability as they headed home. Both watched Zerine sweating as she dealt with a crowded marketplace.

“Why is there a connection between you and Zerine?” Sashi wondered, as if commenting on weather.

Vinessa stiffened.

“Aw, so ascending gives you some handy glimpses,” Vinessa said thoughtfully.

“What is it? It can’t be the family bond between parent and child that fairies have. So what did you do?” Sashi wondered in a rather sharp tone.

“Oh, I’ll just pop in,” the goddess said again, freezing the world once again. “I was hoping you would bring it in front of Zerine, but clearly, both of you don’t want Zerine to know.”

“It is the family bond,” Vinessa blurted out, not meeting Sashi’s gaze. Instead, she looked at Zerine frozen mid step.

“How? She isn’t a Changling, is she?” Sashi said, trying and failing to not sound too demanding.

“No, fairies don’t do that anymore. Some elves still do, but mostly vampires do that with a weak homunculus. But Indra and I were life mates. I do not know what he did, but Zerine is ours. Lilliana was the one who bore the child. With my rank, having a child is incredibly difficult, plus fairies have trouble on top of that.”

Sashi just stared at Vinessa.

“When she gets her crest and you go see her, the bond will fully form,” Sashi said, her eyes going wide with realization.

“Yeah,” Vinessa sighed. “And I have to tell Ava and come up with some plausible story. I’m assuming that the contract with Lilliana makes it so Zerine will never know.”

“Yes, only a few know, and I had to force that silly woman to let me in. And you know by…”

“Deduction. Also, she was part of our original plan, so I knew if anyone would bear my child, it would be her.”

“What was the original plan?” the goddess probed.

“Indra and I knew Lilliana wanted a child who would be powerful. Plenty of consorts were around to provide her with the opportunity, so all Indra had to do was come forward. He would use some magic to make Lilliana feel like they shared a night of bliss while using magic to ensure the fertilized egg was all set. That is all I know, but he did something else or something changed.”

“Lilliana’s desire for a child led to the acceptance of the egg. And fairies are born with magic and their crest,” Sashi nodded. “A crest expresses the soul’s connection to the metaphysical and physical, so something suppressed Zerine’s. But that isn’t impossible. Right?”

“I truly do not know what the full process was, only that it was guaranteed to work,” Vinessa said.

“And it’s possible to suppress a soul awakening if done early enough,” the goddess said. “It’s a magic that pops up once in a while when titrants want to maintain control over who can gain power. In fact, in one of the city states on the Mistborn continent has been using such nasty tactics.”

“So she is a fairy. Explains the spirit fruit obsession,” Sashi remarked.

“Oh, brilliant point Sashi. Those fruits are the reason her instinct sphere has grown. It is also good for a young fairy to have them just like it is for spirit, so you should figure out how to get her and Varino some when they are off at the academy, too,” the goddess said, glancing towards Zerine.

“Wonderful, those two devour them too quickly,” Vinessa said, sighing.

“Those smoothies make better use of the entire fruit, so maybe direct Zerine in making more of those and tell Varino to slow down. She is reaching the point where eating them should be treat not a necessity for her growth,” the goddess remarked with a grin.

“That would be C-rank then. Thank the gods that will happen before she goes off to an academy,” Sashi said.

“Well, I do actually have to get going, but thanks for the information about her origins. I truly look forward to what she becomes. And this should go without saying, but don’t speak of it to anyone till she has her crest, bye for now,” the goddess said before fading away.

Vinessa plastered a smile on her face, while Sashi looked like she was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Part of the truth was out there now, which was a relief. The rest would have to wait for Zerine to figure out, as Vinessa would never tell a soul what exactly Zerine was. A fairy was only part of a grander whole. No one had seen something like Zerine since the world was nearly destroyed millenniums before the First Empress came along.

One thing she had to agree with the goddess was that she, too, was excited to see what Zerine became in the coming years. If she lives, of course, but again she felt like she and the goddess were on the same page. Zerine would survive. She had to survive.

Vinessa’s gaze went to Zerine, the purple glint of her hair standing out even amongst the other colors, glinting scales, and colorful fur on display in the market. Once this brief break was over, they would have to push Zerine once again.

All to prepare for one of many moments, Vinessa thought.