We set out for Stafford before the first light. I wanted to get more sleep but Mom wasn’t entertaining any of it. On arrival at Leif, the scenery was different. Its busy and crowded streets were empty and the only people I could see were Azkhan soldiers. It was clear that something wasn't right. Even though I couldn't piece the whole puzzle together, my best guess was that the situation had to be related to our battle against the members of the Order of Death.

We were commanded to stop as a group of soldiers approached us. The reaction of the soldiers was a mixture of surprise and relief when they saw Sophia. The one in charge of the group that approached us, spoke as though he was lost of words. He was happy but did his best to suppress the outward portrayal of how he felt.

“General, I am so glad to see you are well. According to the reports, we feared that the worst chanced. The...”

Sophia interrupted him,

“I am disappointed. Do you think I would be killed so easily? Have you forgotten who I am? Do I need to remind you?”

“Isn’t she being too confident for someone who was almost killed?” I asked myself. But I understood the situation from her perspective. She was someone they looked up to, so she needed to protect that image. The fact that she survived such an encounter with a victory was a boost to the side of the Azkhans.

In a firm tone, the soldier replied,

“No, your Highness...”

Almost immediately, he tried to correct his response but this time, he was stuttering.

“... I mean, General.”

The expression on his face was indicative that he had messed up with his words

“It's okay, they know who I am.”

The soldier looked at me and Mom like he was trying to verify our identities. I wasn't bothered, the look on my face was a stoic one, but Mom shot him a menacing look forcing him to turn away almost immediately.

From the actions of the soldiers, I got to witness a glimpse of how the Azkhans saw Sophia. From my point of view, I'd always believed that powerful people were feared and that they commanded authority and respect through that fear. Sophia was a powerful personality to the Azkhans, and that fear lingered, but there was more. It almost felt like she was revered.

“Why is everywhere empty? What’s going on?”

“General Vayr’s orders. We have been searching for you since we received reports that you were missing. Enforcing a controlled situation and restricting movements made the search easier and more efficient.”

Sophia nodded and the soldier continued speaking.

“Your Highness, I suggest we take you to General Vayr immediately.”

“Alright.”

Mom stopped them before they turned to move.

“I think we will part ways here. I have a family that is worried about my absence too.”

“Alright. We will be visiting the Choryth manor very soon. This war is just beginning, there is a lot of work to be done.”

“We will be waiting,” Mom said to her, as we walked past them. We had just taken a few steps before I heard Sophia's voice again.

“Thanks.”

***

The darkness paled and bluish radiance shimmered. It wasn't my first time, yet my eyes struggled to adjust to the contrasting shift between darkness and light everytime I used the transport gate. Stepping out of the platform that housed the transport gate, I looked around and caught the sight of Yukina and Evren. Yukina was pacing around restlessly while Evren was quietly seated in one corner. Almost immediately, they saw us too as they came running in our direction.

Yukina’s hands did its best to accommodate me and Mom as she buried her face in Mom’s chest. Evren stood very close to us, wearing a smile on her face. She almost threw herself at us, just like Yukina did, but she managed to stop herself.

In a muffled voice, Yukina said to us,

“I knew both of you would be fine.”

I untangled myself from Yukina’s grasp. Facing Evren, I stretched my hands, inviting a hug from her.

We held each other in an embrace before she spoke.

“I'm so relieved that you guys are unscathed, but I still can’t help feeling like the odd one here.”

“I understand that some things are difficult to get used to. It's the same for every one of us, but we just have to. We are a family, that's all that matters.”

Just as I finished talking, Mom called Evren.

“Wouldn't you give your mother a hug?”

Evren took a few shy steps to close the distance between them.

“Come here,” Mom said, as she pulled her in.

“But you aren’t my mother yet. You haven’t married my father yet.”

Mom let out a laugh,

“I don’t think that would be a problem.”

Darya’s voice came alive in my head,

“Your siblings are just big babies.”

I scoffed,

“And for some reason, I feel like the eldest one.”

***

Four of us were seated in a carriage heading to the Choryth manor. Evren and Yukina had a lot of questions concerning the recent events but managed to summarize them in one context.

“What happened?”

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Before Mom could open her mouth to speak, Yukina interrupted her.

“We know what happened, but what really happened?”

Mom smiled,

“You make it sound like we encountered something impossible.”

“Well, impossible is one way to describe it. The Order of Death has been a myth for so long because no one has faced them and lived to tell the tales, but you and Svan survived. It's one thing to survive the encounter, and it's another thing to survive unscathed.”

“We survived thanks to your brother and his other-worldly abilities.”

Yukina and Evren turned to me. They didn’t say anything as they struck me with a demanding look. Mom wore a mischievous smile on her face, she knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to get me to open up indirectly since she couldn’t bring herself to confront me directly. I wanted to tell them everything, but I felt that it wasn't right. Knowing the truth wasn't necessarily a good thing, and sometimes it does more harm than good.

“What?” I asked, pretending not to know why they were staring at me.

The tone of Yukina’s voice was confusing since I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or if she was joking.

“Svan, How strong have you gotten?”

“How am I even supposed to...”

Evren interrupted before I could even finish speaking.

“What kind of abilities do you even have?”

I heaved,

“I think my abilities have something to do with spatial manipulation, and I don't even understand how it works. As for how strong I am, I don't know.”

They both sat back, as they racked their brains over what I said to them.

“What elemental deviant is that?” Evren asked.

“I don't think it's a deviant ability. We were taught about a lot of things in school, but I'd never heard of such. It has to be something different from elemental conceptions.”

“You all have extensive knowledge of the Feel and mana manipulation, yet you are struggling to understand the nature of my ability. How do you think I would know any better? I don't understand a thing too. To me, it feels like a learning process. I might just wake up tomorrow and discover I can do something new.”

I paused and hoped they bought what I said to them. Although I wasn't completely telling them the truth, since I held back the most important piece of information, I wasn't lying either.

“In a nutshell, Svan has a mysterious and broken Feel,” Evren summarized.

Sounding like someone defeated, Yukina voiced,

“I could clearly remember the first manifestation of this unusual power of yours. Ha-ha,” she laughed briefly,

“I thought you were about to get yourself killed when you charged the falx alone.”

Mom sat up,

“So, it's more like a habit of yours?”

“What?” Yukina squeaked.

She was a bit surprised and probably thought Mom directed the question to her since she was the only one speaking at the moment. Though the question didn't make sense from her perspective, she couldn't help but react. I didn't need a hint to know that Mom was referring to me. Scratching my hair, I tried to laugh it off.

“It just happens.”

“What's going on here?” Yukina asked, trying to grasp the situation.

“He did the exact thing when we were attacked at Brisdow; charging the enemy head-on like someone who didn't care about his life. I looked at him, and he looked like a different person, almost unrecognizable, yet the feeling was familiar because it reminded me of myself.

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Yukina asked in a quavering voice.”

She took in a deep breath and held Yukina’s right hand.

“I don’t know what I am. I don't know anything about my past. I searched for answers but I found so little. Among the few things I discovered about myself, one of them is how differently I approach a combat scenario when my life is on the line. I get overwhelmed by a strange aura, a feeling of darkness, one I can't get used to. It makes me feel powerful, fearless, and daring, pushing my limits. But that darkness consumes me. It eats up what emotions I have, makes me less humane, and brings out the monster in me. I thought it was just me, a trait of mine. But in that battle, Svan gave off the same ambiance.”

“Oh, so this is what she wanted to talk about?” I queried inwardly. I was mistaken again. I thought that maybe she wanted to talk to me about my abilities since my strength grew at an unbelievable rate. What she just said was an insight into a new discovery. I tried to remember every previous fight of mine, and I didn't remember feeling what she just explained. She was right about how different I looked or acted, but that was Darya’s doing.

“I'm not sure, but I'm not denying it. I haven't consciously had such an experience. Maybe it happens subconsciously.”

“Mom, you make it sound like it’s a bad thing,” Yukina said, relaxing on the backrest of the carriage seat.

“I almost got scared for nothing. If that feeling you just described would make me get stronger, I would gladly have it.”

Yukina wore a flippant, yet serious expression on her face. I couldn't take my eyes off her, and she didn't seem to notice that I was staring at her because she was annoyed for reasons I had an idea about.

She was someone I looked up to, someone I wished I was. She was my favorite person even before I learned that she was my sister. I didn't forget how much of an influence she’s had on me. Her obsession to get stronger infected me, and now I can't cure myself of it.

“You aren't satisfied now, are you?” I asked her.

“No, I am not. I thought I would be since I found my mother. It did indeed give me some closure, but now, given the current situation, how can I be satisfied? I can't even take care of a demon alone, and now, what do we have? The Order of Death? Who knows what other kind of insanely strong group we have out there?”

Mom tried to reassure her,

“Be patient my love. Growth takes time. You are already incredible as you are.”

“I'm being patient. It's just frustrating because I know I can do more, I can feel so much more potential within me but I just can't tap into it no matter how hard I try.”

The look on Mom’s face had a sad tinge to it.

“Yukina, is being strong all that matter to you? What is the most important thing to you?”

Yukina was about to give a spontaneous response but stopped herself when she looked at Mom. Her tone was a lot calmer,

“You, Svan, Evren, the High Lord. This family is the most important thing to me. But this family isn't just like any other. I need to be able to protect it. I want to be a proud member of this family. I don't want to trail behind just to look at your backs, I want to walk with everyone right in front. That's why I want to be strong.”

For some reason, I was relieved by Yukina’s answer. I was happy she didn't say anything that would have gotten Mom upset.

“I will help you in whatever way I can, but you have to promise to take it easy, alright?”

Evren, who hadn't spoken much added grumpily,

“Don’t forget me too.”

Everyone laughed. The tension eased, and the mood lightened.

Everyone was silent for a brief while, probably busy with their thoughts until Yukina made sure we used our mouths to speak again.

“Mom, I've been really curious since you said Svan did the most in that battle. Is he now as strong as you are?”

“I'm pretty sure I will still best him in combat,” Mom replied, smiling.

Speaking inwardly, I said,

“Mom must be lying.”

Darya’s voice came alive again,

“She is not.”

“What?”

“During that battle, I could perceive she was holding back. Why she was, I don't know. This has been the same since you met her.”

“So, even with everything I can do now, she still has an edge.”

“One day, you will get to see for yourself.”

I was surprised and I couldn't help but think about what Mom was hiding. I turned my gaze in her direction, slowly coming to the realization that behind that beautiful face that always had a smile on it, there was a lot more.

We journeyed until we arrived at the Choryth manor, and we all alighted the carriage. I stared at the gates as a voice inside the walls commanded for the gates to be opened.

“Home sweet home,” I said with a smile. I was eager to meet Lord Edger, not because I missed him, but because I had a lot to talk to him about. The event of Brisdow was going to change our stance in this war.