“So…” Emily Lorenze eyed Gaius, her gaze travelling up and down his body. “You the punk my youngest chose?”

“He’s not a punk, mother,” Isabelle replied.

“Alright. Not a punk.” The Memory Sifter rolled her eyes. “I suppose you’ll choose him over me, but that’s a choice all kids have to make after a while. I remember making my own too, since my parents were...never mind.”

“Were?” Gaius asked, interested. The Memory Sifter was also an otherworlder; from what he knew, she was singlehandedly responsible for Ark City’s technological advancements. In fact, the Ark-Class Locomotives were apparently a brainchild of hers, before the Second Extermination began.

“Well, they were the controlling type, you know? The ultra-religious and fundamentalists, all talking about how women had to be pure, controlled and a slave to their arranged husbands. What made it worse was that most of them were hypocrites too, when it came to religious doctrine. After yet another quarrel, I left the States once I had a bond and went to a better country,” she replied.

“I cannot say that I understand,” Gaius replied, running through her words slowly, “but I can sympathise.”

“Can you?” She looked at Gaius, and then nodded slowly. “Well, no matter. I can tell that you treat Isabelle with respect and dignity, and that’s good enough for me.”

“Mother?” Isabelle asked. “Do you…”

“Not approve?” The Memory Sifter guffawed. “Silly child. I’ll approve of your choices, no matter what. As long as you aren’t coerced or anything, that’s good enough for me.”

“How about me?” Lia asked.

“You?” She chuckled. “Let’s not go there for a moment, shall we? Alright, do you want to take a tour around my lab?”

Gaius watched as the others clamoured excitedly, and wondered what the three had talked about earlier. For a moment, he felt envious of Isabelle, who had found her mother — and her mother was a great parent to boot. Of course, her words did indeed remind Gaius that not all parents were great ones, so…

Shaking his head, he followed the three into the lab. General Degurechaff had vanished into parts unknown after a while, citing something about an overwhelming presence and interesting ants.

A small flower spewed fire at him as he passed by, and Gaius jumped in shock. Before he could take a closer look, however, Isabelle had pulled him into the can-like structure, and the door slid shut behind him.

“Oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Isabelle asked.

“I thought I saw something interesting just now,” Gaius replied, “but it isn’t really all that important.”

His thoughts wandered off to the quarrel Lia had with her mother earlier, before drifting closer to Isabelle. “So, how does it feel?”

“I’m…” She hesitated for a moment. “It’s as if I’m at peace, you know. Every regret I’ve ever had has been settled with this. Watching Lia and mother interact like this brings a smile to my face.”

Gaius felt his heart skip a beat. He could tell that she had already began to view her sister and her mother as apart from her, something that had to hurt her too. In a sense, she was distancing herself from her family, just like what he did to Nakama and the others when he returned.

And it hurt. Taking in a deep breath, he said, “You…truly don’t regret it? Your family’s complete. There’s no need to go with me; there’s a lot of people who would miss you. It’s okay. I’m used to being alone.”

She reached out to rap his head. “No, it’s not okay. You’re the person who made all this possible for me. I told you, didn’t I? I will never let you do things alone again.”

“Isabelle…”

Someone cleared her throat, and the two jolted.

“That’s nice,” said the Memory Sifter, “but seeing you and Isabelle flirt like this is somewhat embarrassing for us, so…do you two want a room or something? I seriously don’t mind if you want to have some private time to yourself. I understand that love is compelling and all, but…”

She chuckled.

Normally, Gaius would have turned away, but this wasn’t as simple as flirting. Pulling Isabelle away from her mother, he held her hands and looked into her eyes. “I told you before about the consequences of…following me. Your family’s whole, as whole as it can be. It’s not too late yet.”

He thought about the Severing Cube, an item that was apparently capable of severing all bonds. If she really changed her mind, he could sever the bonds between her and the Crying Abyss. She had the right to choose; it was entirely possible that her earlier decision to follow him was because she was overwhelmed by emotions.

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“Idiot.” She rapped his head again.

Gaius accepted her admonishment quietly. “But if you ever regret your choice, just tell me.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever do that,” said Isabelle, “but thank you anyway.”

Rubbing his cheek, she pulled him back over to where Lia and her mother were standing at. Both of them were making eyes at Isabelle and Gaius, and the Lost Star felt his face heat up.

“What?” Gaius asked.”

“Ah. Why so defensive?” The Memory Sifter chuckled. “Right, I never really got to ask this, but—”

Gaius held up his hand.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” said Gaius, “but I can guess what you’re about to ask.”

“Oh?”

“I was the one who confessed. I brought her out for dinner, and then brought her to a park, where the two of us discussed the future.” Gaius rubbed his nose. “Isabelle, did I miss out anything?”

“You forgot the part where you called out a great god of the true Orb,” Isabelle replied.

“I was beginning to think that’s a separate incident, though.” Gaius tilted his head. “Isn’t it?”

“But he did give us a blessing of sorts!”

Gaius thought about the bond between him and Isabelle, and nodded. “True. So, uh, mother-in-law, does that answer your question?”

The Memory Sifter opened her mouth, but there weren’t any words. For some reason, Lia was also doing the same thing, which just went to show how strong the bonds between mother and daughter were.

“Mother?” Isabelle ventured.

“I’m feeling three parts stifled, three parts astounded, and four parts of utter disbelief,” Emily Lorenze eventually replied. “This question — how many people have asked it?”

“Quite a bit.”

“Damnit!”

After that uncharacteristic outburst, she let out a small sigh and turned to look at Gaius. “You…I want to say that the latter bit was just hot air you two came up with as a joke, but my knowledge of you and who you are cannot allow me to do that.”

Her eyes took on a wintry chill. “Isn’t that right, Lost Star?”

Gaius remained silent.

“What of it, mother?” Isabelle stood in between him and the Memory Sifter. “He’s the reason why grandmother and the others are still alive. And…and…”

She looked away.

“Hmm.” She inclined her head. “My apologies for being rude.”

Her politeness made it hard for Gaius to gloss over the issue, forcing him to reciprocate with equal courtesy. “None taken.”

“Well, at least make sure you come back alive,” the Memory Sifter replied. Her cultivation burst out a moment later, and she jabbed a finger at his chest. “Lost Star or not, I’ll snuff your lights out if you make my baby girl cry. Got it? Even if I have to dig up your body or piece it together. Don’t even think of resting in peace, if you dump my Isabelle to live in the afterlife or something.”

Gaius took a step back and nodded subconsciously. “G-got it.”

“Hmph.” Her face turned into a smile. “So, when did you fall in love with her? Was it her personality? Or did she just prove to be too cute for you? What was your first experience like?”

“Mother!”

“What?” The Memory Sifter turned to Isabelle. “I’m interrogating my son-in-law. Stand to the side and don’t get in my way.”

“Mother?!”

The Memory Sifter chuckled. “I’m just kidding. Look, the Lost Star has turned into the Red Star. So cute. I think I know why you chose him.”

After teasing him a few more times, her expression changed. “So…now that we’ve found each other, we need to know—”

“Wait,” said Isabelle. “I’m not the only one who found a partner here. Mother, did you know sister ran off to the North with someone a few years ago? Before the two of us got together, Lia was already gallivanting around…”

Dust flew as Lia made a break for it, screaming something unintelligible the whole way. In response, the Memory Sifter clapped her hands twice, and two humanoids descended from the ceiling.

The ground shook as the two artefacts — they had to be artefacts — stormed after the fleeing Lia, who was trying to wrench open the door they had passed through open. Within moments, and after a round of futile resistance, Isabelle’s older sister had been trussed up and tied into a dumpling.

Lia trembled. “M-mother…”

“Now, darling, why did you run from me? By chance, did you feel guilty? Hmm?” The smile on the Memory Sifter’s face seemed cold enough to be a permanent part of fixture of Heritage, and Gaius suddenly found a desire to flee.

“Hmm?”

Isabelle held a finger to her lips, and then pulled him away from Lia and her mother. And as he observed how the Memory Sifter disciplined her eldest child, Gaius began to understand where Isabelle’s habit of poking his cheeks and squishing his face came from.

She had clearly inherited it from her mother.

Isabelle, who was beginning to realise that fact too, had an increasingly interesting expression on her face. He could see her fingers flutter, moulding an imaginary face beneath her fingertips, and Gaius felt an anticipatory chill run down his spine.

It was probably a reflection of how spoiled he had been, but Gaius was long past that point.

After ten minutes or so, the Memory Sifter freed Lia from her grasp.

“Ahh. That’s great.” She shook her shoulders. “Do the two of you want to try it out? It promotes blood circulation and everything.”

“I think we’ll pass, thank you,” said Gaius.

Isabelle nodded her head. “Let’s return to the main topic at hand first, shall we?”

“If you say so.” The smiley expression on Emily Lorenze’s face faded away. “I understand that the two of you have forged your own path and everything, so I will not make any demands whatsoever. At most, you two can come back once a year or something.”

The three nodded.

“And you, Lia, bring your partner along. Right. What happened to your father?”

“Father?” Isabelle trembled. “He died in the Second Extermination.”

The Memory Sifter’s expression faltered for the first time. “He…died?”

“Yes,” Isabelle replied.

“I-I see. His grave…”

“There was no body,” Isabelle replied. “Nothing remains.”

“Who was responsible?”

“From what grandmother said, it seems to be the person responsible for driving you out.” Isabelle clenched her fist. “Don’t worry, mother. Stay here and relax. I’ll bring his head for you.”

“Very well.” She turned to Gaius. “Watch over her and make sure she doesn’t come to any harm, okay?”

“You don’t need to tell me that,” Gaius replied. “Still…”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

“Well,” said the Memory Sifter, “enough of the depressing stuff. Now, it’s time to set you two at ease. I know you’re probably worried about my presence here. Arthur probably spewed some nonsense about me being kidnapped by the beastfolk, egged on by that fake friend of his. So, be at ease. I’m here of my own volition.”

She grinned. “Besides, I’m instrumental for the upcoming war. So many artefacts…”

The whole family, by the looks of it, was made up of artefact fanatics.

“Right, mother!” Isabelle bounced up and down. “I have an idea I want to run through you…”