'...Is it just me or is that ritual that sketchy?' Diamanes questioned curiously. Glenn gulped with difficulty as he chewed on his fingernails. After their discussion, Giselle led them to the Alsaahir's large tent. The latter refused to live in a house of brick and stones, and much preferred the "comfort" of a tent.

Sahro was standing guard outside as the Alsaahir drew some blood from Liara under Giselle's careful watch. Lina had woken up a few minutes ago and was looking at the process with wide-opened eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Glenn asked his little sister for the thirteenth time. She didn't even bother replying or looking at him, tired of his antics.

'Don't worry too much, in the worst-case scenario she just transforms into a horrible monster that you'll have to terminate yourself. What is one dead sister in a lifetime?' Diamanes jeered, enjoying the sight of his host paling with each passing second.

Nelg sighed, "Don't listen to that idiot, Glenn. Everything is going to be fine. Giselle said you could trust the Alsaahir, didn't she?"

'That's the issue,' Glenn winced worriedly, 'I trust Giselle, but not to the point of putting my sister's life in her hands. Nor in anyone else's anyway.'

To that, Nelg couldn't say anything.

"Sit here, child. I'll be starting in a second, I simply must ask something of your blood before," The Alsaahir patted Lina's shoulder reassuringly before dragging Glenn away from prying ears. The Alsaahir looked at Glenn and his left arm, before glancing at Lina's similarly purple hand.

"You and that child..." The Alsaahir clicked their tongue, "You are both housing something not from this world, am I right?"

Glenn creased his eyebrows as his fingers tensed up, "...How can you tell?"

The Alsaahir chuckled and shook her head, "I can't. But our ancestors can, and they are very worried. I knew you would come, Child of the Stars. I hope you won't stray from your path."

The mysterious Black Heir turned away, leaving Glenn confused and even more lost than before. Diamanes smacked his lips, 'Okay, I guess she knows I and Tiamanes exist. So what?'

"I don't know, Diamanes. I honestly don't know..." Glenn muttered as he rubbed his forehead. Child of the Stars? What was that even about? His usage of magic, or his specialty, Astral Sorcery maybe? Why was it that the more he learned about this world, the more confused he was? Would he even see the completed puzzle one day?

"I will start the ritual," The Alsaahir warned as she stood above Lina, who was sitting on the floor patiently. Liara respectfully stepped out of the tent, not without whispering a "Good luck" in Glenn's ear. Why would he need "good luck"? Why was every sign pointing at this being a terrible idea?

'I should stop it...' Glenn struggled as he fought against himself. No, the others were right, this was his sister's choice, and he didn't have a word in the matter.

...But still—

'Please stop thinking and let us watch the show,' Diamanes interrupted Glenn's thoughts, annoyed. Nelg grumbled in agreement. Glenn sighed and stepped back, his arms crossed.

"No matter what, hold on and push through," The Alsaahir warned before using Liara's blood to draw something on Lina's forehead. Lina gulped tensely as the Alsaahir then drew runes all around her while muttering inaudibly. She ran out of blood the exact moment she finished painting the runes.

A moment later, the runes began glowing with a red glow. The Alsaahir started speaking at an increased speed while dancing in a slow, broken rhythm around Lina. Glenn's Mana Sight suddenly activated without him willing for it, letting him see something appear in the Alsaahir's chest, a...seed. The glowing runes began to float in the air, spinning around like hundreds of fairies.

Lina's head suddenly loosened and she collapsed on the floor with spasms, foaming at the mouth. Her eyes were still wide open, bloodshot, and the rune drawn in blood on her forehead was glowing with an increasingly intensifying strength. Glenn almost darted forward, but Giselle suddenly grabbed his shoulder and effortlessly pulled him back. He was about to shout at her to let him go, but she slammed her hand against his mouth and pointed the other at the ritual.

The Alsaahir was contorting in all sorts of creative and scary manners, the runes following their movements. Lina rose from the floor, floating above it as the blood runes began entering her body one after the other. The seed the Alsaahir was keeping in their chest also floated out, waiting for its turn. Glenn watched in awe as all of the runes dove into his sister's chest, with the seed eventually following suit. A white mark appeared on Lina's forehead, gleaming with untapped power.

"Child of the Stars..." The Alsaahir suddenly spoke in an otherworldly voice. Glenn turned his head, thinking they were talking about him, but no, they were looking at Lina.

"May you bath in Aura, and breath in the Mana, for your path is that of freedom and infinity...On my authority, may the Ancestors be witnesses of this child's Inheritance, for she will bring great honor to the Black Heirs." The Alsaahir blew air on her face before falling on her back, heaving with difficulty. Lian suddenly stopped floating and collapsed on the floor, the white mark on her forehead glowing gently.

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Glenn hurriedly dashed to her side and pressed his hand against her neck, sighing as found a pulse. It didn't seem like she was transforming into a monster either, so...

"It seems like everythin' went as planned. Thank the Ancestors..." Giselle exhaled in relief, startling Glenn.

"Wait, I thought you were considering this whole mess safe?" He exclaimed in disbelief. She grimaced and shrugged helplessly, "Knowin' and seein' are two different things, young man."

The Alsaahir forced themselves up on trembling legs, "She will need rest. She was a surprisingly good match for the Lùtharen's blood. She may have Inherited powers hardly matched by current Black Heirs..." The Alsaahir walked out while holding their back, grumbling. Giselle hurriedly ran after them to make sure they were okay, leaving Glenn to his sister.

The latter pushed the sweat-drenched lock of hair on her forehead, gazing at the white mark on her forehead, the Inheritance Sigil.

It looked like an eight-branch star.

"Childs of the star...At least we're matching..." Glenn sighed and lifted his sister. Sahro and Liara peeked in curiously.

"Is it over?" Sahro asked, "Did your sister survive or...?"

Liara smacked the back of Sahro's head and walked up to Glenn, "Everything went well, it seems," She concluded when she saw Lina peacefully resting in Glenn's arms. The latter nodded with a wide relieved smile.

"So it seems. I think I would have killed the Alsaahir and Giselle if something went wrong..."

Sahro clicked his tongue, "Don't say that, we know you're not joking."

Glenn chuckled and brought back Lina to the guest house the Maron Company had built for them specifically would they need to visit New Hope. After tucking Lina in, Glenn, Liara, and Sahro rejoined in the dining room, sitting around a table.

"Alright, that's one thing done," Glenn sighed in satisfaction. He looked at his friends and crossed his arms, "What do you guys intend to do now?" He frowned and added, "No, more specifically, what are your goals? Sahro, no matter what you say, you were initially forced into my party to help me rescue Callum. That's done." He turned to Liara and continued, "And you, Liara..." he raised an eyebrow and made a mocking smile, "Or should I call you Princess?"

Liara rolled her eyes, "Liara works just fine. Don't..." She pressed her lips together, "Don't treat me any differently, please."

Glenn chuckled, "Noted. Anyway, you've always just been hanging around. But you too, what do you want now? I need to know to try and plan things out, you know?"

Sahro grunted and leaned back in his seat, "Now that we're done with the other bastard, I want to go back to the Ink Dunes. Remember that old temple I told you about, with the truth about whose Heirs we are? I want to find it."

Glenn nodded, "A respectable goal."

Liara sighed, "And I...I think I want to help the Black Heirs regain their lost prestige. But I'm not strong enough for that. I'm just a True Initiate and a Knight, I don't nearly have the strength to rule over my people. If I even have the right to consider them as such..."

Sahro scoffed, "Nonsense. You're more than fit for the role, and you're just a little weaker than me. That's plenty strong enough."

Glenn watched with a silent smile. Liara moistened her lips and shook her head, "I appreciate the support, Sahro, but no, it's not enough. New Hope doesn't need me, they have Giselle, who is at one stage above us. No, I want to become much stronger, at least a Saint or an Archmagi..." Her eyes were filled with resolve as she looked up, "...And I want to find all our people scattered in the world. And maybe I can bring them back to New Hope, and start rebuilding with the town as an outpost? I'm not sure how the future will go, but I know that I must step up, and for that, I need the power to do so."

Glenn whistled, impressed, "How inspiring!" He paused and laughed in awe, "Hey, now that I think about it, that makes two highborns in our party, counting Milena!"

Sahro snorted, "And what a party. The First Heiress, a Munirp's Noble, an Otherworlder, and a bastard Black Heir. Too bad the other silent creep left us, or it would have truly been the perfect team."

Liara smiled with slight dejection while Glenn looked away, his grin fading away. Javier was probably dead anyway, a victim of Exan's onslaught. There were good chances for his body to have been reduced to a pile of ash mixing with the black sand of the desert, lost forever.

"What a way to ruin the mood!" Diamanes suddenly exclaimed aloud, surprising everyone around the table. Glenn grimaced and almost slapped his hand on the table but the entity stopped him.

"What's your next goal then, Glenn? Toppling a God, killing a noble, what's next?" Diamanes grinned wickedly in expectation. Glenn rubbed his chin and glanced back at Lina's room.

"First...I think it won't be bad to rest for a little while. We have to wait for Milena's return, might as well use the opportunity to take a break," He said with a soft voice.

Diamanes yawned loudly, "Boooring~! Well, let's admit you take your rest, what's the next big thing? Come on, we need to know what we're working toward!" The entity exclaimed excitedly.

Glenn looked at his left, purple palm and grinned wickedly, "There is one noble I'd like to investigate, a certain Count Mortelli responsible for Redan's demise. The Occult Wanderers are also a thing I'd like to look into." He paused and his grin suddenly grew predatorily, "Oh, and how could we forget about the Thorn's Cult? I do have a feud with the entire religion, after all."

Diamanes laughed, "Haha, those are goals I can get behind! Fighting nobility, secret societies, and cults! That's fun! That's what living is!"

Liara shook her head, the corner of her lips curved upward, "I wonder if we're not becoming too much like heroes of stories... Fighting evil is a thing we do quite often, after all."

Sahro smirked, "If being a hero means I can find the truth and become the strongest, then I'm more than fine being one."

"Heroes...I'm not sure I can accept the ethical implications of that," Glenn snorted, "I have a little too much blood on my hands for that. And I might have become a little psychopathic too, considering how easy killing has become for me."

Liara and Sahro looked at him strangely. Glenn looked back at them and raised his hands helplessly, "What?! Sorry, but it's still daunting to think about! I'm already a war hero after all, I might as well have become the main villain in Orcs' books!"

He laughed it off and glanced at his sister's room one last time.

'In the end, it doesn't matter. Returning to Earth...is not even something I want to do. The only important thing to me is to make sure that everyone I care for is safe. The rest is simply...' His lips curved upward in Diamanes' wicked manner.

'...Entertainment.'