"So, how have you been?" Twilight Aster asked as we left the office and walked down the hallway together. "Aside from... what I've already been briefed on regarding your particularly excessive assessment exam."

"Er, alright, I guess," I muttered, looking down at my feet as I followed after her. "I mean, uh... I don't really know. Things are kind of... well. I dunno. I mean... well... yeah."

I didn't really want to say anything about my recent brush with death in the training exercise, or my... complicated family life.

She laughed lightly.

"You're a terrible liar, Lux."

"Er, sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. "I'm just... well, that experience took me right back to all we went through."

"I understand. Reliving that experience must be harrowing. Even the strongest of us were pushed to our limits that day, and the world was not prepared for such an unprecedented event. We were spread far too thin that day."

I looked at her, and saw a small, sad smile cross her face.

"But we did what we could, and saved who we could. And now, we have to live with the aftermath," she added quietly. "Even though it hurts, and it hurts so much every single day."

I nodded.

"Yeah... I know how that feels." I swallowed, feeling the familiar knot of sadness and anger rise up in my chest again.

She sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, there's only so much we can do, and even the magical knights aren't all-powerful. We do what we can to protect those that can't protect themselves, but sometimes..." she trailed off for a moment, looking down at her feet as we walked.

"It doesn't seem fair, does it?" she finished after a moment.

"No." I shook my head. "No... no it doesn't."

I sucked in a breath.

"Just seeing people torn apart or turned into monsters because they stood at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I... I don't know. It feels so... random. So cruel. Like, why did I get an emergency contract and become a magical girl, and the random unlucky person on the other end of the street was mauled and turned into a mindless, raging zombie?"

I frowned, feeling a pang of guilt rise up in my chest. I had seen that happen. I had seen that multiple times.

Twilight Aster gave me a sad smile.

"That is a question that all of us eventually ask ourselves," she said, placing her hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "We're only human. Even those of us who have the powers to fight back, who are fighting for something greater, we can only do so much."

She took her hand off my shoulder, and we continued to walk for a few moments.

"I just wish that things were different, you know? That I could make a difference in all this, somehow," I murmured.

"You already have... Sienna." Twilight Aster stated softly. "The fact that you are here now is proof of that."

I looked up at her.

"During those days of chaos and bloodshed, when the world fell to pieces, you did everything you could. And not only did you survive the worst the universe could throw at you, but you even saved thousands of lives through your actions, including mine."

I felt the heat rise up in my cheeks, but I didn't say anything.

"I would not have survived had you not risked your life for me," she said. "Had you not made the trek to that pharmacy — with hardly any control over your powers while I was incapacitated in the church, my injuries would have taken me out of the fight. If it wasn't for you, and what you did, then... well, I'd probably be dead."

"I... thank you." I mumbled. "I didn't really..."

"There is no need to thank me. It was your bravery that allowed me to continue living, and fighting, even though I know it wasn't easy. And it will be hard in the future as well." She paused, and gave me a small smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thanks," I muttered again, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "I just wish... you know. I wish I could do more, you know?"

"I know." She patted me on the shoulder again, giving me a comforting squeeze. "That's the hardest part, isn't it? But that's why we are here. To learn how to make that difference."

"I guess so," I sighed.

I looked at her as she led me down the hall and out into a courtyard, and I couldn't help but feel a weird sense of security.

Aster seemed so... strong. And confident. And just... so much older than I felt.

It made me wonder what it must have been like for her, coming into adulthood in a world where these things happened every day. She'd been badly injured by a Juggernaut in the opening hours of the apocalypse, but she still pieced herself together just enough to continue fighting. To help me save Al and the civilians in Refuge Zeta.

She'd been a hero, a real hero, and now, here she was. She'd seen so much, done so much, and she still seemed to have a good heart.

It was hard to imagine how she managed to maintain a positive outlook, given all the horrible, nightmarish stuff she must have gone through, and yet, here she was, walking me through the school grounds as my mentor and... well, friend.

"I know it's not easy," she said. "I wish I could give you an easy solution, or something to make all this go away, or a magic pill to take all this pain away. But, unfortunately, there's no such thing."

"I understand that," I said. "But... it doesn't make things easier, you know?"

She nodded.

"It's okay to feel that way. To feel like you want to do more, or wish you could do something different." She looked down at me. "It is a sign of a healthy mind that you are able to feel that way, even if it's difficult for you."

I smiled slightly.

"Thanks." I muttered again. "I... just wish... I don't know."

"It's alright, Sienna. I'm sure we will figure something out, one step at a time." Twilight Aster said with a reassuring nod. "But for now, let's focus on what we're doing here. Let's get you into a good, healthy place first and then see what we can do about the rest of the world. Okay?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She winked at me, and I smiled a bit.

"Yeah. Yeah... yeah. Alright," I nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"Good," she replied, grinning at me. "So, how are you liking the Academy so far? How are your classmates? How is Albert doing?"

I chuckled nervously.

"Well, uh... the food's really good? As for my classmates, it turns out a lot of them didn't take well to the fact I was an emergency contractee. So that made things a bit awkward for a couple days. Albert's been healing up well, though."

"Oh," she replied, looking at me sympathetically. "That's... well, that's unfortunate. I take it that it is an ongoing issue?"

"Hopefully not. As badly designed as I think Tesseract's exercise was, I think it wound up working out in our favor. We had to rely on each other, and I got to talk to a few of them. So that should relieve things with them a little. Hopefully."

"Well, that is good to hear," she replied. "If it does not become an ongoing issue, then it will likely fade from their thoughts in the next few days. I wouldn't worry too much about it now that you've fought together."

I nodded.

"Albert's doing better," I said, trying to change the subject. "Full recovery. We don't have a lot of course overlap, unfortunately, since he's taking the field tech support classes and I'm not, but I'll still go out of the way to hang out with him. I still can't thank you enough for helping him. He would have been a goner if not for you. I know that."

She laughed, and gave me a small smile.

"I was glad to help him, and I'm glad to see that you're both doing well. That boy is special. He's very important to you, isn't he?" she asked, a soft look in her eye.

I beamed at her.

"He is," I admitted, a smile creeping onto my face. "I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to him."

"I am sure that nothing will," she reassured me. "He seems strong and brave and capable of taking care of himself. I think that you two will make a great team together. You both have each other's backs, and that's more than most people can say."

"Team?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. "Al isn't exactly a Pioneer nor a Knight, although I think it's a travesty he wasn't recruited."

"I'm sure he is fine where he is," she replied. "But you two have been through a lot together, and that's the kind of bond that can last for a lifetime, even if you aren't in the same classes or training. And I'm sure you two will be there for each other, no matter what."

I smiled softly.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. He's a good dude. I'm glad that he has my back," I said, looking at her curiously. "But don't people usually need to unlock World Skills at the least to join a magical knight's team? How would we even manage to work together like that if he's just a tech support specialist?"

She shrugged. "It's not that uncommon, truth be told. Pioneers may not have the direct physical enhancements of a magical girl like yourself, but qualifying for even one World Skill accelerates and augments their physical and mental growth and recovery rates. However, they tend to cap out not too far above normal humans in terms of physical ability, although they may have other unique and unusual powers to compensate. There are some exceptions, of course. Someone dedicated to athletic mastery may surpass many magical knights physically. But regardless, Albert's sharp mind and ability to improvise are quite remarkable. That, alone, is enough for many teams."

She looked at me and gave me a knowing look.

"That being said, I would not be too surprised if he developed an interesting ability. There were rumors of a certain... incident with him. One that is quite impressive."

"Huh? Rumors of Al? Like what?"

She smiled mysteriously. "As you know, Nightingale Eclipse used a device that somehow stabilized and contained the spread of the 'APOPHIS' corruption during that week of darkness. What I have been told, in confidence, was that Albert, of all people, managed to somehow contain and stall its effects at a localized level as we fought through Refuge Zeta. It was likely done through a speech and... a rather powerful display of vulnerability on the airwaves. I have not heard the specifics of this event. It was kept highly classified for his own protection, but... we do know that a sharp wave of emotional energy was triangulated to the broadcast room of Refuge Zeta."

I blinked, pausing to consider her words.

"A speech?"

"Indeed." She gave me a knowing look, before smiling at me again. "I was told, in no uncertain terms, that the wave of emotional energy saved our city. The world was ending and it was... just him, supervillains by his side, standing up and speaking out. Yet he was surveyed and there is no indication that he has become a Pioneer, despite the fact he should have unlocked a World Skill. Which is quite peculiar, if I may say."

She looked at me thoughtfully.

"I'm curious to see how this plays out," she murmured.

"Albert, huh," I murmured. "Well. He's always been full of surprises."

"You know him better than anyone else would, I suppose."

I chuckled and smiled at her.

"Yeah... I guess so," I admitted. "He really is a good guy."

I felt the warmth of pride rise up in my chest, as well as a pang of concern.

"I just hope nothing happens to him, because of whatever happened then," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Twilight Aster asked, frowning.

"Something strange happened while I was battling the monsters with your teammates," I explained, thinking back to the final confrontation. "I felt a sudden surge of power, like my hairs standing on end. And then the... monsters made a beeline for him. They ignored everyone else in the field, even me. They wanted him, specifically."

"Indeed?" She looked at me curiously.

"Yeah. I mean, I'd have chalked that up to coincidence if it weren't for what you just told me. Like the monster I was fighting was borrowing Red Masque's sentience and going after someone to hurt me instead of fighting me directly. They wanted Al."

I swallowed nervously.

I had a sudden sinking feeling, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what.

"It was... I don't know how to explain it. They went for him. I mean, it wasn't just him they were after. They wanted both of us. And... and it's weird. I just feel like there's something about him that I'm missing, but I don't know what."

I frowned.

I had this sudden nagging feeling that I'd forgotten something. Something important.

Something I couldn't put my finger on, but something that was there nonetheless. I tried to remember.

But no, it wasn't anything specific.

I shook my head, sighing.

"I'm just... worried. About him. He's my best friend. And I don't know why, but... I just feel like I missed something important, or forgot something."

Twilight Aster looked at me curiously, and she nodded.

"I can see that you're concerned about him," she said. "You two are close, after all, and you want to protect him."

I nodded.

"Yes," I replied. "It's just that... I don't know. It's not really rational, I guess."

She nodded again. "I understand. It is natural to worry. Especially in these times."

I smiled at her. "Yeah."

"But for now, try not to worry about it. It will just make you crazy."

"I know. I know." I took a deep breath. "It's just that... I'm scared for him, and I'm worried for him. I'm worried for both of us, I suppose. It's a lot, considering I just had to experience getting my throat ripped out."

"That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself," she replied. "And I don't think it is helpful."

She paused for a moment.

"Anyway, do you have anything planned for tonight? Dinner, perhaps? I'm sure you are probably quite hungry, and it will do you good to get some rest."

"Yeah," I admitted, nodding. "I could definitely use something to eat. I'm meeting a new friend for lunch later, actually."

"Ah, a new friend?" she asked. "I am glad to hear that."

"She's really nice," I said. "I mean, she's a bit hyper and kind of overeager at times, but... yeah. She's nice. I'm glad we're friends now. She's got some fantastic energy. Swings between reserved and dorky, and pure ass kicker in an instant. And I don't mean that lightly, either. The girl can punch."

"I'm sure you have much to discuss, then." Twilight Aster nodded. "Well, I hope you enjoy yourself, Sienna. I will see you later."

"Alright," I replied. "So erm, about training..."

"Emberline's sending me the details. Don't worry, we'll start off simple and work up to the heavy stuff. In a week or so I'll send you a schedule, alright? I'm really curious to see how far you can tap my Starlight Magic and Verdant Art, and it might give us a clue into your potential abilities. That's what I think we'll focus on for our one-on-one mentor sessions. Does that sound fine to you, Lux?"

I nodded.

"That's fine, Aster. Thank you."

She beamed at me.

"Don't mention it. Now, if you will excuse me, we're about to step out of the administrative building's barrier and into the rest of campus. If you need me, just shoot me a text."

With that, Twilight Aster stepped forward, the world around her rippled and shimmered, and she stepped through to the bustling campus beyond.

I blinked, and rubbed my eyes, watching her leave.

Then I turned around, looking at the courtyard.

"Well," I muttered, "I guess that was that, then."

I summoned my Nexus Device and looked at the clock.

Albert still hadn't replied to my texts or my call.

That was unusual.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, and decided that I had better go find him. I had a bit of time before I was supposed to meet with Ichigo in the mess hall. But it would still be good to see him and make sure he was alright, especially since I didn't have anything else to do for now.

I frowned.

He'd better be okay.

Maybe I was just worrying too much, or I'd missed a message somewhere along the line. It wasn't like it was completely out of character for him to disappear without notice, after all. But still...

I was worried, and I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling.

"Al," I murmured. "I hope you're alright, buddy."

I sighed, and headed out through the barrier.