The two of us stepped into Al's dorm room building a short time later. The security guards at the front desk nodded at us, recognizing us. We were quickly becoming regulars here, with the frequency with which we visited him.

"Here we go again," Stella mused.

"Yep," I said. "Same old, same old."

We stepped into the elevator, taking it up to the upper floors.

"So... Braveheart Kitsune? Kaz?" I whispered.

"Yep. I had strong suspicions, but I confirmed it when he showed us that locket. My... mom left me with a a picture of all four members of their team untransformed. She was definitely older in Kaz's locket than in my picture, but she had the same face, the exact same smile, and the same twinkle in her eyes. And the he confirmed her name."

Stella sighed. "From the way sounds, he definitely already knew your identity, and was probably going nuts with how we all took out Scrapper Scuttler the way we did."

I really couldn't blame him.

Scrapper Scuttler was a supervillain way above our level, and those of us still standing had to pull out every last trick in our bags. If he really was Storm Vixen's son, seeing Stella and I pull out moves his deceased mother's teammates used would have been a shock. He'd definitely been shocked to see me transform into my 'Soul Forge' state. He had no idea why that was, but I'd definitely surprised him, even if I couldn't remember it.

Stella continued. "And in the same vein, Braveheart Kitsune used an ability only a handful of people know how to do. Storm Vixen's Lightning Overdrive, which she taught to her teammates, Emberline, and a few friends. I'm almost 100% certain she didn't pass that down to anyone else, so there are maybe a dozen or so people at most that could use that."

"Which is why you asked him if he knew how to use Raijin's.... whatever, to pull off that combination attack we did and get me close enough to finish him off."

Stella nodded. "Exactly. I didn't know if they had relation to each other, but seeing a boy with fox ears spam Lightning Overdrive was too much of a coincidence for me to overlook."

I bit my lips. "I wonder if Kaz approached us with that locket just to see if we were who he thought we were."

"Maybe. He's a little awkward. But it's a cute sort of awkward. He's gotta breathe more, though. I've only met him once as Kitsune and Kazuki separately, but I know that much."

I laughed. "You're right. He definitely doesn't breathe enough."

Frowning, I tugged at my hair. "Speaking of cute... why is my hair done like this? What happened to the frizz? How?!"

Stella gave me a look that said 'really?'

"Because you're my little sister and I want to show you off. And because it looks good on you."

"It's weird," I complained. "I don't look like this normally."

"That's the point," she replied.

She'd tied my short hair into pigtails which hung right over my neck, which looked surprisingly cute on me. She'd looped them with small red ribbons, which were tied into bows. It was a bit too girly for my tastes, but I had to admit it looked nice.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me," I grumbled.

Stella giggled. "Come on. You'll get used to it."

"Nope. No, I'm not. This is not going to happen. I refuse to let it happen. I'm not going to be one of those Magical Girls you read about in the comics that changes their hair every issue or whatever."

Frankly, she made me look close to how her mom did when she was around our age.

I'd never admit it, but it was a little flattering. She'd also applied a thin layer of foundation and blush, and she'd used a bit of lip gloss on my lips. But I refused to let her put on mascara or eyeliner or anything. The whole thing was too much, but she'd done it quickly, and I had to admit I was impressed with the results.

She was really, really good at this ad she'd done it in the span of like, fifteen or twenty minutes, too. I couldn't even do that in an hour by myself.

"Sure," she teased, her voice dripping with mirth. "If that's what you say."

I crossed my arms as the elevator doors opened, stepping into the hallway.

Stella giggled, stepping in time beside me.

I sighed, shaking my head. "You're enjoying this way too much. You know that, right?"

She smiled. "It's fun to see you all dressed up. You're a lot prettier than you give yourself credit for."

I huffed. "Well, I don't do makeup and hair, unlike you, apparently. And I'm not really the girly type, you know. I'm not exactly comfortable wearing all of this."

She rolled her eyes. "I've done nothing. You just need a little bit of a confidence booster. So, I'm giving you one."

I shook my head. "You're nuts."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

The two of us stopped in front of Al's dorm room, and the fragrant smell of food filled the air. I could hear excited shouting from behind the door.

"Damn it!" I heard Kaz's voice say. "That's just cheap as hell."

I heard Albert laugh. "Skill issue, bud. You just have to git gud."

"That was bullshit, and you know it," Kaz grumbled. "That's not even fair!"

Albert laughed.

Stella giggled. "Man, I want in on whatever they're playing," she said. "That sounds like fun."

I sniffed the air, smelling the food. "Mmmmm," I muttered. "Smells good."

Stella gave me a curious look. "What do you think it is?"

I frowned, sniffing again. "Something with shrimp... and maybe star anise?"

Stella sniffed the air again, nodding. "Yeah. That sounds about right. Maybe some kind of slow braise?"

I smiled. "Maybe."

I knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Albert opened it. The smell of food intensified, and my stomach rumbled. I could see a large pot on the stove, with steam rising off of it.

"Hey, girls," Albert said. He looked me up and down for a second, blinking. "Sienna? What'd you do with your—oh. Nevermind. Stella did it, didn't she?"

Stella laughed, nodding. "I did. She needed a bit of an upgrade."

I palmed my face. "You're terrible."

Albert smiled. "It's a good look on you."

I blushed, turning away. "Thanks."

Stella laughed, pushing past me and stepping into the dorm room. "So, what's cooking?"

"My dignity..." Kaz grumbled, sitting on the couch with a controller in his hands.

"Slow-braised chuck roast, sauteed vegetables, and coconut basmati rice," Albert said. "There's also some frozen dim sum."

"Wow," I said. "You made all this?"

Albert smiled. "Hey, remember during that summer you came over every day? When we were 11?"

"Your family was so nice to me."

He nodded, smiling. "Well, mom rarely made me help her when we were expecting you but she always roped me into it when you weren't around. She was a really hard teacher, too. She said that when it came to food, she was very picky. So I learned how to cook a lot of things. And she made me her taste tester when we were working on new dishes."

I poked his belly. "And you got chubby."

"Oof. Hey, I was working on it even today, c'mon." Albert laughed. "But yeah, it's hard to not get fat like that."

I looked behind him, noticing Kaz staring quietly at us. His hair was still tied up in that topknot, framing his boyish features perfectly. He wore a simple white t-shirt with a pair of nice-looking shorts, and he looked a bit on edge.

He looked at me, giving me a shy wave. "Hey, Sienna. Er, I like what you did with your hair."

"Right," I said. "Thank you. It was Stella's doing."

Kaz nodded, smiling at me. "It's nice. You look pretty."

I blushed, turning away. I looked over at Stella, glaring at her as she gave me a grin and thumbs up.

Albert coughed.

"Anyway, before we have any more awkward moments and conversations, how about dinner? It should be about ready. I just need to finish up, garnish it, and take the pot off the stove."

Stella nodded. "Sounds great."

The smell was divine, and my stomach rumbled. Al and his mom were both magicians when it came to food. I hadn't eaten anything since earlier in the afternoon, and my body was craving something to eat.

I turned back to Albert as he stepped back, grabbing a pair of cooking utensils from the drying rack and taking the lid off a wok. A blast of steam rose from the top, and I inhaled the scent.

"Mmmmmm," Stella said. "That smells good."

"Got some dim sum arranged with some greens and a few other things in that one," Albert said. "And then there's the stew. But you'll have to wait for it to finish."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Kaz stepped forward, looking into the wok. "This is really impressive. You have skills."

I laughed.

"What?" he asked. "It smells good."

Albert laughed, shaking his head. "Well, ma prepared a whole bunch of stuff I keep in the freezer. She's a real chef, and I'm just a wannabe. But it works."

I smiled. "I know. And I remember. You guys were really good to me. I can't even tell you how thankful I am."

Kaz frowned. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Let's save the family history stuff for another time. Right now, I want to eat."

"Good plan," Albert replied. "I'll get everything set up. You guys just get comfortable."

"Will do," I said. "Come on, guys, let's get the table ready."

I walked over to the dining room table, grabbing plates and utensils and setting them up. My shoulders burned a bit from the strain of lifting weights, and I felt a twinge in my lower back. But it was a manageable pain, and one that was already going away. The soreness was slowly going away, too, and I didn't feel as tired as I did earlier. Maybe shower helped. Or the hugs.

The entire room smelled like delicious, home-cooked food. It was a wonderful smell, and one that made me feel happy inside.

Stella and Kaz both joined in helping me set the dishes, and the three of us quickly had everything prepared.

A few minutes later, Albert walked in with a large plate of food. Bright green broccoli, sauteed peppers, and a large selection of steamed and fried dim sum. He served everyone a couple of pieces of dim sum and set the plate down in front of us, before turning to the kitchen and coming back with the pot in tow.

I sat down across from Kaz as he stared down at his plate. He gingerly picked up a piece of crispy tofu, taking a bite out of it. His eyes widened as he chewed, and he quickly devoured the rest of the piece.

"This is good," he said, looking over at Albert.

"It's a special recipe," Al replied. "One of my mom's old creations."

"Really?"

"Yep."

I looked down at the food, picking up a piece of tofu. It was soft and gooey, and the fried outer skin was crispy and crunchy, with just the right amount of texture. A single piece of shrimp peeked out at the side, wrapped in the tofu. I took a bite, letting the flavor fill my mouth.

"The trick is to use a combination of spices in the batter," Albert said. "Mom likes to use a mixture of turmeric, garlic powder, chili pepper, corn starch and egg to bind it all and—"

"A bit of paprika, and a dash of white pepper. With a tiny pinch of sichuan peppercorn and mushroom powder for a kick as the secret ingredient," Kaz finished. "I know this recipe. My dad passed one like it to me. He and mom used to make it together."

Al stared down at the plate of food, a pensive look crossing his face as paused with the pot in hand.

"Huh."

He finished pouring the stew into a large bowl and set it back on the stove, turning the burner off.

"Coconut rice is self-serve from the rice maker," he said, gesturing at the machine. "Anyway, Kaz... are you okay?"

Kaz swallowed. "Not really. I mean, yeah. Still a bit in shock over yesterday, to be honest."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll be fine, though. Just some messed-up emotional baggage."

Stella nodded. "We know the feeling."

"Yeah," I agreed.

I looked over at Stella, who was sitting next to me. She made eye contact with me and nodded.

"So, I wanted to talk about that, actually," she said. "About yesterday."

Kaz nodded. "Yeah. We should probably discuss that."

Stella sighed. "Well, we all know each other's identities, and we're in this together, so I think it's time we come clean. Just, keep in mind that this is a huge secret. And I don't intend on using that form unless my back is seriously against the wall."

She looked at Kaz, then at me, then at Albert.

"Sienna is my half-sister."

Kaz's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. "What?"

"Sienna is my half-sister," she repeated. "We have the same father, but our moms are different."

"Your moms?" Kaz said.

Stella nodded. "I'm the daughter of Arcadia Vox. Your mother's teammate. The Sovereign adopted me when I was very young, after Arcadia Vox died. But Sienna and I have the same father. Our father is... was Paladis."

Kaz stared at Stella in shock, his jaw hanging open. He blinked, and then looked over at me.

"You two?"

Stella and I both nodded in unison.

Kaz put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair.

"Okay," he said. "Okay. So... the two of you are sisters. Half-sisters. My father told me about my mother, and I did get training from some of her old friends, like you said. So... you two are sisters. Okay. I can deal with that."

He took a deep breath. "Right."

I nodded. "Yeah. We've been dealing with it for a few days now, and we're still processing it. Stella actively came here to Kaleidoscope to seek me out. She learned about me from my mother, who she met a few weeks ago. She didn't know about me until then."

Kaz shook his head, and his gaze darted between us.

"Okay," he said. "Okay. So you're sisters. That's fine. That's... that's not the craziest thing in the world. I just... I can't believe Paladis had two daughters. I mean, people always suspected he and Vox had something going on with the amount of chemistry they had, but Arcadia Vox was a queer icon and nobody ever had proof. People still speculate about it. It was in a lot of the old tabloids about her. So I can't believe that... I mean... wow. That's a lot to take in. But I can't blame him, either."

Albert laughed. "Yeah. I can understand the feeling. It's a bit of a shock."

Kaz nodded. "Well, Stella said it earlier, and I'm going to repeat it. We're all in this together. We all know each others' secret identities. If you're okay with that, then I am, too."

He paused for a second, and then continued. "So, what does it mean to you?"

Stella looked over at me, and I met her gaze.

"I... I'm still not sure," I said. "It's complicated, but we wanted to talk about things in private with you because a lot of details about the final raid don't make any sense. We're trying to get to the bottom of things."

Stella nodded. "I try not to be conspiratorial about things, but yeah, we do have some details about that day. About how your mother supposedly died. There was something strange about that fight. Something that was covered up."

Kaz's expression turned stony. "I'm listening."

Stella and I shared a look, and I nodded.

"Well, to start, please promise not to freak out about what we're going to say next," I said. "It's going to sound unbelievable, and maybe even a little crazy. But I promise you it's true."

"Ominous. I don't like the sound of that," Kaz replied, frowning. "I'm going to freak out a bit, but I'll try not to let it get to me. Just... tell me the truth. Please."

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.

"Hopeful Heart Alchemy..." I whispered.

"Shadow Bolt..."

An orb of shadowy energy formed in my hand, and I felt my body shift. My hair grew out, forming into twin braided and ribboned pigtails that flowed halfway down my back. A bright light flashed around me, and I could feel the transformation wash over my skin.

Kaz's face paled, and he stood, his chair flying backward.

"My mother... wasn't just a Magical Girl. She was also a villain. A supervillain, to be precise. She's the reason for all of this," I said.

"She... she... then... she killed her!"

My eyes widened.

"I fucking knew it. She's the reason my mother died!"

He stared at me, and his expression turned angry.

Kaz glared at me, and I saw tears well up in his eyes as he balled his hands into fists.

I shook my head. "No, you don't understand. She was—"

Kaz grit his teeth, and a shimmering field of green mana surrounded him. A tail appeared behind him, swishing back and forth angrily. His ears flattened to the side as they appeared, and his brows furrowed.

"Cool it!" Albert's voice suddenly boomed across the room, startling all three of us. "Look at me. Both of you."

He stood up, staring at Kaz. He looked oddly intimidating and cuddly at the same time while wearing his kitchen apron.

"You need to calm down. Let her finish. She knows what she's talking about. I trust her more than anyone else. And if you saw Sienna's mom growing up like I did? Shit. With the context we have now, the way Mrs. Russo's life went tells me she's spent the last fifteen years letting all that guilt eat away at her. You're going to hear her out, because she knows a hell lot about the situation that you and I don't."

I looked at Al in shock. I had never seen him like this before.

Al looked at me. "Tell him the rest. I know it's hard, but you need to. He needs to know., and I can't help but be morbidly curious myself."

Stella stood up beside me, her hand on my shoulder.

I swallowed nervously.

"My mom, the person I knew as my mom, was... Nightingale Eclipse. She was a Magical Girl that fought alongside your mom, and with Stella's mom too."

I turned to Albert. "And Al? All those years you spent speculating about the duel just for fun? Without either of us knowing about my relationship with that whole drama? You were right."

Kaz blinked and took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper like that. I just... I had suspicions. It was hard for my dad and me, and it's been hard. I just... I've spent so many years wondering how it happened. Why it happened. What could have been done. And I've had this hate inside me for the people responsible. I've dedicated my whole life to making things right where she ffaileed. So when you dropped that bombshell, I just... I'm sorry. I told myself I wouldn't, and that wasn't fair."

"It's okay," I said. "But do try not to freak out about this next part."

Kaz sighed. "I won't."

I took a deep breath too, willing my transformation away. "Kaz?"

"Y-yeah?" he asked as his tail and ears reverted to normal.

"Your mother was not to supposed to die that day. In fact, with what Stella and I have gathered, she and my mother were actually in on a plan together."

Stella nodded. "The infamous duel between Storm Vixen and Nightingale Eclipse? Choreographed and staged."

He looked between us. "So... so wait. Do you mean..."

"Nightingale Eclipse was a double agent. The whole thing was a ploy to get Storm Vixen close enough to Nox."

Kaz paled. "You... you can't be serious. She..."

I nodded. "The whole thing was a ruse. I still don't understand what went wrong, but something went very wrong. They were planning to take out Nox in a surprise attack. Stella and I have information from someone in on the plan that can confirm this, and we've been working together to find out the truth. So, Kaz, please. Please believe me when I tell you this: my mother never betrayed yours."

Kaz's face had gone white, and he sat back, falling into another chair. He buried his head in his hands.

"That... that can't be true. You're lying. That's not possible."

I shook my head. "We can't out our contact just yet, but we have strong evidence to support this. I'm sorry, Kaz. I really am. I know this must be hard for you to accept."

Kaz looked up at me, his eyes wide. "I can't believe this."

Stella chimed in. "Kaz, we're telling the truth. Nightingale Eclipse turned coat very early on, and was working with Arcadia Vox and the rest of the resistance. But... they threw Nightingale underneath a bus. They needed to keep up an act, and she had to maintain that illusion. But... that was why the duel was choreographed. It was a ploy to get Storm Vixen close enough to Nox to take her out."

He looked up, furrowing his brows before sighing. "Okay.... Okay... let's say I accept this for now. What happened, then?"

I sighed, looking over at Stella.

She took a deep breath. "Well, we don't know. Nobody does."

"Say what?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. How was I supposed to even frame this?

Stella and I shared another look.

"Well, that's where things get weird... because nobody actually saw your mother die. She... she just vanished. Everyone just went with the narrative that she died because she never showed back up," I explained.

Kaz stared at us in shock. "She... she never showed back up? The hell does that mean? So you're telling me my mother is just... missing?!"

Stella and I both looked at each other again.

"Yeah. Basically. She just vanished," Stella deadpanned.

Kaz's expression darkened. "You've gotta be kidding."

Stella shrugged. "No. I wish I was. Like we said, she had enough left in the tank to take on Mortifera fucking Nox herself, and was favored to win. She would've leveled half the fortress if she'd been killed."

Al sighed. "That's a whole lotta crazy in a nutshell."

"Damn," Kaz muttered. "I... I need to process this. All of this. I don't know how to handle this right now, and it's a lot to take in."

"You and me both, buddy," Stella said. "But we're all in this together. We'll figure it out."

I looked around the table. "We're all friends here, Kaz. We're gonna help each other through this."

Albert nodded in agreement. "We've got your back. You're not alone in this anymore."

Stella smiled at him. "You're a good dude, Albert. We're lucky to have you."

I smiled at him too, nodding. "Yeah. You're the best."

Kaz smiled. "Thanks, guys... I uh, I appreciate that. It's still a lot, but sheesh. I've had that hanging over my head for a while."

I grabbed a piece of broccoli from the plate of dim sum, popping it into my mouth and chewing.

"Well," I said. "Let's get to work on this and forget about the family drama for now, yeah?"

The others nodded.

Stella grabbed a bowl of stew and took a spoonful. "Yeah. Let's do that. This is delicious."

We all dug in to the food. Albert was a good cook. It was delicious, and the flavors were perfect. The coconut rice and braised meat was savory, the vegetables were perfectly seasoned, and the fried tofu and shrimp were perfectly cooked.

The entire situation was a lot to take in, and I was still reeling from learning about my connection to Stella and our moms. And Kaz was probably feeling the same way. We all were. It wasn't the easiest thing to deal with.

But we would deal with it together another day.