I yawned as I walked down the hall away from the lecture hall, stretching my arms out.

The sun had gone down a bit, casting long shadows across the carpeted floors and walls of the hallway.

I checked the time. I was done for today, and the day had gone well, considering. The soreness had subsided and I was feeling pretty good.

Maybe it was a good idea to hit the gym? A few more sets couldn't hurt. I was a magical girl and knights were known to heal faster than regular people. I was probably in the clear. It'd be pretty tough to fit in tonight, but I could probably get some time in after dinner.

But, before that, there was another thing I needed to do. Something I hadn't been looking forward to but that I knew I'd have to deal with eventually.

I paused in front of a glass pane in the main hallway, frowning at my reflection.

Stella had given me twin ribboned braided pigtails that made me look like a little girl, given how short I was. It was driving me up the wall. She knew that it bothered me, and that was probably why she did it.

It wasn't even the style. The way they looked was fine, but they made my forehead look huge. And they were just girly enough to make me look more immature than I was.

I pulled out my phone, only to see the smug anime-esque avatar of a girl with black hair and red eyes as I flipped open my lock screen.

Oh boy.

Stella had left me multiple messages through the Nexus network app.

'Nyeheheheheheh~' one of the first ones said, and it was accompanied by a sticker of her avatar laughing with tears in her eyes. 'Foolish mortal, now you see the power I hold!'

'How does it feel to be my dress-up doll, little Lux?' Another message read. It had a sticker of her sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry. It looked a bit like a younger, anime version of her Eris persona.

'Now, what do we say to our goddess when she does something for us, hmm?' Another message said.

'Oh, whoops. You're in class, aren't you?' Yet another message said, followed by a few stickers with a shrug and impish grin. 'Well, don't worry! I'm a benevolent goddess, so I won't get mad if you reply late~'

I paused, looking down at my phone with a deadpan stare.

What did I even say to this?

My sister had sent me a ton of texts and I was still in the middle of trying to get my head around the fact that she even existed, let alone the fact that she was a complete eccentric goofball.

She was so unlike the person I thought she was that it was almost jarring. But it was a welcome change. I could get along with a goofball sister better than a serious, aloof, older sister.

'Are you okay? I hope your day's going well. :c'

'Eris?' I sent.

'Yes, dearest little sister? <3'

'I think your taste in hair leaves a lot to be desired. Also, the ribbon colors clash with my skin. And my face. And also reality.'

'GASP'

'D:<'

'D:< D:< D:<'

I snorted, before a few more texts came through. I could picture her dramatically fainting in a chair, throwing up her limbs in shock.

I smiled. She was an odd one.

'Anyway, wanna meet up then?' I texted, generating an image of my Lux avatar with a sparkling smile.

'Well, you have to come visit my dorm.' she texted back. 'I've got something to show you~'

'Uh. Sure?'

'I'll see you soon, and we can fix this terrible, terrible fashion faux pas that you have been subjected to.'

'Alrighty then,' I texted. 'See you soon. And no more pigtails. Please.'

'Your wish is my command, my little subject~' She texted, and a sticker popped up of her bowing to me in a long flowing black gown with a rose in her mouth.

'By the way, wanna grab dinner with Al later?' I replied.

'I would be delighted, my dearest little subject. I will see you in an hour, and I shall have the perfect hairstyle prepared for you.'

'Bye,' I sent. 'See you in a bit!'

I put my phone away, rolling my eyes.

My sister was a huge dork, and it was great.

Absolutely great. God, she was painfully cringe but endearing.

I kept walking, humming to myself.

I emerged from the academic building, the sun casting golden rays on my face. The sky was clear, and the air was crisp. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

It was a good day.

I headed toward the dorm, thinking about dinner with Al and maybe dragging Stella along. It'd be a good time, even if we didn't eat in the dining hall. I'd be happy with some take-out food and some board games. Or homecooked meals knowing Al.

I walked down the path to the dorms, humming happily to myself, and made my way towards a dorm building at the far end of campus.

There were several different housing complexes on the grounds of the Academy, and I'd yet to see the inside of Stella's building.

It was a pretty plain-looking place, but the front lobby was spacious and modern, and had a lot of amenities.

There were vending machines, a lounge with a big TV, a few computers, and a bunch of comfy-looking chairs. A security guard sat in a chair, reading a newspaper, and he looked up when I entered the room. He nodded and smiled before returning to his newspaper.

I smiled back, before I went to the elevator and rode it to the third floor.

I walked down the hallway, and knocked on a door at the very end. It had 'Matsudaira' on a nameplate, and the door swung open, revealing the interior.

I blinked, looking around. The door had seemingly swung open on its own, and the lights inside were off. I cautiously walked inside, and closed the door behind me. My eyes darted around the darkened room, searching for a light switch.

I found one and flicked it, but nothing happened.

What the...?

I took another step inside, only for something to grab my ankle from behind. I jumped and tried to pull away, but the grip was strong.

I opened my mouth to scream, only to feel myself fly into the air and the door slam shut behind me. I reacted out of instinct, transforming in a flash of light as the magical energy washed over me. I flipped over, landing on all fours on the floor as I formed a golden orb in my hand.

I looked back and saw a pair of ominous red eyes glowing in the darkness with savage, glowing shark-like teeth that shimmered with a bright silver sheen.

I flinched and shot the orb, only for the red-eyed creature to effortlessly nullify it in a flash of red, before charging at me in blur of motion.

The creature lunged at me, tackling me to the floor and pinning my wrists above my head.

"Boo! Scared you! Nyehehehehe~"

The light turned on, and I blinked at the sudden change in brightness as the figure above me shifted her weight.

I looked down and saw Stella, her face right next to mine. She had a wide, mischievous grin on her face. The red light faded from her eyes as they returned to their normal hazel color, and I could see a hint of amusement in them.

It looked like she was halfway between her normal civilian form and her Dark Princess Eris transformation, and she wore a long dark dress with red accents, her black hair falling to the floor around us in an inky waterfall.

I frowned at her. "Haha, Stella. Very funny. But seriously, that was terrifying. I thought you were a monster or a ghost or something."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry." she pouted, but the crinkle in her eyes gave her away. She thought this was funny.

"I didn't think it'd scare you that much."

She leaned forward and poked me gently on the nose, grinning as she glowed red. Her comically over-the-top costume dissipated into red motes of light that faded into nothing. "In all seriousness, welcome to my humble abode."

"Nice to be here, sis." I rolled my eyes, standing up and brushing myself off. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and let my transformation dissipate as well.

"You really need to learn how to knock," she added.

"Hey! I did knock! The door opened on its own!"

She giggled. "Well, yes. I was a little excited to see you, so I used my magic to open it from the inside." She stood up, dusting herself off.

Stella wore her hair loose, and had on a pair of black shorts and a pink tank top that exposed her midriff.

"Anyway, I'm glad you came. I've got some snacks, and we can have some tea, if you want. Or coffee, if you prefer. I don't know, I just like tea better."

"Tea would be great!" I smiled.

"Great. Let me put the kettle on, and you can have a look around." Stella turned to walk towards the kitchenette.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The suite was big and homey, with a big sofa, a large flatscreen TV, and a couple of comfy-looking chairs. There were some posters on the walls, mostly of various animes and video games.

There were several bookcases filled with books and figurines from various anime, manga, and video games. I blushed as I saw a wall of posters displaying a crew of shirtless boys with abs, and women in revealing, form-fitting clothes. There was even a poster of a girl in a frilly red dress blushing as a prince-looking anime girl in a suit kneeled and kissed her hand.

"Man, you're really hiding a second life from everyone, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stella grinned, as she took out a couple of mugs from a cupboard. "There's nothing here for me to hide."

I rolled my eyes at her.

"And I thought Albert's retro game collection was a bit much. There's enough racy stuff here to open up a shop," I teased, and Stella's cheeks flushed bright red.

"I-I'm not that bad!" she said. "It's mostly family friendly. I just happen to have a few things that might be considered risque. Well, maybe more than a few things."

She turned on the stove, before walking over to the couch, sitting on it, and patting the space next to her invitingly.

"So... what do you think?" she asked.

"It's nice," I said. "I still can't believe we have all these amenities for free."

"It's not really free. You paid for them with blood and tears and hard work." Stella said.

"I guess."

"Besides," she continued. "If we weren't here, who would protect the city? Kaleidoscope City was one of the safest cities in the world before the Cataclysm. Well, the key word there is was, I guess. Then again, having Red Masque as the city's kingpin of crime kept everyone else at bay."

"That makes sense." I said, sitting on the sofa beside her. "So... how are you settling in here? I haven't had a chance to ask you yet. With all the crazy that's been happening, I guess I kind of forgot about the whole 'came here just to find me' thing."

"I'm okay." She sighed. "It's weird, though, I'll be honest. It's like... I really did run away from the expectations put on me after my adopted mom died."

I leaned in, wrapping an arm around her elbow.

"I get it. I think. I mean, I had the opposite sort of upbringing in a way. My mom started neglecting me at some point and it wasn't a sudden thing but... she just started coming back later and later at night and then barely at all. It was weird. It felt like it just happened over time and I didn't even notice. One day I looked up and my mother barely existed to me."

"Oh..." she said quietly, and her voice sounded sad, like she was about to cry.

"I mean... it wasn't that bad, but I had zero expectations on me by the time I was in middle school." I said, and she smiled. "And Albert's family sort of adopted me."

"I guess I'm glad you had them to lean on."

"Yeah... I mean, it sucks, but it is what it is. I think Al's parents actually kept me from going off the rails." I shrugged. "It wasn't a fun time and I was angry all the time. Angry and bitter and sad. But going over there after school to see how they did things and help out a tiny bit was nice."

She nodded, smiling sadly. "The shop, huh? He said they had some kind of restaurant?"

"Yeah," I smiled, remembering the nostalgic smell of baked bread and soy sauce. "They have good dim sum and a nice selection of fusion desserts. They're famous for the barbecue pork buns, though."

I smiled, thinking of Albert's mother.

"They started small. Al didn't live too far away from me in a tiny two bedroom place, and his dad worked long hours to start a restaurant business while they were still young. They started off as this little boutique dessert and snack shop in a strip mall, and it took off so much they got to open an actual restaurant with sit in seating a few years back. Al's dad's really proud of it."

"I'm glad that they took to you," she said softly, fingers moving up to the ribbons in my hair.

As she began to fiddle with the ribbon tying one of my braids in place, she sighed softly.

"What's up?" I asked.

"It's just... well... I didn't know how to feel when you told me you were neglected by her," she admitted. "I had all kinds of grand stories and narratives worked up in my head about the legendary Nightingale. All I knew was that she wound up in Pewterstone City and settled down and disappeared from the limelight."

She pulled the ribbons out of my braids and gently began undoing them.

"Did she ever talk to you about it?"

I shook my head. "Never. She avoided talking about my dad or Arcadia or anything from her past. I think it just made her too sad."

"I'm glad. I think I can see why she'd be bitter and unhappy, and why you didn't have much support." She said quietly.

I sighed.

"Yeah."

"The legendary friendship between our mothers and their teammates. The two strongest magical girls who ever lived. Nightingale and Arcadia." Stella said quietly. "Then they had us. I guess I always just had this idea in the back of my head that she rode off into the sunset in a bittersweet but happy way."

"I guess," I said, shaking my head as the last braid unraveled. She began running her hands through my hair to get it untangled, before taking out a comb and beginning to brush it.

"But I guess that was silly," Stella said softly. "My adopted mom told me that her relationship with our mothers was... complicated, and they had a lot of baggage. But she told me everything as she felt her time coming to an end. She told me my bio mom entrusted me to her husband when they departed for the final campaign against Nox, so there had to be some love and respect there."

"That makes sense," I replied.

"But she still loved them, and she felt like she owed it to Arcadia Vox to raise me the way I needed to be raised." Stella continued. "I guess I never thought to consider how your mother must have felt. She must have held onto my mom and our dad as something to keep her going."

"Yeah, I can see that," I replied.

"When my adopted mother got sick, I felt so lost," she admitted, and the brush snagged as it caught on a knot in my hair. I hissed as my eyes teared up from the sudden pain.

"Ow!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry, Sienna!"

"It's okay, it's okay," I murmured, trying to reassure her.

Stella shook her head, before brushing my hair out carefully.

"But yeah. I felt so lost and alone when she got sick." she said, her voice trembling. "I had all these responsibilities, and everyone expected me to live up to the legacy of my adopted mom, and there's only so much you can say to a kid when you're trying to make them understand what they need to do."

She took a deep breath. "And then, one day, you just stop caring. I had a great life. I really did, and I was very well provided for, but it was suffocating. I broke into the Matsudaira archives to find my biological parents, and I saw my mother. And you know what? She looks a lot like I did as a kid."

She paused for a moment. "And that's not all I found. I found all the redacted files my adopted parents had collected surrounding the Nightmare of Nox, and they're horrifying. How she appeared out of nowhere to topple the Argentinian government, how she became this insane demagogue that wanted to end the world and rule as its final emperor. The people she had murdered, the atrocities she committed, the pure madness that she spread. And then I saw our mothers' story. The truth that the president's team could piece together."

She paused, her hands trembling, and her voice cracked as a few tears began to drip down her face.

"God... our moms fought Nox so hard and for so long. And the things she did to them... I can't imagine. It must have been torture."

"I don't get how she's so strong," I replied quietly. "My mom barely spoke about it, but what little I did see from documentaries was horrifying."

"She wasn't that strong herself, really. But she could command loyalty, and control people while they were fully conscious. She even desecrated the dead to control them and use their abilities." Stella shivered. "They say she also loved to create child soldiers and train them as assassins. She was an abomination."

"But she's dead now. She has to be, right?" I asked.

Stella paused, looking away. She didn't answer the question, but I could tell what her answer was by the way her face looked.

"Stella?"

"We don't know. I'm sorry, but I can't really say."

She shook her head. "All we really know is that she was defeated by Arcadia, and then she fell through the gate that was covered up. There's nothing concrete about what happened after that."

I froze, looking up at her.

"Yeah... it's why I believed you about the visions and the stuff you said, you know," she said. "Only a handful of people know that she nearly brought about the end of the world that day."

"What the hell..." I murmured.

The kettle whistled, and Stella got up and headed to the stove. She took it off, before taking out a tin jar filled with green powder. She placed the matcha in two cups, and added water.

"So if we take my visions at face value and both your mom and our dad ended up in another world, there's a non-zero chance Mortifera Nox..." I murmured, before trailing off.

"Is also alive," she finished, as she poured hot water into each of the mugs.

"Yeah."

She nodded.

"I don't know how much of that is real and how much is a vision or dream or whatever." I admitted. "What I do know is it first triggered when Red Masque nearly killed me, and there's no other way to explain the power surge I got in the moments after I transformed."

"It was a real power, Sienna," Stella admitted. "The evidence you left by blowing up the warehouse district is conclusive."

She paused, concentrating as she whisked each cup, creating a foamy froth in the cups. When she was done, she took each mug in her hand, and carried it to the living room, placing it on the table before me.

She sat down on the couch, and pulled me close.

"But enough about that. Let's have some tea, relax, and get your hair fixed. I have just the thing for it." She grinned. "Sorry for that depressing tangent, but I do want to hear more about Al's family."

I giggled. "Why the interest in my bestie?"

"He's interesting," Stella said, as she placed her fingers on my hair, running them along my scalp. I sighed, leaning back against the couch as she began to work her magic. "He's funny and has a good heart, and I can see why you're so protective of him."

"Yeah... I'm really lucky that he's stuck with me for so long." I replied. "I don't think I would've made it through without him."

"I envy you guys," Stella admitted, her voice soft. "Having a best friend that's been by my side for my whole life sounds amazing."

"Wait, you've never had a best friend?" I asked.

"No, not really. I was homeschooled, and then sent to snooty academy after academy, and then trained in secret." She said, a sad expression on her face. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I had friends, and I was popular. But none of those people really knew me. I couldn't trust any of them to be fully honest with me, and I couldn't trust myself to be fully honest with any of them either. I had to adopt a few social masks."

She paused.

"And it was so exhausting. I wanted to have a friend I could really confide in. So I did what every angsty teenager does and ran off, like some kind of rebellious idiot."

"Sounds tough."

"Yeah. It really was. But, you know what?" She asked.

"What?"

"It was worth it. I found you in the end. And Al, I guess. And the funny part is I didn't even know he was connected to you when I slammed face-first into his chest running around like a deranged bird. I didn't expect to meet my long-lost sister's closest friend and confidante at the same time, but here I am."

I chuckled. "Small world, isn't it?"

"It really is," she agreed. "And it's a world that I wouldn't trade for anything else."

She smiled, a warm, genuine smile. "But what about his parents? I do hope their business survived the Cataclysm."

"They did," I said, remembering Al's phone call. "Their restaurant was damaged but they're planning on re-opening in a few months. You actually barely missed her the other day when you ran off for your errands. She was coming to deliver a bunch of homemade dim sum."

Stella's eyes lit up. "Oh! The stuff we had for dinner?"

I smiled at the memory of the night before, the way Al's mother had come and brought food and sat with me, and how it'd reminded me of my childhood. I always associated that sunny yellow apron of hers with comfort and security.

"Yup," I said. "The roads are completely fucked right now but she still somehow made it all the way down to Kaleidoscope City to check up on us. She was really worried about Albert and me. Albert's her only son you see, and she's told me I'm sort of like her surrogate daughter."

"That's really sweet of her." Stella said, a hint of envy in her voice. "I'm glad they survived, and I'd love to try their food in a sit-down setting one day. I've been thinking about how nice it was. And the stuff Al got out of the freezer, too."

"Oh, definitely! I think she'd even have us over with their family friend if we asked. God knows we got enough of a bounty from taking down Scrapper Scuttler to treat them to some quality seafood."

"Err, I don't know..." Stella suddenly stopped, and pulled back from my hair, her face suddenly nervous and a bit pale.

"What?" I asked.

"Al's a really sweet guy," Stella admitted. "And I know I'd love to have dinner with him and his family. But the thing is..."

She looked down and away, fiddling with the ends of her hair. "I don't know if I want to risk exposing my identity to anyone. I'm still getting used to the fact that you and Al both know about Eris and Elysia. And our weird family situation. I could never live with myself if something like that kidnapping situation happened to Al and his family and it was my fault."

"Hey, it's okay. We don't have to rush into this. If you're uncomfortable, it's totally fine."

"No, it's not that," she shook her head, turning her head back up and meeting my eyes. "I think it would be good to have more friends, and I've already made some here at school. I'm just scared of the consequences of my actions, you know? I'm not used to the idea that other people can know my identity. And honestly, that whole bit with the Crimson Order's factions has me on edge."

Somehow, I felt like it wasn't that simple, but Stella's nervousness was contagious. I could tell by the look on her face that she was worried a lot about this for some reason, but it wasn't the time to push her.

"Well, we have all of dinner tonight to figure this out. Let's just relax, okay?" I offered.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Stella sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the moment."

I smiled. "You didn't. And I think it's cute how much you like Al. You sure you don't want to go for him?"

Stella giggled. "He's cute and all, but no. He's not really my type, you know?"

"Then what is your type?"

Stella blushed and looked down at her feet. "Oh, uh, that's not something I really think about. Or, at least, it isn't a priority."

"Come on," I said, leaning in. "There's gotta be someone out there that catches your eye. Or are you not interested?"

She looked away and bit her lip.

"Oh, my god. Who is it?" I asked. "You're not even going to tell your sister?"

"It's nothing!"

I giggled, looking back across the row of posters she'd hung up in her dorm and her figurine collection. There was an absurd number of shirtless, handsome men and well-dressed women, and an absurd number of cute, blushy, and girly anime girls.

Straight, gay, and everything in between.

"Is it the girls or the boys?" I asked. "Or neither?"

"Oh my god," Stella groaned.

"Is it the buff, muscled types or the slender pretty boys? The princely androgynous girls or the curvy bombshells? I'm curious now, and I won't drop this until you answer!"

Stella blushed, shaking her head, before she looked back at her wall. Her eyes drifted to the left, and then she blushed and looked back down at the carpet, her hands gripping her skirt.

"N... Neither." she mumbled, her voice so quiet I could barely hear it. "It's... not really a person, per say. More of an ideal, really."

"An ideal? Like what?" I asked.

Stella grumbled, taking her own mug and taking a big sip as she huffed.

"It's nothing, I'm telling you." she protested again. "Besides, I've got a long way to go before I'm even close to thinking about dating someone. And I find a lot of people hot. It doesn't mean anything."

"Alright, alright," I shrugged. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's cool. Let's just enjoy the tea. What'd you do to it?"

"An authentic matcha blend made by a family of tea farmers who've been in the business for over a century, imported from Kyoto, Japan."

I nearly balked at the idea of drinking something so fancy. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, very. I have pretty simple tastes in most things, but tea is something that's special for me. It helps me stay calm and think clearly." She explained. "I like coffee too, but tea has always been more my speed."

"Ah. That's pretty cool."

We sipped on our tea, enjoying the comfortable silence between us. After a while, we put our cups down, and I turned to her. I noticed how relaxed and calm her face was.

"What's the matter? Is it my hair?"

I shook my head, a smile on my lips. "No. You just look happy. That's nice to see."

Stella grinned, a genuine, bright, beaming grin, and her smile was infectious. I found myself smiling along with her, my cheeks starting to hurt as they stretched out. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness as we both looked at each other for a few moments.

"I'm really glad we met, you know?" she beamed.

Before I could even answer, she jumped up, grabbing my hand.

"Come on, come on!" Stella squealed.

"S-stella?! What the-"

"We're having dinner with Albert, right?"

"Uh... yeah, why?"

She smiled, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"I think it's time I got you out of those jeans. It's time to dress up!"

Oh.

Oh no.

What did I just sign myself up for?!

"I did say i had something to show you! Now, I think you're long overdue..."