Lux trembled.

She didn't know how long it had been since Bark had seen her, and a part of herself wished that she could simply stay in this moment, a silent period of calm before a storm.

But it was a cowardly thought.

She looked up, staring at the bright garden that lay through the door. It was so peaceful, it felt somewhat insulting.

Bark was most likely going to tell the guards of the castle. She had to convince them that she had no connection to Rayne, that he was someone that she had found hurt and had decided to heal. They would question her, and ultimately, they would find that she'd snuck into the castle and lied about her origins. They'd find that she was a Callis princess.

And then...

No, she didn't need to think about the rest. She just needed Rayne to be safe.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of feet, stomping around the corner.

Guards appeared and approached them, perfectly in sync, their equipment clanking as they came down the hall. Together, they were about twenty in number. However, she didn't see Bark among them. He wasn't a secret guard, then.

She looked between Rayne and the guards, wondering if she should let go of him. Eventually, she set Rayne on the ground carefully and slowly. If they had brought twenty, then they must have thought that she was a threat. She needed to make sure that they took her, and her alone.

"Your name is Kira. Yes?" a guard asked, coming closer to her.

She stared at them for a second before nodding slightly.

The second that she nodded, some came closer to her, taking her by the arms and sweeping her off the ground.

She took a deep breath. She knew this would happen, but her legs were shaking. She wanted to be strong, but she wasn't sure if she could even hold herself upright.

The guards that weren't holding her, however, suddenly rushed around Rayne.

She turned to yell at them frantically, her heart pounding. "What are you doing with him!"

The guard who had asked her if she was Kira turned to her, completely composed.

"He was injured, correct? He needs to be taken to the infirmary."

Lux stared at Rayne's unconscious, pale body. She didn't want to leave him, but she ultimately would have to.

She turned back to the guard and nodded slightly.

Immediately, they began to lead her away, through multiple twists and turns, and even upstairs.

There were many thoughts that could have been going through her head, but in the end, she could only think one thing.

"I hope Rayne can forgive me."

✦✦✦

When Rayne opened his eyes, he found himself in strange clothes and a room he hadn't seen before. It was warm and cosy, like their kitchen when they decided to make bread. Surprisingly, it also reminded him of the inn he and Lux had stayed at on their journey to Polemus.

As he stared at the ceiling, he tried to recollect his thoughts and remembered that he had been stabbed. Instinctively, he rolled on his side, clutching his chest; however, he felt no blood. Instead, all that was left was a strange warm feeling.

And at that moment, he remembered everything.

He had been stabbed by the man that he had chased in the final test, and then... Lux had found him... and healed him.

He didn't know what had happened afterwards, but somehow he could remember the sound of her tears.

Something had gone wrong.

Suddenly, a girl with purple braids burst into the room, her face etched with worry.

"Darrion!"

"Oh... hello."

She sat down on the side of the bed, setting her sword down on the floor.

"I've been so worried! You randomly disappeared from the ceremony, and then I heard that you had been injured and taken to the infirmary! And after all that, I heard that someone who had failed the guards' exam had snuck into the castle! It's only been an hour, but so much has happened!" She put a hand to her face and shook her head solemnly.

"Thea..."

"Hm?"

"Do you know what happened to Kira?"

She blinked. "Who's Kira? Oh wait, is that your sister?"

So she didn't know?

He shook his head and stared out the window. "Never mind."

The sun was still beaming down, despite it having no warmth due to the cold season, and as Rayne looked outside, he thought of how his little sister was out there somewhere, likely on a trial of sorts because of her magic. Once he had the strength to leave, he was going to find her.

"Lux, please be okay."

✦✦✦

Lux was pacing around a huge room.

She had been taken into one of the areas Mrs Rodia had explicitly said that they weren't allowed in without reason.

She had guessed that it was a room for guests, and now that she was in it, she was confused. It did look like a room for guests, with a bed slightly smaller than her one in Adamas, and a balcony, though the doors to it were locked, leading to a garden. As well as that, she also observed paintings and other pieces of décor all around the room.

This may have been a guest room, but she was certain that the last thing she was, was a guest.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a group of maids entered, though she didn't recognise them, all holding various pieces of fabric and equipment.

She stared at them for a second. "Who are you?"

One maid stepped forward and bowed. "My lady, we're here to help you change."

Change? The clothes that she was wearing now were fine, were they not?

Before she could ask them if they had maybe found themselves in the wrong room, they surrounded her and started to take off her clothes.

"What are you doing!" she squealed.

"Helping you change, my lady."

"But I didn't ask you to!" She continued to wriggle around, but they didn't stop until she was completely nude.

She eventually decided that she would have to let them change her, despite it being so embarrassing, so she stopped resisting.

The maids picked up the fabric that they had brought in, and Lux noticed that it was a dark navy blue. There were also many ribbons, and the skirt had multiple layers. It was similar to dresses that she had at home, but she never wore all the parts.

As the maids continued to dress her, she thought about her current situation.

She thought that she was somewhat a prisoner, but she was being clothed in a nice dress.

As she thought, she recalled something from her childhood.

She didn't read books as much as Lyra did, but she did read fairytales. Occasionally, her mother and father would read them to her, and sometimes they made whole plays based on fairytales, with Kaia performing, Luther playing, Vivianne painting backgrounds, and Lux herself providing special effects.

One fairytale she remembered in particular involved a girl who was put on trial for committing a crime. The trial was treated as an event, and people came to see it in their best clothes; the girl herself wore a fancy dress.

"I'm innocent!" a much younger Kaia yelled in Lux's mind, prancing around on the stage while their mother and father clapped.

Maybe what was happening to her was similar to the story? Was she being put on a trial of sorts?

The maids finished dressing her, and she had to admit that the dress was quite pretty, but it wasn't something that she would usually wear; she'd never bother to put on all the extra things, after all.

One maid reached for her hair, and she flinched.

"I think my hair's fine... thank you."

The maid seemed slightly sad, but she bowed, along with all the other maids, and they all collectively exited.

Lux sighed, going over to the desk and sitting down. She couldn't stop tapping her feet in her new dress, wondering what was going to happen to her now.

A knock sounded on the door, and for a second, she wondered what she was supposed to do.

"Erm, come in!"

The door opened, and Lux's eyes almost fell out of their sockets when she saw who walked through.

It was Bark, sliding through the door sheepishly, with better clothes than he was wearing before.

"Hi Ruby," he greeted her meekly, but she didn't reply, simply staring him down.

She didn't know what was happening, but she was suspicious of him. Bark had undoubtedly told the guards, and now she was in this strange room. The first time that she had met Bark, she had thought it was strange that she had never seen him before that moment, but at the time she hadn't questioned it.

He sighed, sitting down on the bed. "Honestly, I don't know what to say to you."

"What's happening?"

He blinked, as if shocked. "...You don't know? Well, I guess I'll tell you, but first, you need to tell me something."

She shifted in her chair. Tell him something?

"Why were you trying to hide your magic? It's not necessarily a bad thing, but you seemed as if you didn't want anyone to know."

She racked through her brain for an answer. She was hiding her magic to hide the fact that she was a Callis, seeing as it was mostly certain nobles and the royals that possessed it; it was a clear link. Clearly, she couldn't tell him that. She racked through her brain and thought of a lie.

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She twirled her hair and adopted a melancholic expression. "Where I'm from... they don't like the Athas, and so they hate the idea of magic. If they found that I had magic... they would have banished me. I felt like I had to do that here too." It was a lie, but it had some truth to it; she was supposed to be from Sidus, and a decent amount of Sidus citizens – the rebels in particular – hated the Athas.

He stared at her for a second, before his face softened. She felt slightly bad for lying to him, but she had no other choice.

"Are you going to tell me what's happening now?" she asked, turning to face him fully.

He ruffled his hair. "I'd like to, but I have one more question for you."

She stiffened. Had she said something wrong? She thought that the story was quite believable, but maybe she had said something contradictory.

"Who was the man you were healing?"

She almost visibly flinched. She didn't have a good answer. He couldn't know that Rayne was her brother.

She nearly instinctively went back to twirling her hair, but she stopped herself.

"I found him on the floor... he was bleeding out, so I healed him."

Bark stared at her before grinning widely.

She replied with a pout. What had she said that was something to smile about?

"You're obviously lying, Ruby. It's clear that you know him. You were crying before I found you, and your posture visibly changed when I mentioned him. You also just told me that you wanted to hide your magic. You could have called a guard and had him taken to the infirmary, but you went that far for someone you supposedly don't know."

She clenched her hands and bowed her head. He had seen completely through her, as if she were made of glass.

"Now you can tell me who he really is."

She stared at her lap dejectedly. What could she say? He knew that she had lied.

Eventually, her mind managed to come up with an idea.

"He's my older brother."

The simple truth.

"But he doesn't have magic!"

However, that was a lie.

Rayne did have magic, but it wasn't nearly as potent as Lux's. It should be easy to hide. She was sure that whatever situation she was in now was because of her magic, and she needed to keep Rayne outside of it.

"He just wants to be a guard!" she shouted, continuing to ramble.

"You can relax, we're not going to do anything to your brother."

She immediately settled down, but not because he had told her to. There was something strange about his choice of words.

She had thought that her being brought to this room was strange, but initially, she thought it didn't relate to Bark at all. He had simply told the guards, and they had brought her here. However, now he had come to this room to question her, and he used the word we.

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door.

"Your Highness, the water you asked for is here."

"Your Highness...?"

Lux's mind was reeling; she almost felt as if she could throw up. There was only one person that she hadn't seen yet who was addressed as "Your Highness."

The first son of her family's likely imprisoners. The crown prince to the Athas throne.

Sylas.

He sighed and turned to the door. "You may come in."

The maid entered cautiously, bowing before handing him the water and leaving.

Lux was still trying to comprehend what she had just learned.

Bark was the Crown Prince Sylas.

The person that had been so kind to her when no one else had.

And yet he was an Athas? He just couldn't be.

He held the cup of water in his hands and turned back to Lux.

"From your face, I can tell you've guessed who I am."

"Sylas..." she muttered, as if injured.

"I wanted to tell you myself, but I guess that ruins my plans."

She clutched her face and rested her head on her knees, her whole body shaking. "Please, just tell me what is happening so you can leave."

He flinched, as if she had hit him, and in a way, she had.

"The Queen... my mother, she put a new programme in place for magic users recently, specifically targeting those who are born commoners."

He continued, his face sombre.

"Young magic users are being trained in the castle to better improve their magic, including commoners. Commoners get to live in the castle themselves. The... programme... hasn't completely taken effect yet."

He looked at Lux, but she was still clutching her head in her hands.

"I'll leave now." He stood up, exiting without a word.

The door slammed shut, and she found herself alone again. However, it didn't feel as if she was; it was almost as if the information she had just received had taken physical form, taunting her and bothering her.

She sat in silence for a while, but surprisingly, another knock sounded at the door. She didn't say anything at first, but eventually managed to mutter, "Come in."

A woman with long, fluffy brown hair bounced into the room. Unexpectedly, it was a woman that Lux had seen before.

Lux, though in anguish, cocked her head when she saw her, trying to remember her name.

"Morticia...?"

Though Morticia's face seemed somewhat serious, she immediately adopted a large smile.

"Bingo! You're right on the money! But I'd prefer if you'd call me Morty. Morticia sounds so serious and professional, no?" She grabbed another chair, dragging it and sitting directly across from Lux.

Lux almost felt as if she was going to combust. She had just learned that Bark was Sylas, and now Morticia... no, Morty, had burst into her room uninvited.

"Uh..."

"Oh! You're probably wondering why I'm here, aren't you?" she fizzed, almost popping out of her seat.

"Well, I'm trying to go around and visit all of the commoners that are now living in the castle. You see, I'm from Euonia, and obviously Euonia is part of Tetraktys, and we haven't had good relations in the past, so most people here aren't really fond of me. They suck up to Camilla though! Can you believe that!" She rambled on, despite Lux being completely overwhelmed. What was Tetraktys?!

"Anyway, I realised that people here discriminate against commoners, just like they discriminate against me! And I realised that we've got to stick together, right?"

Lux nodded ditzily.

"So far, you're the first commoner in the castle. Your name, it's Kira, isn't it?"

She nodded again, as if put on repeat.

"Well, Kira, I trust that we're going to be best friends!" She then jumped up and left, as quickly as she had come.

Lux wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but the sheer queerness of Morty had somehow made her feel slightly more in order.

So she thought to herself, what would be the next best thing that she could do?

She slowly turned her attention to the door.

Before anything, she needed to go see Rayne and explain what had happened.

She rose from her chair, opening the door and peering around cautiously. There were no guards stationed outside. Was she really not being held prisoner?

She made her way down the hall, tiptoeing as if she was intruding. However, on her way, she realised that she actually did not have an idea as to where the infirmary was.

Luckily though, she saw someone walking down the hall, and even more luckily, it was someone that she recognised.

"Pearl!"

Pearl looked as nonchalant as she always did, and she stared at Lux blankly.

"I'm Kira... remember? We both got in trouble during one of Mrs Rodia's lessons." She smiled awkwardly at her, but eventually, recognition seemed to hit Pearl's face.

"Do you know where the infirmary is?" she asked, and Pearl looked her up and down, most likely taking in her clothes.

"I think that if you take the nearest stairs downstairs..."

She described the path using her hands lazily, and Lux listened intently.

"...and then you should be there. Probably."

She nodded, immediately running to the stairs.

"Thank you, Pearl!" she called over her shoulder. However, she was already gone.

"That girl is strange... even stranger than me!"

Eventually, she arrived at an open door, leading to a room with multiple beds, the same size as Lux's in her dormitory. Well... her former dormitory?

As she made her way in, she regarded what smelled like herbs and the warm feeling of the room. She was glad that Rayne was staying in a place like this.

She ventured deeper into the room, past different people with various injuries, who were being treated by people in all-white clothes.

Eventually, she came across a young man with green eyes and dark grey hair, just like her own, sitting on the edge of a bed.

"R- Darrion!" she yelled, running to her brother and practically jumping on him.

"Kira..." He pulled her into a hug, and Lux thought that she had never felt such relief.

When they pulled apart, she stared at the ground, wondering how she would explain to him what had happened. "I need to tell you something..."

He nodded. "Okay, but not here. Let's go outside."

They both rose, making their way out of the infirmary together, hand in hand.

It was still sunny out, and Lux almost felt as if the day was so fragile that telling Rayne what had happened would destroy the sun itself.

However, as she thought about it, had what had happened been so bad? She still didn't fully understand, and yes, there would certainly be more attention on her now, but it seemed as if she had better access to things. She wasn't sure what her official role was in the castle now, but she had been given a guest room in an area not accessible to maids regularly.

They continued walking until they came across the garden. Though the trees had no leaves, and the sky was dim, it was still beautiful. Eventually, they encountered a bench, and they sat down together.

She turned to him, her eyes darting around, not sure how to start. "I'm sure you know that you were stabbed so... I had to heal you."

He nodded. "I know."

She stared at the ground anxiously. It almost felt as if the words were stuck in her throat. However, she managed to find the strength to turn to him and speak again. "But... Bark saw me."

"...Bark? Who is Bark?"

Lux stared back at the ground. Now she'd have to tell him that she'd done nothing at the ball.

"I met him at the ball yesterday... he was kind to me and showed me things..."

He turned to her, his brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

She shifted in her chair uncomfortably. It was suddenly hard to speak. "I didn't feel that well yesterday... so he showed me this secret plant room, even though I didn't know him..."

He turned away from her, frowning at the garden in front of him with crossed arms.

"So... what did you actually do at the ball?"

She stayed silent, copying him and staring at the garden. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We'll discuss that later. What happened after that?"

"...Guards came, some took you to the infirmary, and the rest took me to one of the guest rooms."

His face visibly became confused.

"They changed me into these clothes... and then Bark came back. He asked me why I tried to hide my magic. I told him that people in Sidus were discriminated against because of their magic, so I felt like I had to hide it..."

His face started to be less confused and more suspicious. He had already realised that something was strange.

"Then he asked me who you were. I had to tell him that you were my brother, but I also said that you had no magic, so they'll most likely leave you alone..."

She gripped her skirts in anguish. The next part would be the hardest to say. However, he said it for her.

"Who is Bark?"

She gulped. She could feel sweat racing down her head.

"The Crown Prince, Sylas."

Shockingly, he didn't comment on it, instead saying, "Continue."

She found his silence odd, but she did as she was told. "He explained to me that the Queen put a system in place, directed at commoners. Young people with magic are starting to be trained in the castle, and commoners get to live in the castle... so I suppose that is what's happening to me."

For a moment, he didn't say anything, and she looked up at the sky. The sun somehow seemed as if it was already setting again.

He abruptly stood up, and Lux copied. Strangely, it reminded her of when she was much younger, copying Rayne and following him around when she was bored.

"We should tell Mother. She'll decide what to do."

Lux visibly trembled.

Tell... her mother? She couldn't imagine how angry she would be. But Rayne was right. That was what they had to do.

"I've looked at the map, but I haven't gone there yet. You'll have to help me a bit." She nodded, and they departed.

They walked in silence the whole way, only speaking when Rayne told her that the hallway was clear.

As they walked through the tunnel, Lux thought about the worst possible outcome.

Her mother could demand that she come home.

She'd be a disgraceful disappointment, she'd leave Rayne by himself... and—

A sudden picture of Bark... no, Sylas, flashed in her mind. But why was she thinking about him when his family had done so much to hurt hers?

"Maybe because... he was my first friend here...?"

No, that was a silly thought. He wasn't really her friend...

They arrived on the other side of the tunnel, in front of the exit that was also a lake.

They both sat down in front of the small crashing waves and reached into the back of their minds, finding the connection that linked them to their siblings.

"Is anyone there?" Rayne asked, and there was a moment of silence.

"Rayne?" Kaia's voice sounded in their heads, her tone gleeful.

"Yes, it's me."

Kaia began to ramble, clearly happy to hear her brother again. "Are you alright? Are you okay? Hav—" She abruptly cut herself off.

"Ah... you probably have something you need to tell Mother, sorry."

"I do... we can speak at a better time. I'm sorry, Kaia." Rayne smiled at hearing Kaia's voice, while Lux kept a stoic expression. She was happy to hear Kaia, but at that current moment, she was anxious.

"Okay, I'll go to Mother. The rest of our siblings are sleeping, by the way. They're very tired."

Tired? That was peculiar.

Suddenly, another voice sounded in their heads, and though Lux was staring at her lap, she looked up in shock when she heard who it was.

"Not all of us are sleeping," Lyra remarked.

"Oh, I should have guessed you were awake, Lyra." Kaia sighed, and Lyra chuckled. It was the first time Lux had heard her remotely happy in a long time.

"Lyra...?" Lux asked, still in wonder at this sudden mood change.

"It's like Kaia said, if you want, we can talk at a different time. You're busy now."

Though Lyra couldn't see her, she nodded, returning to staring at her lap.

"I'm nearly at the throne room. What do you need to tell Mother?" Kaia questioned, and Lux clenched her skirts as she listened to Rayne explain the situation.

"Ah... I see... I'll go tell her now."

It may have only been a minute or two, but the time they both sat there in silence, with Lux's body shaking, waiting for Kaia's voice, felt like an eternity.

Eventually, Kaia returned.

"She said... She said that Lux can continue as she is. That it's a good opportunity to be closer to the Athas... but... you shouldn't do anything like that again."

It felt as if she was omitting certain details, but they both knew that those were the important parts of their mother's verdict. Now all they could do was obey.

Rayne stood up, and she copied. "Thank you, Kaia. If you want, we can talk tomorrow. Though it would have to be some time after the ninth chime."

Though they couldn't see Kaia, it was as if they could feel her face lighting up. Maybe it was another part of the connection?

"I'd like that a lot!"

"Okay. We'll talk tomorrow. And I can tell you're as tired as the rest of our siblings, so make sure you sleep too."

"Hngh... okay. Bye, Rayne!"

"Bye."

With that, they made their way back to the tunnel, and Lux thought about her current predicament, and how the plan had changed so drastically.

At first, she was originally supposed to be a maid, spying in secret. It would be harder to get close to the truth, but it drew less attention to her. Now, she was part of the programme the Queen had put in place, and she was living in the castle to learn about magic.

And... there was Sylas. The Crown Prince that she had met.

She sighed as they approached the entrance to the halls of Chaconas.

She had already ruined everything once. She couldn't ruin it again.