"You really are a talented chef, Nadine. Thank you so much for the food!" said Alicia, finally returning to the wide smile everyone liked and adored. Nadine just waved her hand.

Now the three of them were already sitting at the dining table. Gilmore worked up the courage to speak to Alicia while figuring out the right words to utter his thoughts.

"I'm glad ye're belter, hen. But honestly, my heid's still in a fankle." Gilmore pointed to the peculiar ball Alicia was holding. "How ye…?"

"It's... quite an odd story, but this orb seemed to take an interest in me when we were at the graveyard. It said it was 'misbehaving'… maybe? And picked me in a way that was completely unexpected," Alicia tried to explain with words. Easy-to-understand words.

However, such effort only increased Girlmore's impugnation of the orb's nature. "And ye believe yon baw is not dangerous? Ye're almost a pan bread thanks to it, hen! And ye, Baw, mess with her once again, for Divine's sake I will..." His fist had been balled through the air before Alicia, in reflex, hugged the orb.

"Gilmore, please stop!" the staggering girl pleaded to Gilmore. "The orb has confessed and expressed regret. No need to complicate things."

"How dae ye ken, hen? That this thing willnae put ye in danger again?"

"When I was buried," Alicia responded. "Me and this orb… put our minds together, connected to each other. I understood the orb's thoughts, as it understood mine. I believe this orb appeared and chose me for a purpose, just dinnae ken what it is, for now. But what's certain, this orb won't ever hurt me, or you, pals!"

Gilmore became even more bewildered. Especially when she said that they synchronised with each other better than siblings, even though they had not even met for a day. "I dinnae ken, Alicia. I dinnae think that's a braw script to keep it around ye. Shouldnae we just report to the civil guard, or the Magisterium, or..."

"Nae danger, Gily!" Alicia refused firmly while standing up. "Ye all brought me to the graveyard to get something about magic instead of reporting to the guards! And now look!" Alicia, who previously hugged the orb then showed it back to the two. "We found something big! We could just learn the orb and gain something more for ourselves." She took a breath for a moment, then continued, "Why would we waste our time and life away to get this orb, just so the authorities could earn it without sweat?"

"I-I ken we were wrong. We shouldnae have been reckless like that. Should have just reported to civ' guard the time we saw that light."

"No, Gilmore, you're not. Perhaps it is what it is. I...," Alicia freed the orb from her hands. Miraculously, it hovered before her, radiating an even more resplendent glow. Her eyes even tore up at such a subtle light with an azure gradient. A laugh stifled, and she returned to her speech. "I've found my path. I don't feel empty anymore. With this, I can fulfil my dream as a mage! That's why, Gilmore and Nadine," Alicia looked at them in turn. "I am… very, very much begging you, dinnae tell anyone about this. Not to the civil guard, nor to the wizarding authorities, nor to anyone! At least until the time's right."

"What about your family, Alicia?" asked Nadine. "You know sooner or later they'll find out, don't you?"

"Let me handle my family! Just dinnae be a clipe, okay?"

Gilmore and Nadine stared at each other. When would that elusive "right time" ever arrive? Looked like it would not come in the near future after all, much to their shared chagrin. All this happened because they had asked the girl to investigate the strange phenomenon. As for the orb, it might have instilled a profound fear within the trio, yet they could not ignore its role in saving Alicia from the merciless wreckage—also the result of the orb's own mess. At least Alicia deserved to retain and study the sphere, and they might consider giving the orb a chance to be with their best friend.

After contemplating this matter, Nadine made her decision known. "This orb saved her life. It also erased the events of last night at the cemetery as if they never happened. And last, they understand each other. I think it wouldn't hurt to keep our little secret to just the three of us, for the time being."

Alicia beamed gratefully at Nadine and then turned to Gilmore, her eyes brimming with hope. The bookworm's pitiable expression was something that the giant's solemn one could never compete with. Gilmore relented. A resigned sigh slipped from his mouth.

"Awright, awright. If Nadine agrees, it's two 'gainst yin. Cannae fight ye lassies. But I hope ye dinnae show off in front of the crowd. At least until ye really ken this ball."

Hearing his approval, the glasses girl ran and hugged the "Big Yin".

"Haw, wait! Wait! Ye're bringing the ball along with ye?" Gilmore was half surprised, worried that the ball would give him another taste of zap.

"Orb also wants to thank ye, Gilmore. Don't be a big jessie and embrace it," Alicia said. Luckily, this time, there was no unnerving jolt coursing through him. Instead, the orb's touch felt remarkably human—warm, comforting, and suffused with positive sensations. He embraced it and hugged Alicia back.

"Hey, am I not getting a hug too?" Nadine joked.

"Hmph! Ye spoiled bairn!" Chuckling, Alicia ran toward Nadine to bestow her another hug. It was sealed. From that moment onward, the existence of the magic ball formed the quartet of Trinketshore!

"Speaking of which, now that ye're officially a 'magus', how dae ye… ye ken, cast spells, cast powers, all yon magical stuff?" Gilmore asked.

Alicia, with a smile on her face, rose from her chair. "I don't know much, but come with me."

Alicia invited her best friends to go outside the porch, where her family usually spent their evenings drinking tea. They stepped out of the glazed terrace, overlooking a wide expanse just for the four of them. Now it was time for a little demonstration.

"Well, as I've said before, the orb and I are connected to each other. If I want to access the power of the orb, I must be able to circulate the orb's power throughout my body, then back to the orb, then back into my body again, and so on, creating a new life energy flow system." Alicia lifted the magic orb with one hand and closed her eyes. "For that to happen, we have to become 'one'; My will has to be in sync with the orb's desire. To achieve synchrony, I have to put my focus on the orb. This way, I can fully control its power."

As the sphere was raised, it began to glow and release a pulsing plasma energy. Alicia's body slowly gleamed a reddish-blue as well. Points of light resembling stardust from the ground emerged, rising upwards. She opened her eyes and pointed her other hand at the apple Gilmore was eating. A waving stream of plasma ran and surrounded the apple and it, too, was filled with light. She then withdrew the energy, and the apple fled from the lad's grip, following the movement of her hand. As she raised her hand and twirled it slowly, the apple lifted and twirled to her instructions, before finally pointing it back at Gilmore's gaping mouth.

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A simple telekinesis, but it was sufficient to astound Nadine and Gilmore.

"More! More! Show us more!" Gilmore was the first flatterer. First layman compliment for the mage's first spell. Now that made Alicia become skittish.

"Uhm... Besides moving simple objects, I can also control the orb without having to hold it." Alicia deliberately lowered her hand that was holding the sphere, while pulling her left hand. The orb remained suspended in the air, never descending.

Then she moved her hands and the orb followed suit. She was not a lively dancer, but a simple whirl and twirl became a performance of splendour as the orb harmonised its direction and rotation gracefully according to the motion of her arms. A blue-pinkish gradient of light trailed as it moved, making Alicia's dance look like a graceful ribbon dance. A truly spectacular show according to her best friends.

"And last, I guess. At least as far as I know," the magic orb fell into her palm, "I can shoot out plasma energy," she said with a chuckle. Alicia held the sphere in her right hand, her left hand placed on the orb's side. Movements with her fingers were made, as if to concentrate the power to come out and accumulate at a singular point. As the orb got brighter, she aimed for the sky.

POW!

The orb breathed a fairly long energy beam into the blue horizon. It was quite dazzling to the eyes, but it did not take long for it to disintegrate and scatter.

"Alicia! Don't shoot the sky! What if people see it?" Nadine was frantic.

"Oops," Alicia gave an embarrassed grin, realising her carelessness. "Sorry. Got carried away. Hope no one notices."

"But let's be honest. Yon were pure magic, Liz. I mean, you were an anti-social bookworm back in auld times and now, a baw wizard! What progress!" Gilmore said.

"Eh, I'm not anti-social, ye ken! Noble socialisation manner from Mama's still clinging to my head!" Alicia scowled with a frowned face. The others just laughed.

"So, three techniques so far?" asked Nadine.

"Only three for now, aye. Maybe over time, the orb and I will learn more techniques. Who knows, eh?"

"And you do it without saying any incantations?"

"Dinnae think so. Just concentrating my focus on the orb. That's all."

"Alicia Crimsonmane, The Orb Mage. That's a proper sound!" Gilmore stated.

Nadine refuted Gilmore's statement, saying, "But Alicia doesn't cast a spell to activate her magic. And from her movements, I think she looks more like a sorcerer than a simple mage... or a wizard, so we should say."

"I may not utter incantations, but I need a medium or a tool that can help me control magic like a wizard. I dinnae ken. It looks like this orb is some kind of new magic. Or maybe a part of a lost ancient mystical art. What's yer opinion, Orb?"

The orb replied in a low voice.

"You're not bound to any mystic arts? That's... well interesting! Maybe the two of us should discuss this one-on-one!"

"Why dinnae ye just tell us now?" Gilmore asked.

The orb responded, to which Alicia translated, "It said it's only me and the orb alone. Sorry, pal."

"Bah! How cold. Nae bother, though. if ye truly want tae get more up close and personal with her, suit yerself."

The nervous Alicia changed the topic. "Uh, by the way, since you're already a part of us... Let's give ye a name! I ken! From now on I'll call you… Orb!"

The orb, now called Orb, cried approval to her. Nadine was distracted by the name, while Gilmore was choking on his apple.

"You named your magic orb… Orb?" Nadine's eyes widened. Clearly not a quite creative name for a magic source full of cosmic-like energy.

"Eh? It's up to me, aye?" she nonchalantly replied. "And since Orb has officially joined our gang, How about we celebrate with dinner? Would ye like some takeaway? Or should we go hang out at Howlett's again, or at Café Dandelion-Eight? I'll hide Orb in the bag, rest assured!"

Gilmore glanced at Nadine. "Hey. Ye didnae tell her about the incident?"

"Clipe, how could I forget!" Nadine responded while slapping her forehead.

Alicia noticed something from both of them. "W-what incident?"

"You might still sleep earlier, but this morning there wis a stramash outside. The crowds flocked to the town," Gilmore replied. Alicia looked at him with full focus. "Our beloved restaurant, Howlett's, is destroyed. The owners found the building completely razed to the ground!"

"What? How did that happen?"

"How it happened is unclear," Nadine helped explain. "When people were rushing past your house, we heard the news. Howlett's was charred like a fire. But strangely, they didn't see any sign of the fire that night. No smoke, no sparks, nothing at all. The building next door wasn't even affected. It was like the restaurant turned to ashes in an instant."

Alicia then remembered that night. The town of Trinketshore was completely deserted, no people at all. There were only them and the strange glowing sphere floating in the sky, now on her hands. They also did not know how the restaurant was at night because they did not pass the eatery. But she was pretty sure that the only light that stood out that night came from Orb. They saw no flames either from the restaurant or in any direction whatsoever.

"This… has nothing to do with us, right?" asked Alicia, a little nervous.

"Naw, that shouldnae be possible. We didnae take the route to the restaurant, so we were nae involved at all. Poor Mister Howlett. No more Trinketshore beef buffets!" Gilmore said in a sad tone like he was about to cry.

"Orb, do you know about this?" Alicia asked her magic ball pal. "Your appearance might affect the surrounding environment, perhaps?"

Orb responded in a weak tone.

Not satisfied with Gilmore and Orb's answer, she immediately stood up from her seat. "I want to go check out the place," said Alicia firmly.

"Now just hold on! Your body hasn't fully recovered! You cannot just leave the house right away," Nadine scolded her.

"Of course, I can!" Alicia denied it. "I have to see it myself. We might not pass the restaurant when picking up Orb. But I'm afraid it might have something to do with everything that happened last night. That flash of light, rumbling sounds, the surge of energy. These things could be related!"

Nadine looked at Gilmore then answered Alicia. "But! What if it didn't have any connection to Orb? Or worse, it's the result of another strange power? Even if Orb is with us… I don't know. We're still not sure that what happened last night won't happen again, because—"

"Hey!" Alicia's rebuke interrupted Nadine. "I know what you're thinking. Look, don't blame yerself. Yesterday was... unexpected. But with everything that happened, I still survived, even made a new friend. But you pals are still the best pals I can rely on. I still need you."

Alicia then took the hands of each of her friends and said. "This time we will be together, no more separating from each other." Nadine and Gilmore were still speechless. "After all, we are no longer the three of us! Orb will join us in this wee adventure! Isn't that right, Orb?"

Orb gave a melodious signal.

Gilmore gave a sign of approval, following the Orb. "If we really have to look into it, then we'd rather check it out than die wondering, not knowing what happened to the town. But we have to disguise ourselves."

"Huh? What for?" Nadine asked.

"Of course, so that no one will know our identity when we check the place. Mind we'll bring Alicia and our new pal who just showed up today, and none of the folks knows about its whereabouts. If there's a threat and we cannae help but use Orb, at least no yin kens who Orb's master is or who its pals are. Trinketshore is a small town, aye. But we cannae ignore there are pure weird things related to magic here."

Gilmore said at length with a fairly heavy content enough to impress the Crimsonmane girl.

"Whoa, Gilmore. To think you're so meticulous! What have you eaten?"

"I dinnae ken. Maybe being exposed to 'radiation' from Orb increases my intelligence. Scunnered Nadine cannae be a canny lass as well when Orb's effect made her a bawheid instead!" ridiculed Gilmore confidently. Nadine with a sour face tossed an apple of hers. The green apple as big as a baseball hit the left temple of Gilmore's head point-blank until it made a loud thumping sound, talking about the army protégé's aim.

"Aw! Hey!" Gilmore groaned.

"Oh, shut it, Gilmore! It seems you're returning to be a ballhead again," Nadine mocked back.

Alicia resumed her conversation with them. "I dinnae have fancy masks or anything, but I do have a few sets of used clothes and a pair of googles. I think that's enough to mingle as a homeless."

"Yep, of course. Being a jakey it is," Gilmore said. []