The clay bowl owned by Kaito, Tome, and Alicia were already brimming with thick and rich chilli soup cooked by Wisesa, the chef of the night.

"Itadakimasu..." Kaito and Tome’s hands timidly met in an almost ritualistic manner before they commenced their meal. They ate fast and wild as the warm soup first graced their palates. Tome, the younger sibling, gagged to the point Alicia had to put down her bowl and guide her to drink.

"Slow down, dear, Divine Mercy. The soup won't run anywhere," the lass gently admonished. But what could one expect from a famished soul? It was likely that they had not savoured a proper repast for some time. In spite of that concern, Alicia herself, too, had forgotten that the swelling on her lips was extremely sore from even a gentle touch, and a dollop of steamy soup accidentally dribbled onto them. The children were slightly startled by Alicia's faint grimace, while Wisesa just watched, returning the lass' glare.

The rest of the meal was a near-silent reverie, bereft of any dinner conversation. The fire in the air only danced mutely as there was no wood or leaves to partake in its crackling. Serenity prevailed until Izel initiated an unanticipated gesture upon receiving her bowl. She placed it next to her and bent low. Wisesa before her stopped scooping, as did Alicia and the children. The orange-clad lady roused herself once more shortly after, raised her hands, and formed a circle, exactly the manner she had done post-monstrous brood triumph.

“O Citlalicoatl, bringer of light and warmth, we offer you our humble gratitude for the crops to bountifully grow, and the live stocks to prosperously breed. Behold in front of us, a combination of them, a humble meal from your benevolence. May it nourish our bodies and lift our spirits, just as your radiant presence fills the sky with beauty and hope, and your warmth nourishes life. Bless this food with your divine essence and make it holy. We dedicate this meal to you, Citlalicoatl, in gratitude for your boundless benevolence and grace. May we always remember to honour and respect the power of the stars and the sun, by becoming the stars of our neighbours.”

Izel then reclaimed her bowl and exclaimed, "Partake with gusto!", taking the biggest piece of meat and devouring it whole. She failed to notice Alicia and Wisesa’s curious faces the whole time before realising that no one was slurping but herself.

"You lot never pray before meals, do you?"

Alicia shook her head. "Western beliefs are a wee bit different," she faintly said. "We have moral guidelines and teachings, but rituals and prayers are not essential to us. But I've heard people of Lojitengara pray before meals, and the way you pray is both unique and admirable."

Unable to stand flattery, Izel closed her eyes and leant to the side, a grin creeping across her face. "Of course, it's admirable! Noble and commendable conduct befits the utterance of the divine names! Especially that of the sole deity, Citlalicoatl! And Lojitengara, that means it refers to you, Man!" Izel pointed at Wisesa with her spoon. "I tolerate the vision of a Westerner unacquainted with grand religious rites, but how can you appear similar? With the Earth Monster residing within, surely you have a series of rituals to the gods!"

"Not a devout believer,” a nonchalant admit from Wisesa. “Prefer to refer to them as interjections like the bookworm missy here, because it just feels good."

"How am I not surprised after I saw your interaction with Tlaltecuhtli? You don't even pray to him?"

The lad almost choked on the remark, swallowing a lot of water to ease the tickling heat that ignited his throat. He laughed afterwards. "Pray to it? Miss, it's literally some kind of illegal tenant within my being! What can it do? It can't even break out of my body!"

"Oh, so that's the big blunder in question!" Glints of curiosity were in Izel’s eyes. "Sure would make for an interesting campfire tale."

"It wouldn't."

"Come on."

"We have a gazillion topics of conversation in this world and you'd rather sniff out something that's none of your business?"

While stirring the soup, the pyromancer shrugged with a hint of mischief. "That's dull. But I appreciate your fear of privacy being exposed."

Alicia was the first to finish her meal a little later. Her serving was meagre anyway, and her tongue was numb; swallowing too many chunks and lumps of red through her throat only made her fit to vomit. She replaced the soup pot on the grill with a new one brimmed with water. In her freshly washed bowl, she mixed turmeric and cinnamon powder, followed by two cloves, two belatangor peppercorns, and a duo of nectar spoons.

Izel gazed at the water intently, then fired a question back to Alicia. "So, what kind of pirates did you encounter?"

Alicia's eyebrows were raised. It was no random leap by the pyromancer to make such an assumption. They claimed to have come with a crew of two merchant ships and their chief, each carrying nothing resembling wares in their hands. Encounters with Kagatsean pirates seemed to be an open secret in this country, even an unavoidable necessity when voyaging by sea.

"Looks like the sea of Kagatse is indeed a pirate's paradise, eh?" Alicia asked back.

"They infest from the border seas of Kagatse to the Tay-lin free ocean, each group nesting on certain small islands," Izel explained.

Alicia gave a gentle nod. "The one with many female members, a giant red octopus...," nausea stifled her mouth, "...and a perverted old baby."

Upon sipping the red sauce slurry, Izel breathed a sigh of relief and bobbed her head. "I know that damn syndicate! You crossed paths with the Senbō pirate network led by the erstwhile Ronin, Okama no Kaizoku, Senbō Banjō. The very same pirates who raided our refugee vessels as we traversed Kagatsean waters. Those damn sissy pirates. Imagine, they conjure storms using shachihokos and ensnared our ships with three giant red octopuses because they knew our mystic arts were at their worst when rain fell!"

"Or maybe that’s always been their tactic in the first place. They attacked ours the same way," Wisesa chimed in. "Though only one octopus attacked us, anyway."

"Because we killed the other two!" Izel declared with pride, grinning. "We, the Tamoanchanese, did not submit despite being surrounded by the sea and pirates! And they thought most of the ship's passengers were ordinary people with a few low-level Tlemauayolotli practitioners. But our retinue are Tlemauayolotli practitioners on par with xiuhcoatls, able to create fire even in the absence of the sun and in the coldest of climes! Hundreds of xiuhcoatls were among our fellow travellers, and they were all turned into cannon-powered long-barrelled muskets! Those pirates chose the wrong enemy. They should have just stuck to plundering fishermen!" Izel's amusement threatened to erupt, but her eyes then fell upon Kaito who was looking rather troubled. "I mean…, they should have just stopped plundering! That! Sorry, Little Brother."

"They've looted our fishing boats and also anchored in our village several times, either to plunder it or use it as a new base," Kaito contributed. "Thankfully, they no longer dared to set foot on our land when Yūsha Mōmoku-sama, the new supreme leader of Kagatse, intervened."

A moment later, Wisesa threw out a question. "What's that xiuhcoatl again?"

"This." Izel pointed to her pointed hat that had the shape and appearance of a feathered snake. "This is xiuhcoatl, a dragon endemic to the Mu Continent."

"So you and the others fought the pirates by turning the dragon xiuhcoatls into muskets?"

"That's right! And I had the honour of blasting the monster octopus to smithereens with the xiuhcoatl musket! The giant tentacle pieces littered our ship, and when we docked, we immediately feasted on takoyaki!"

"Nah. That's an exaggeration."

"It's true! It truly happened! I killed that octopus with a dragon musket!"

"You're fond of delusions, missy. After all, your story about the dragon rifle turning out to be a real dragon? Please! You even mistook Barong for an elephant!"

"Dragons they are, you idiot! How can you be ignorant of such common magic lore? And don't bring up the matter of the Earth Monster's form again!"

"Halah! How do you shoot bullets via a dragon? You pull its genitals, hm? Grabbed its testicles? Hey, Alicia, you know the most about magic. Tell me if the people of the Mu Continent grasped a dragon's testicles to shoot fire!"

"You're disgusting, Wisesa," she weakly chided with a disgusted grimace. "Tamoanchanese's Xiuhcoatl rifles are real dragons, ken? They use keywords and voice recognition to command the snakes."

"Listen to that! Man, it seems like you're dumb in the brain and strong in the muscles, whereas the woman is the opposite! You're once again patronising me and xiuhcoatl, we'd better have a fight right here, right now!"

"You're fighting me who has the power of Barong. Please. I'm not afraid of fire."

"You should be!"

Orb screeched and they all abruptly clogged their ears while cringing.

"Thank you very much, Orb. My ever-reliable pal," Alicia said to the glowing sphere nestled within her bag.

"Goodness, Orb, you're deafening my ears!" Izel gingerly withdrew her hands from her ears. "But anyway..., that's how it goes. The Senbō pirate network's endeavours to conquer Tamoanchan were foiled. His group may not be the strongest, nor the most feared, but it cannot be denied that Senbō Banjō has established an intricate web of connections throughout the Kagatsean mainland. It is said that he deals with a number of important Kagatsean people for various businesses. Piracy, murder, smuggling thralls and illicit trade of goods, you name it. No wonder they have so many resources. But since you met them, have they seen Arcane?"

Alicia's gaze shifted to her open waist bag, the light of Orb inside dimmed, inferior to a floating campfire. "They have."

"Then you must be very careful. Banjō and the other pirates may already be scheming a pursuit of you on Kagatsean soil.”

Alicia did not display her eyebrows furrowing or her mouth twitching with worry; her current condition did not allow her to do so. Instead, an optimistic sentence came out of her mouth. "I'll be fine," she assured. "They failed against me. Orb and I will make sure they fail the second time."

"Though feeble, yet you're talking with such valiant. Now we're talking," Izel lauded. "Pirates shouldn't always be a big problem when civil guard ships patrol the seas. But unfortunately, they were being pulled back to the mainland. Those stationed along the coasts and in remote areas have been reassigned to safeguard zones near the government centre. All of that happened since those incomprehensible creatures like the ones we fought earlier this afternoon appeared."

"Mujino...," Alicia added.

The campfire’s flickering shadows cast a pall over Kaito's weary and morose countenance. His sister's breathing was rough, her head resting on his arm. "I hate Mujino...," the tiniest one's voice quivered. "They destroyed our home. Destroyed the temple. Separated me from otosan and okasan. Tome wants otosan and okasan."

Alicia was hurt by this. "Oh, Tome. I'm... I'm sorry."

"Our father and mother are still alive," Kaito explained. "At least, they were when we last saw them. Dog Mujinos were reported heading towards our village, and our village's protective seal went off. The residents were about to be evacuated to the capital, but mujinos overran the village too fast. Our house collapsed, and we were trapped for a day. I saw... my neighbours... being torn apart by monsters and dragged into the forest. Otosan and Okasan were dragged to the carriage and that was the last time we saw them."

Alicia remembered the bones she had stumbled upon in an alley within the village. Her arms were crossed, hugging one to the other as she shivered. "Whilst on the ship, we also encountered a queer bird that had nae beak. Instead, it had a muckle slit on its back that served as its mouth. The pirates also shouted mujino at these creatures. It made me wonder where they came from. Could it be a magic mutation or something else entirely?

A bobbed head from the Orange Witch. "That must be the Gothhotroo. No one knows the origin of this mass of monsters. The Magisterium did some investigating. They were found to have a common origin from the village of Hiurui."

"The inter-dimensional rift?" Alicia quickly responded.

"Yes, the one reported on Telemedia," Izel affirmed. "Originally the dimensional rift was only in Hiurui, and even then what came out of the portal was... living slimes? Deadly all the same, a number of unlucky victims confirmed that. But in the last two months, more absurd sorts arrived, made worse by dimensional cracks popping up outside of Hiurui. Some appear in the sea, some in the sky, and there have even been rifts in neighbouring Sinsi and Chixian Shenzhou!"

The astonished Alicia turned her gaze to Wisesa. “The last two months, Wisesa! Shouldnae Lojitengara have known about this? The ship that we boarded on?”

“Alas Purwo cut off Pulomas’ communication with the rest of the world if they ever told you that,” Wisesa explained. “That ship belonged to that crew chief, a Pulomas fella. It was confiscated, and he could only get it back after the civil war ended. Too bad they didn’t catch up with the latest news, though.”

“The hordes from Amamitocho were the remnant from the crack of the neighbouring region. It appeared at the last wave,” Izel chimed in again. “Usually, they contain a crack within a certain radius with a mana barrier so the soldiers can annihilate the mujinos inside. You just lacked the luck because new cracks tend to appear outside the barrier without warning.”

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"A god did this." Kaito stopped scooping his soup. "Every day we visit the temple, and the god attacks our village and all of Kagatse with mujinos. Even though I always make unono kotsu no soushingu whenever my father and I catch fish. All the villagers were kind! I don't believe in gods anymore!"

Alicia tenderly caressed Kaito's shoulder. "Why are you accusing gods, Kaito?"

"Because as I said before, I saw a god bring Mujino to this village!"

"Don't you mean an extremely powerful magic practitioner—"

"Chigau!" Kaito slipped in using a word in his mother tongue. "We know what a practitioner looks like. He's different. Not a person. When you meet him, you'll know for yourself."

"Woe to us all," said Wisesa, still sitting there, still the most relaxed and nonchalant of the campers. "We just faced the Moon Eater. Now we've got a horde of Mujinos from a mysterious crack, and the culprit is a god. Might as well let the world truly doom itself."

Izel, upon hearing Wisesa's statement, knitted her brows. "The Moon Eater? I hope it's not that giant head that kept rising into the sky layers causing a strange global blindness!"

"Are there even other Moon Eaters out there?"

"Wait, you pals were blinded by its light too?" Alicia interjected.

Izel feigned a gasp. A dramatically-displayed one. "You two teens with mad-laced fates!" she shouted. Whether amazed or furious, her expression was a messy combination of both. "Oh, I hate any misfortune that befalls you, but know that the blinding flash affected everyone momentarily during the previous wave of war! I knew Citlalicoatl wouldn’t forsake my people. When the first light broke, it dazzled everyone and obliterated the ascending head! That was the sign. Citlalicoatl is with us! Stronger is my faith, the more disciplined I am!"

"What are you talking about?" Wisesa's index finger flashed at the pale spectacled girl. "It was her!"

"Wisesa! Hush!" Alicia snapped.

"Alicia? No way! You don't usurp my god’s glory, mortals! He is the world's keeper. It is his light!"

Wisesa spluttered, shrugging her shoulders at Alicia. "See, right? Idiot. There's no way she could believe you could do that!"

"Magic has logic too, Man," Izel said while crossing her arms. "Your friend's an Arcane wielder, but I'm also betting that if that's the same Moon Eater Bakunawa the world knew and feared, she would've been killed in one contact. His looming head itself is a clear warning of his immense power!"

Alicia was too weary for such a debate. Just let that one pyromancer deny her achievements, she thought. One less concern to contend with. Thus, a change of topic was entertained to forget everything. "Can't you seek assistance from another country to address this Mujino problem? To the Magisterium? The Eternal Empire?"

Now it was Izel's turn to lean against the wooden log, idly spinning the black bowl with her fingers. "Come on, Alicia. It's not only Kagatse that's been hit by the muck of calamity. The world of thaumaturgy is in chaos these days, and here I wonder why it's still in one piece.” When the spinning ceased, the pyromancer was in a state of deep thought. A sigh of frustration escaped her. “I lost my home. Then our dignity dropped from refugees to volunteer soldiers out of resignation. Sometimes I wonder why the elders would choose a place like Kagatse, let alone be stationed in Otnagochi, which is actually Hiurui's neighbouring village, and then voluntarily be assigned to monitor the progress of the dimensional portal and every forthright partake in the battle against these creatures!"

The black bowl was melted by the flame that suddenly erupted in her hand, startling the two small children, especially Tome, whose eyes glazed over as a consequence. The witch’s hands were coated in a thick, sticky black substance, yet she did not feel her hands blistering.

"Izel," Alicia called out, "please restrain yourself. You scared them, again."

Aware of the melted plastic bowl in her hands, Izel waved it away casually. "Sorry, little ones," she addressed Kaito and Tome. A new bowl was snatched and filled with fresh soup. "But it does sound painful. Almost no one wants to accept refugees from us. Only a handful accept and all of those countries are in dire straits. But have no mind, I think we’ve discussed Mujinos and refugees enough. Let's spend the night with more fun conversations! Something more relaxing!"

Alicia’s mind was still stuck in the whole Mujino infestation. Two weeks. Two weeks for the new wave of monsters to come, which meant that Alicia would again be stuck in a foreign country for some time, again bearing the burden of a "responsibility" that should not be hers, her mandate to find the Children of Prophecy faltered. She could have simply turned a blind eye and focused on finding the other children, then saved every corner of the world all at once. But the subtle strains of Orb indirectly prompted Alicia to pay attention to this. Again, the lass’ compassion seemed to be easily exploited.

Without delving further into the earlier utterance, Alicia remarked, "We really need to hurry to the capital. The children should be delivered as soon as possible."

"Ah, of course! You're headed to Takamagahara as well! You seem to be the only new foreign tourists to arrive in the past six months. Not the place to go if you want to enjoy autumn."

"Wisesa and I aren't here for that, though I really, really want to. I need to go to the capital to meet with the Kagatsean branch of the Magisterium. Magisterium business."

"Young ones on duty! Sounds urgent! I told you the world of thaumaturgy is in upheaval. You know, I once aspired to be a Magisterium mage as well. Ironic, isn't it, to hear that from the tongue of a Tamoanchanese? In any case, it seems that you are too young to serve the Magisterium."

"'A mage, no matter one’s age, will be dealt with strict and equal.'"

"That phrase, of course. Hei, if you’re seeking a route with fewer mujinos and less interference, you should come with me! For six months travelling around Kagatse, I've memorised many roads and safe zones!"

The pot was already bubbling. Alicia slowly poured the water into her bowl with the spices and stirred it until well blended. Alicia let out a sigh of relief as she inhaled the steam from her concoction, before sipping it little by little, savouring the warmth spread throughout her body. Warmth that tamed her chilled skin so it was not sensitive anymore. Alicia leaned back against the wooden log. Her smile was contented.

"Then, what about you?" It was Alicia's turn to inquire. What brings you to the capital?"

"Ah, I'm sending the proceeds of the candle sales to Takamagahara. Sometimes I fight along with my fellow warriors in Otnagochi, but at other times, I sell candles throughout the Kagatsean safe zones. It all depends on the situation of my community back in the capital."

"You went around Kagatse just to sell Tamoanchan candles?"

"Guilty as charged," Izel replied. She took out some candles from her bag. "Want to buy some?"

Izel tossed one to Alicia, who caught it with a faint Arcane flair. The bespectacled girl noticed the unique patterns and colours on its surface, then brought it up to her nose as the candle did have a strong smell.

"Fragrant," Alicia commented with a faint smile. She pressed her nose closer to the candle again. "It's pure fragrant. I love the smell!"

"It smells even better when lit!" Izel promoted. "A discount for you if you buy each of us here a stick!"

"That's a generous offer, Izel... It's just that I... dinnae ken what to use it for. Besides, do Kagatseans still need candles?" Alicia incised to Kaito and Tome. The boy shook his head reluctantly. "And again, light is not a problem for now or the coming times."

"Well, I forgot. You have Arcane. Of course."

"Izel, please understand I dinnae mean to be condescending or anything—"

"No, not at all," Izel replied with a smile and a hearty laugh. "I'm just teasing you. You're a kind girl. But now you have to listen to my pitch! These candles are my family's hereditary recipe. Electricity may have reached every corner of Kagatse, but these candles are as luminescent as a lamp and as warm as a fireplace. Plus, they contain aromatics that provide cosy ambience in any room. And just so you know, the interest in it is starting to grow among Kagatse's lower-middle class, especially given the current situation. Not a bad way to support our community!"

"And these candles are really made from Citlalicoatl's fur?"

"Absolutely! Real fur! I dare not deceive in the name of my god for the sake of business. I’ve worked tirelessly to be deserving. Even a minor transgression could disqualify me!"

"Disqualify? Are you entering some sort of business competition?"

Izel's eyes widened, her behaviour momentarily frenetic. "Uh... forget that. But these candles are indeed crafted from Citlalicoatl’s fur, which rained down once every half year. That’s where the fragrant smell comes from. In fact, Citlalicoatl is so holy that even if it excretes faeces, it will have an efficacious fragrance, that much is sure!"

That was a rather extreme cult, in Alicia's opinion. "I see. But the Rain of Dragon Feathers only occurs in your homeland, aye?"

And that wracked Izel's expression with grimness. Instead of crushing geometry-patterned candles, she put the merchandise back into the bag and scratched the bark. "So much for avoiding the topic of my home. But, truly, I and the entire population of Tamoanchan swear to eat the heart of anyone responsible for what befell our homeland," she hissed, with emphasis.

"Oh, so that's the big blunder in question? Sure would make for an interesting campfire story," quipped Wisesa in a weak voice.

Alicia turned to him in astonishment.

"You again don't know?" Izel's voice rose an octave. "Does Lojitengara lack telemedia or newspapers? Have you been living in the forest all this time?"

"Wow, calm down, missy! Is your country the centre of gods or something? Western countries collapsing doesn't even ruin my sleep!"

The bespectacled lass became the voice of reason for the lad. "He does live in a rickety hut in the middle of the forest. Please understand, Izel."

"The last time I watched telemedia was four and a half years ago," Wisesa added.

Izel clucked his tongue, her head and eyeballs rolling to and fro. "There's no way you didn't hear about it at least in the form of rumours! I actually hate recounting that event!"

"Fine then. Don't tell."

She swallowed the chilli soup in three gulps, then slammed the bowl down, startling Alicia's weak heart, much less Tome and Kaito's. "You don't care now? I was about to tell you!"

"Why should I care!"

"Pals, if ye dinnae want to hear the Orb screech again, it's best to keep yer voices calm," Alicia advised, then went back to sipping her warm potion. Of course, they did not want their ears to be shattered to pieces. "Tamoanchan was consumed by darkness nine months ago, Wisesa. From the ground to the sky, everything was pitch black. It was as if a piece of the world was missing."

Izel threw a piece of paper at Wisesa's face, which turned out to be a memento of what her hometown currently looked like. A newspaper clipping.

"Gin... nu... ng... gagap...? Ginnungagap?" Wisesa read the newspaper. "What kind of name is Ginnungagap?"

"It was made up by a Vanir journalist and turned out to be the standard name for this phenomenon. It means a magical gaping void or something like that," Alicia explained again.

"Huh. The sun can't penetrate. Crazy shit right there. I want to see what you mean by a piece of the world missing. Whoever was so unemployed that he had to do that, I have to shake his hand and congratulate him.”

"What? Why are you even glad that my country was wiped out? Many couldn't escape that darkness and their fate is unknown!"

"Because it's so funny! Every time I think of sun worshippers not even being able to supply their land with sunlight, it's hilarious!" Seeing Izel start to growl, Wisesa thrust out his two hands. "Hey, don't be so dramatic, Izel. And don't flatter yourself thinking anyone cares enough about your country to be happy about its destruction. We're just amazed at how easily it was plunged into darkness. Maybe next time, invest in some decent lighting infrastructure instead of relying on some ‘sun god’ that gives you his only feathers for candles.."

"What the—"

"Hey not funny, pal!" Barong immediately came out and scolded the lad.

"Wisesa!" Alicia, too, was outraged.

The argument was cut short when they heard Tome let out a loud yawn. Alicia saw her tugging Kaito's shirt. "Nemuri tai," she pleaded.

Kaito, heedless of the three teenagers about to set the forest ablaze, hugged his younger sister as he stood up. "My sister and I want to sleep. We thank you for the meal." He bent down and led his sister behind another log.

Alicia sighed and addressed to the others, "You know what? I need to rest too. Please continue your conversation, but please... watch your voices." The lass got up from the ground and dragged her feet over to the two younglings.

On the other side of the log, Kaito and Tome were about to cling to each other, but then they saw Alicia approaching with weak steps. "Hey…, ye'll get a fever like me if ye hug like that," Alicia whispered. She took out a wide blanket from her dimension bag. "Here, put it on."

"How about you, Alicia-neesan?" Kaito asked upon receiving the blanket.

"Of course, I have one too, silly," Alicia chuckled as another piece of broadcloth magically appeared and draped over her shoulders. She helped Kaito and Tome smooth their blanket in such a way that none of their bodies would be exposed to the night breeze. Alicia’s fabric gift was indeed a blessing for the children, but her blessing did not stop there. She retrieved two thin pillows. "A souvenir from my ship," she said. Kaito took one pillow, while Alicia placed the other on Tome's head.

"All set, all set! Now ye can sleep."

"Alicia-neesan, thank you very much," Kaito said quietly.

Alica just nodded slowly and took a place across from them, a large rock that was suitable for leaning. She wrapped herself up, taking out her Arcane ball companion, Orb, for the last time of the day. "I did say I wanted to talk about the problem of me losing control. But let's call it a day for now, eh?"

Have peace of mind, Alicia, it all can wait. Rest, my wielder, Orb chanted.

"Good night, Orb."

Alicia was about to put Orb in again when her ears were interrupted by a small whimper. It appeared that Kaito was rubbing the shoulder of Tome, who was clutching a bracelet made of shell beads while crying.

"Kids? Are ye awright?" asked Alicia, concerned.

"Alicia-neesan...!" Kaito was half startled. "Sorry. It's nothing big. I’m just putting my sister to sleep. She misses her mother and father."

"S-sorry... I sleep now," added Tome.

Something stabbed Alicia’s heart. Her ruby eyes and Orb's white eyes met again, contemplating together for a moment before they turned back to the children.

"Do you want to hold Orb?" a sudden question from Alicia.

"Eh...? What's with the Alicia-neesan’s magic orb?" Kaito asked, confused.

"Ye know what? You're going to hold Orb. Let me go to ye."

Alicia pulled back her blanket, then leaned next to Tome. Orb was left floating above Tome's bosom.

"Come on. Hold it."

Kaito was still a little hesitant. "Is it okay?"

"I allow Orb to be held by both of you. It won't dare electrocute your hands."

Tome was the first to raise her hand to Orb, sensing a subtle vibration much like a kitten's purr. Orb drew closer to Tome's bosom, and her eyes shifted from teary to a wider, more curious stare, fixed on its glittering little white sphere studying her.

"Orb is beautiful," Tome said.

"It is beautiful," Alicia concurred. "I cry a lot too, ye ken? I used to panic so easily, not knowing what to do, sometimes even hurting myself. Whenever that happened, Orb would scold me and then tell me to hold it close. Orb always gave me peace and hope whenever I needed it. You could say that it's been my lifeline since I came together with it."

Tome was already hugging her ball mate tightly, not letting either Kaito or even Alicia, its original owner, have a hand. Soft chirping spoilt the little girl's ears, and that was when Tome began to smile.

With her eyes still closed, Tome wondered, "I like Orb's voice. Orb's voice is funny but sweet. Can Orb sing me a lullaby?"

"Tome!” Kaito chastised her. ”Don't ask anything weird—"

"Can Orb sing a lullaby?" Alicia pretended to think. "Orb, how is it? Are ye up for the job?"

Orb chirped again while purring, making Tome chuckle. "Orb is chirping again. So funny!"

"Orb says it's the best singer in the world!" replied the bespectacled lass. "but it's telling me to be the lead, while it's the accompanist. Hmph!"

"If Orb says that, can Alicia-neesan and Orb do it?"

Alicia was actually thinking this time. "Hmm. My mama used to make lullabies for me back in the day. Maybe I still remember it."

She cleared her throat briefly, then sang the first verse by herself.

“If a wizard explores a book. At times his head deserves a pillow. As the sun longs too, to hide behind a hill… Wee one, shelter in the fortress of dreams.

“If a hermit is meditating. At times his body deserves feathers' heap. Just as ye, wee mare, have galloped through the fields. Stretch out your legs and lean on me.”

As the third verse progressed, Orb began to accompany Alicia's ethereal voice with violin-like strains.

“If a shinobi is cultivating. Sometimes his stomach deserves a grilled meal. Just as you have laboured to the point of tears. Soften yourself and rest your eyes.

“When the rivers hum their soothing tune. And the winds weave stories through the trees. As the lots of stars spin their cosmic tale. Journey, wee soul, where imagination leads.

“When the ageless time wreaks bitter on people. Sometimes they deserve to taste the times of good. Ye who have worked hard for a brighter world. Now regain your strength in sleeping.”

Alicia's mother may not be the brightest of bards. However, singing her own lyrics evoked a calm and cosy feeling of the times she was lulled into such a state, and that succeeded in making her chest depressed and her eyes enduring yet another weight. But it also succeeded in making Tome fall asleep, cuddling Orb.

"Alicia-neesan. Alicia-neesan has done so much. I've said thank you many times, but it's not enough. I owe you so much, if I can, I'm ready to do what you ask in return!" Kaito said confidently.

After rubbing her eyes, Alicia offered a smile while stroking the boy's hair. "You can pay by sleeping. Go sleep now, awright?" []