After her conversation with Silas, Luminita left "The Bird's Rest" and headed home. There were many documents that would require Hester’s assistance.

However, for some reason, Luminita didn’t feel like going straight home. She paused in the middle of the road, turning on her heel, her brown braids swaying in an arc. Instead, she made her way toward the riverside.

In the soft afternoon light of Alderwick, the riverside path was as lively as ever.

Sadias the painter had set up his canvas facing the flower bed. With most of the cherry blossoms already fallen, his gaze was fixed on a magnolia in full bloom, its delicate white petals framed by purple tulips swaying in the breeze.

The children were not in the river today but ran gleefully along its banks. Luminita couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming scene. Glancing up, she saw old Maura keeping a watchful eye on the children.

Luminita nodded a greeting to Mr and Mrs Fenton as she passed by. She often thought that if she were to find a wonderful partner, she would like to be as happily married as they were.

(A wonderful partner...)

The image of a certain young man drifted into her daydream, and her body began to feel warm. She quickened her pace.

As she continued along the riverside, she approached the cherry tree-lined street. The ground was blanketed in a pink carpet of cherry blossom petals, remnants of the past few days’ gentle showers.

Luminita recalled when they had first arrived in this village. Unfamiliar with the local cuisine and customs, the three siblings had often been downcast. Unable to bear seeing them like that, Hester had taken them out for a picnic under the cherry trees.

Hester had even tried to recreate dishes from their homeland, Substania, serving boiled potatoes and pickled cabbage. Clara had been particularly delighted by the familiar appearance of the food, but when she tasted it, the flavour was quite different, and she furrowed her brow with a complicated expression. Seeing this, Hester had laughed, saying, "Once it's in your stomach, it all tastes the same anyway!"

Luminita remembered feeling anxious about whether they could manage in this new home. But a few days later, when Hester made another attempt at Substanian cuisine, it was even more delicious than before.

This was how they had gradually formed their family of four.

Luminita arrived at the front garden of her home. The scent of lavender and rosemary wafted through the air. It was Hester's herb garden. The weeds had been carefully pulled, and the plants neatly pruned. Despite her usual carefree nature, Hester’s attention to detail was something Luminita deeply admired.

As she opened the door, the bell attached to the top of the board made a muffled sound. It had been giving trouble recently, no longer producing the pleasant chime it once did. Luminita made a mental note to ask Libel to repair it while he was still around.

"Welcome back! I’m just finishing up lunch preparations, so come and help me, Luminita! Goodness me, Clara’s run off again!" Hester exclaimed, lightly tapping a frying pan with a wooden ladle as she swayed her large body.

A question suddenly crossed Luminita’s mind.

(Wait, did I actually tell Hester about going to Landinium... about taking the Hoshiwatari exam?)

She wasn’t sure why this thought had come to her now, or if she had intentionally suppressed it, but at 16, she still didn’t fully understand her own heart. She just knew that it was important and needed to be said immediately.

"Hester, you know..."

"Come on now, if you want to chat, let’s do it while we’re cooking! Once you've washed your hands, could you fetch those vegetables? They’re fresh from the garden!"

"I want to become a Hoshiwatari. I’ve written a thesis. Even though I still can’t use Phasmanicus very well, I’m sure there’s so much to learn. And, well, I want to go to Landinium to study."

Hester, wiping her hands on her apron, simply said, "Is that so? Well, go on, wash your hands."

"And there are lots of documents that you need to sign for me, Hester. Writing the thesis was really hard work. I’ve never studied so hard in my life! Let’s see, there’s the proof of identity, and the travel permit, and what else was it?" Luminita took out her notebook and scanned its contents. "Oh yes, the proof of education... I need to get the master to sign that one. By the way, did you know the master’s name is Ayame?"

Hester didn’t answer Luminita, instead silently peeling potatoes she had fetched herself.

Seeing Hester’s attitude, Luminita felt she should say something. But she didn’t know what she should say. So, she tried to say everything she could think of.

"In Landinium, I’m thinking of staying in Libel’s room. It might be a bit cramped, so I feel bad for Libel. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure it’s full of books. Don’t you think so too, Hester?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Hester didn’t answer.

Confused, Luminita glanced at the mantelpiece. There, she saw the novel she had started writing as a child but never finished, and the mysterious stone Clara had found somewhere. These childhood treasures had long held their designated place on the mantelpiece.

"It seems like I’ll need money too, but don’t worry. I’ve saved all the money from the Plato orphan fund. And apparently, there are scholarships if your grades are good enough."

"You absolutely can’t do it," Hester’s voice was clear and blunt. It lacked the usual warmth and cheerfulness, like the fire in the hearth. It was a tone Luminita had never heard before.

For a moment, Luminita was confused about what she had just heard. Hester’s words raced through her mind like jumbled letters and words. Then her face grew hot, and she felt she couldn’t stay there any longer.

"Whether you cry or whatever, you can’t do it," Hester said once more.

Then she returned to peeling potatoes, quickly working through two or three.

Choking back a sob, Luminita barely managed to squeeze out the words, "Do you think so?" Her voice was so small that she wasn’t sure if Hester had heard her.

Then she ran upstairs, slipped into her room, and threw herself onto her bed. There, she cried silently, pressing her face into her pillow to muffle the sound.

In the kitchen, only Hester remained, peeling vegetables. The force with which Luminita had closed her bedroom door caused the frying pans and oregano hanging on the wall to sway slightly. On the mantelpiece, the novel and the stone sat quietly.

***

As evening fell, Clara and Libel returned home.

Before they knew it, it was time for dinner. Luminita had been struggling with conflicted feelings in her room. The desire not to go down to the kitchen battled repeatedly with the feeling that she shouldn’t worry Libel and Clara. In the end, she went downstairs and joined everyone at the dinner table.

The warm potato and turnip soup was filled with plenty of herbs.

Luminita took a sip, but could hardly taste it. Still, she busily moved her spoon, trying to act as usual.

"Where did you go today, Clara?" Libel asked as he ladled out more soup. It was Clara’s second helping.

"I was at the master’s place, working on a new painting. But it’s seriously tough," Clara answered as she accepted the bowl of soup.

"Making the paint is such a pain. It’s called sumi ink. It takes all day just to grind it. It’s harder than spirit magic training. I can’t do it anymore. I want to quit."

"Sumi? What’s that like?" Hester asked, mashing potatoes with her spoon.

"It’s black and hard. Like cow poop," Clara said, making a square shape with her fingers. Libel quickly admonished her, "Hey, we’re eating!" Clara laughed along with Hester. Luminita forced herself to laugh too.

Dinner ended as if nothing had happened. The next day passed in the same way.

The day after that, Luminita found documents signed by Hester placed on the desk in her room.

Since the incident in the kitchen, the topic of Luminita going to Landinium hadn’t come up again.

Several days passed, with the thorn still lodged in her heart.

The day of the meteor shower that Silas had mentioned arrived.

***

A cool night breeze caressed Luminita’s cheek as she looked up.

Though the meteors weren’t visible yet, the stars shining in the deep black curtain of sky were breathtakingly beautiful.

The small lights visible from the houses on the ground and the silver screen of the sky above—it was as if two different worlds existed simultaneously, Luminita thought. To her, they seemed like separate, independent lights of life, difficult to compare.

Feeling a slight chill, Luminita crossed her arms in front of her.

"Lumi, you’ve seemed down lately. Did something happen?"

Libel said this as he draped his jacket over Luminita’s shoulders. A gentle breeze blew, ruffling his slightly overgrown fringe.

Hester’s words flashed through Luminita’s mind. After a moment’s hesitation, she answered.

"It’s nothing. I’m just feeling a bit lonely."

Luminita remained seated, pressing her face against her knees.

(Libel is worried about me. His voice was so kind.)

Luminita felt as if her chest had been squeezed by a small hand. She didn’t yet have the words to express that feeling.

At the same time, she felt guilty about spending time like this.

(I should be talking properly with Hester. Instead, I’m out here. I’m always running away...)

Thinking this, she couldn’t bring herself to be honest.

Just then, a streak cut through the darkness of the night sky. The two stood up and looked to the heavens. One, then another, momentary lines of white light raced across the sky. It was time for the meteor shower.

The flow of light continued unbroken, increasing in number. The two gasped at the fantastical sight.

"Beautiful," Luminita whispered, grasping Libel’s clothes.

"Did you see that, Libel?"

Luminita peered at Libel’s face. Libel, too, was gazing at Luminita.

It was a more serious expression than she had ever seen before. Luminita caught her breath again.

"Lumi, there’s something important I need to tell you."

At these unexpected words, Luminita’s heart pounded loudly. Her face grew hot and her legs felt unsteady. Libel’s jacket slipped from her shoulders. But she didn’t feel the cold.

Luminita could tell that Libel was searching for words. Despite this, she could see a deep, straightforward emotion residing in the depths of his blue eyes. She could sense the tension of a determined resolution battling with hesitation.

(Something important? What? About Hester? About Clara’s ink? Or maybe...)

Various words raced through Luminita’s mind. She felt dizzy.

"Lumi," Libel called her name again.

"Yes, I’m Luminita," she responded nervously, not quite sure what she was saying. Scenes from a romance novel she had secretly read with Clara a few days ago flashed through her mind. Thrilling moments she had thought were unrelated to them played out in her head.

"You’re special,"

Behind Libel, Luminita could see stars falling. Meteors appeared one after another, seeming to fill the sky with light.

"S-special? You mean... ‘special’ as in special?"

Luminita was desperate. She felt her legs giving way, about to collapse. Libel gently caught her.

Libel’s face was right in front of Luminita’s eyes and nose. She could no longer see the meteors.

Various questions bubbled up and disappeared in Luminita’s mind—whether there were procedures or steps to follow, whether they were siblings even if not related by blood, what they had had for dinner that day. But she couldn’t put any of it into words.

She just closed her eyes and waited.

She heard Libel’s familiar voice. His kindness and tension seemed to transmit through her ears.

"Lumi... your power is called Magianicus. Please listen calmly. You are a modern sorcerer, a manifestation of the power of the god Nocta."

The meteor shower continued, with no sign of ending. An endless rain of light seemed about to reach the ground. The sky was painted over with light, engulfing even the boundary with the earth.

That twinkling continued endlessly, as if unifying two worlds that had been thought separate.