Repeating her steps Mia had made it all the way back up to the shrine, only after passing by that floating eyeball each time and only after it had given her approval to pass. She didn’t know what it was, but decided it wasn’t important to find out. Right now the most important thing was her aunt.

Once arriving to the top of the hill she decided to save so she wouldn’t have to walk all the way back up each time.

[Are you sure that is wise? What if you need to do something else to get her to not cook you alive?]

‘Then I’ll go back to slot one.’ This was the furthest she got to coming here without anyone knowing, if she couldn’t talk to her after all this, she’d just forget about it for now and find out later.

She really didn’t want to get her mother involved, or see her, not yet. Not when she was so close to Lexon. This was just a small detour to get some semi-important answers.

Maria walked out from her shrine, bottle in hand, eyeing Mia “Oh, that’s in po-“

“Wait, Maria i-“ Mia shouted out, trying to make her appeal early but was soon cooked alive once more, Mia appearing in a white hallway “Why does she keep doing that!” she shouted, looking around briefly, noting the two wooden doors “…should I be concerned about this? Ami?”

[Eh, not really. More importantly, talking doesn’t appear to be working.]

“No, no it doesn’t” she pouted, she couldn’t imagine why she was so hostile.

[Last time you had a letter and were instructed to not speak unless given permission.]

“Well, I’m not getting a letter.” It was too late for that, her attention briefly being interrupted by the muffled dinging of a bell coming from one of the doors. Mia stared at the door, now hearing muffled chatter “...ok one thing at a time.” She then loaded, putting her curiosity aside for now.

Back in front of the shrine she waited for Maria to come out, deciding to try the one thing she could, remain silent until given permission to speak.

Maria soon came out again, bottle in hand “Oh, that’s in poor taste…”

Mia didn’t say anything, remaining silent.

“What? Nothing to say this time?” she scowled, lifting her bottle and taking a chug “Committed to the act, huh?”

The two then stared at each other, the silence only occasionally broken by the sounds of liquid in the bottle. Mia peaked towards the sky, nowhere close to noon.

“…Fucking quit it! Go away!” Maria screamed.

The sudden outburst surprised Mia, looking back she was suddenly struck in the head, causing to recoil to the ground and hold her head “ow…”

“hu-wa-what?” Maria stood there at the entrance, dumbfounded “You, you are…shit.”

Mia looked up from holding her head, seeing Maria worriedly run over and kneel besides her.

“Are you ok? Nothing hurt too badly? Ah…sorry sorry!” she hovered her hands over Mia, unsure if she should touch her or not, unsure of what to do.

“Am fine.” Mia said, truthfully, she wasn’t, that bottle almost killed her. She had nothing in terms of health. But she put aside the pain, she wasn’t a pile of ash on the ground, that was a start.

Maria plopped down on the ground, relieved “good…wait, Mia?! What are you doing up here?! How?” she sat up, gripping Mia’s shoulders and shaking her “Who told you how to, why are you so cold? How can you even…?” she paused, in the middle of her questioning she had appraised Mia and let go, backing up “explain. Now.”

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‘Hm, how to explain…’ she didn’t think she’d get this far, how would she explain, especially with her speech being like this…oh, that’s a good place to start.

She reached her hand out, Maria backed away from it “Explain now, hand.”

“…” Maria stared at her, she looked around in search of something before sighing “if I didn’t see that title…”

“Shrine maiden, yeah, will explain.” She opened and closed her palm, emphasizing Maria should hurry up and grab it.

“So you can read it…” she grabbed her hand, flinching and pulling back when Mia had froze their hands together, lifting Mia into the air in the process “Eek? What the hell Mia!? What are you-“

“Explaining.” She had saved when they held hands, and now that they were attached and in combat, she loaded, dragging Maria back a few seconds in time.

Maria blinked, suddenly finding herself no longer lifting Mia in the air, her hand no longer frozen together with Mia’s “What in the…”

“Time travel.” Mia said, giving a small smile.

“I…you…what?” she was stunned, unable to process what had just happened.

“Time travel.” Mia repeated.

Maria fell limp “When.. how long? I…huh…” she looked up at her “is this, the first time?”

[Oh, she catches on quick.]

“No, second.” Mia said, trotting past her to the shrine “Know all, about mind control.” She shook her head “well, not all, enough.” She went up the stairs, peeking inside the shrine, her face distorting at what she saw. A mess, empty bottles everywhere, clothes, scattered torn papers, layers of dust, if the main room looked like this, she did not want to go any further in.

“H-hey wait! What are you doing?!” Maria snapped out of it, fumbling forward after her “Don’t go in there you brat!”

“Hrm.” She moved out of the way as Maria ran into the doorway, blocking her from entering. She had to admit, it was funny seeing her this flustered, especially after finding out what the elders had told her, it kind of made her doubt their words to an extent, but not entirely.

“Alright-“ Maria gripped the sides of the doorway, panting heavily “Say I believe you…how much do you know?”

Mia thought for a bit, recalling what she did know “Brainwash, elders wanting kid, conflicting…what they told and you…” she spat, struggling to get all this out.

“The brainwashing…Mia listen, I-“

“Yeah, forgave” Mia waved her off, she was still skeptical about her whole family situation, but she didn’t want to muddle the water or delay the information she was after, no matter how old this lady was.

Maria looked shocked, her wide eyes started filling with tears “M-Mia…just like that, but…I don’t know what to say, or feel…this is all happening so fast…” she then perked up “So wait… why are you back here?”

“Hrm, complicated.” Mia sighed, frustrated she couldn’t give her the whole story, that would have to wait till she got rid of this impediment “need answers.”

Maria shifted her eyes “on…?”

“Heroes, can’t evolve, why?” Mia asked, the root of the issue. Why was a conflict in information. And if Maria even knew about it, and if she didn’t, was that why she was cooped up on top of this hill shirking her responsibilities.

“Eh?” Confused, Maria asked “What do you mean? Of course they can?”

“…” Mia stared at her in disbelief.

“What? Didn’t you read the description of the title?” Maria shooed her down the steps “I’m even evolved myself, see?”

Mia watched on in disbelief, as Maria turned to the side to emphasize her tail.

“Much bigger than a tail normally gets, the fluffiness cannot be rivaled by a normal tail, and is the perfect example of my higher authority among unevolved races.” She said smugly, sticking her tail into Mia’s face “Go ahead, touch it.”

Mia reached up, giving it a pat ‘soft…but smells horrible…’ she questioned when was the last time she washed it. “Wait, how?”

“By reaching level 100, you know about evolution but now how to do it?” Maria raised an eyebrow “who filled your head with lies?”

“But you… when you…but… you- I, the guard…” her head was spinning, this was not what she was expecting at all “I… the human guard?”

“Heh? Heroes can evolve, don’t know what they are talking about.” Maria shrugged.

[Hey, ask her when she evolved.]

‘What? Uh, ok.’

“Maria, evolved, when?” Mia asked, following Ami’s suggestion.

Maria stopped “Ah…well, 10 years ago…” she laughed nervously, sweat rolling down her face as she looked away.

[Lying, press her. Tell her you know how old she is.]

“Hm, lying!” Mia huffed “Know how old, elders told, not really aunt.”

“Erk-!” she flinched “Those old coons…” Maria looked down, seeing Mia cling onto her tail she jerked her view away, biting her lip “hhnng…FINE!” she flicked Mia off her tail “around 300 years ago! Happy!?”

[Very, Mia you got your answer, we are done here.]

‘Eh? Did I?’

[Yes, will explain later, go back to the port.]

‘But I didn’t find out why she is, well, like this.’ Mia gestured to the mess visible in the doorway.

“…what are you doing? I-I know it’s a mess, I was going to clean it up before the next festival! I promise!”

[I can make a very good educated guess, now lets get back to heading to Lexon, ok?]

“…fine, bye auntie.” Mia waved and loaded.

“Wait! Where are you going? Will I re-“

And in an instant, Mia was back where she had left off, in the room being comforted by the two people she had momentarily left.