Gwen wasn't sure herself if she wanted to entertain the smitten young man or not. Yet, at the same time, what was the harm? Surely she could get shouted dinner, and it would be no big deal. She hadn't felt like an ordinary woman since she arrived in this world. Wasn't this the most mundane thing that could ever happen to a girl?

"Sure thing," she replied quickly, not wishing to appear hesitant. "Maybe tonight?"

"Ye… Yes, please!" Tako stammered. The sense of immense relief on his face was unmistakable. "I'll make the reservations!"

She wanted to comment that the local pub didn't take reservations, but didn't want to embarrass the boy.

"Hmmph," Rhodes grunted, an indication that he would give Tako a tongue lashing later.

"If you're finished taking up our time, Takahashi, we got a Shield Station to attend to."

"Right you are, Mr Rhodes!" Tako gleefully turned and hopped on Gwen's mare. "I'll see you guys back in town tonight! I'll be at the pub at seven!"

The long drive to the shield station was as dull as Gwen had anticipated. The Monotonous landscapes extended as far as the eye could see - endless stretches of stunted shrubbery with the occasional sighing she-gums trailing over waterless billabongs.

Then, like a dark finger pointing toward the heavens, the Shield Station appeared. Like an ominous obelisk, the structure extended until they could see its obsidian-laden base embedded into the earth.

About a hundred meters from their destination, Rhodes rolled the 4x4 to a stop.

"Something ain't right," the rancher muttered. "No guards, someone should have stopped us by now."

Gwen felt it too, sensing a premonition of trouble. The last time they had visited a Shield Station near the Royal National, they had been swamped by almost a dozen Mages who inspected every panel on their school's bus.

"Let's proceed on foot," she advised. "Mr Rhodes, can you remain here?"

"No worries, lass. I'll be right here," Rhodes assured the girls.

The duo left the wagon.

Wanting to be cautious, Debora slathered on an assortment of self-buffs from Enhanced Strength to Sandskin to Magic Weapons.

Beside the Transmuter, Gwen fixed her sunscreen coverage. She didn't have any buffs of her own, and Debora wasn't proficient enough to fortify others.

After that, with Debora taking point, the girls made for the Station proper. After checking to make sure that they were within the range of a Divination Tower, Gwen Message on her phone before they proceeded.

"Opa, we're here. No one met us at the gate. We're going in to investigate."

When no reply came after a minute, the girls proceeded.

The gate to the compound was a gigantic three-meter tall gate wrought in steel. Debora pushed slowly, exerting enhanced strength, the gate shuddering as it moved back, exposing a gap just large enough for the two of them to enter.

Inside the compound, there were still no signs of the inhabitants. Something was most definitely amiss, though the girls couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Now inside the courtyard, they studied the fabled Shield Station. Unlike the Generator Stations, this far out in the Green Zone, the Station was merely a waypoint - a relay station.

Still, a contingent of Abjurers should be present, mayhap even a Transmuter on rotation. The landscape of the Outback had frequent storms both hot and wet, meaning there a continuous process of replacing wear and tear components existed.

The entrance into the shielding chamber itself was a set of inscribed double doors set with Glyphs and wards that reacted with extreme prejudice towards uninvited guests. Now, the doors were slightly ajar, their Glyphs of warning cold and muted.

"Let me try something."

Debora raised a hand and sent out a shifting swirl of sand. The sand sculpture snaked its way towards the door and pushed on the dark obsidian surface. There was the sound of hinges screaming in protest as it inched inward, but no reaction from the warding magic.

Inside, it was entirely dark.

"How should we proceed?" Debora asked.

"Ariel!"

The marten struck a heroic pose after landing with a lightning-fast summersault.

"Go check out if there's any danger."

Ariel regarded its Master sceptically.

"Please."

"Ee ee!"

The marten poked its head through the gap between the doors, its pupils expanding to take in the low light. An oily, black button nose sniffed the surroundings as Ariel entered, skittering here and there noting this and that.

"Eee! Ee! Eee-EE!"

"What's it saying?" Debora asked, impressed with Gwen's versatility.

"..." Gwen attempted to process her Emphatic Link. Unfortunately, her marten was too limited in its intelligence to relay intelligence in an intelligible manner. "I think it's safe to go inside."

"Ee!" The marten glanced at Gwen smugly.

Again, Debora took point as they entered the atrium.

Inside, it was too dark for the girls to see.

"Dancing Lights."

Gwen willed the half dozen or so wisps to enter the room.

Her spell soon illuminated the surroundings, shedding light upon the unspeakable horrors that lay within.

"Jesus Christ, Gwen." Debora gulped.

"Oh, my God." Gwen suppressed a gag.

It was as if someone had taken human bodies and made them into a floor mural. There was dust everywhere, covering every surface at least an inch thick. And underneath the abstract coverage of the ashen substance, the girls could see the entwined shapes of human bodies contorted in horrific gestures before their expiration.

Debora stepped back, bumping against Gwen.

Gwen meanwhile, felt an incredible sense of déjà vu.

The dust— that feeling of death and decay; it felt as though she had all seen it before.

"Those people... they're all dead..." Debora stated the obvious. Gwen had to remind herself that unlike her self, this was Debora's first time seeing victims of arcane murder.

Comparatively, not had she seen only seen dead bodies, but she had also been responsible for them.

Gwen wanted to push past, but Debora clung on to her arm.

"They're dead, Gwen! They're dead!"

"Shhh... it's alright, Debbie. Let me through. I need to check something."

Debora turned to look at her with an expression of disbelief.

"Surely... you're not going to touch them?!"

"I may need to touch them, yes."

"Gwen! No! You can't!"

Gwen gave her companion's arm a tight squeeze.

Debora wordlessly stepped aside.

Gwen knelt to take a better gander at the human forms encased in the fossilised powder. She carefully brushed her fingers across the face of one of the figures. Where the tips of her fingers touched, the caked dust felt apart to reveal a woman that looked as though she had aged innumerably in mere seconds. Her cheeks were sallow and drained, her wispy hair falling from her loose scalp in clumps.

Negative Energy Drain— Gwen's heart sank. She had not only seen this power before, but she had also experienced it. It was power drawn from the Elemental Plane of Dust. Her mind raced. Her Master had stated that it was exceedingly rare for Mages to awaken to anything related to Negative Energy. The powers that be simply did not gift the Affinity of death to beings that still flowed with life.

Could it be Edgar? Her mind turned. Was Edgar here? Or was this the work of someone else.

Gwen felt her breath beginning to quicken as she rose from her investigation of the body. Just the thought of facing her assailant again gave her the goosebumps. He had been the first man Gwen wounded fatally with her spells. She could still see his twisted, malignant face contorted with hatred and malice as his Contingency Ring sent him to safety. That man had been a Mind Mage, and he had gotten deeper in her head than any other being in this world. He had touched her, not just a depredation of her body, but a violation of her soul. He had seen what lies within her astral body, and in the deepest recesses of her mind, her true self.

"Gwen? Gwen!" Debora was rocking her shoulder.

"I am alright—" Gwen said, realising that she was sweating all over.

"Let's get out of here," Debora requested with a quavering voice.

"We need to go a little deeper," Gwen urged. She wanted to know if Edgar was indeed here. If so, she'd have her Familiars ready for him. This time, she would show him a thing or two about Negative Energy.

Debora paused, unwilling to descend.

"Debs—" Gwen was about to say that Debora could stay up to while she went down with Ariel and Caliban, but her friend spoke first.

"No, I'll come with," Debora affirmed weakly. "I'll take point."

Gwen nodded. She would prefer not going at it alone.

"Debs, before you make that call, I need to tell you something."

Debora blinked.

"I suspect that Edgar might be involved in this somehow."

The girl's expression paled.

"Yes, THAT Edgar."

Debora's hands moved over her abdomen. Edgar had drained her too, made incisions here and there, bleeding her dry to keep her weak when he'd captured them. The Dust Devil, the sensation of being invaded, it was all very fresh indeed.

"I don't blame you, Debs, if you want to stay up here," Gwen intoned carefully, watching her friend's lips tremble. How could she blame Debora if her friend was unable to face one of their most traumatic moments? For all Debora's bluster, the girl was just sixteen, a child in Gwen's eyes. How could she ask a child to accompany her into danger?

"I'll go," Debora announced firmly. Below her obdurate eyes, she was white-knuckled and shivering.

Gwen nodded. "One moment."

She produced her phone and again dialled Surya.

"Opa? It's Gwen. We're at the Station..."

Ding! This time, the Message connected.

"Gwen? Good, are you safe? What did you find?"

Gwen briskly explained that they had found desiccated corpses drained of all vitality, that she suspected the culprit of the Serpent incident.

"You should leave right now!" Surya's voice cracked like a whip. "Fool girls! You're just students! Just go and get Rhodes and get back here this instant!"

"No, Grandfather." Gwen's voice was stern and determined. "I need to make sure that Edgar was here. I need to face him. I can do it, Grandfather. I have Ariel and Caliban with me, as well as Debora."

Surya growled. His granddaugther was far too stubborn.

"Then promise me that you will be careful," Surya said finally. "Run if you have to. I'll get Rhodes to bring the wagon around."

Gwen turned to Debora.

"Let's go."

Her friend double-checked her buffs, then inclined her chin affirmatively.

The duo proceeded past the atrium and its display of corpses, making for the pit. Via a spiral staircase, the central portion of the Station dug deep into the Core, search out man ley-lines.

With on hand on the rails, the girls descended.

"Why is this place so... empty?" Debora's voice quivered.

As high school students, they had no idea what a Shielding Station's pit was supposed to look like, but even they knew that something was amiss.

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The textbooks showed that a relay was supposed to have an array of Creature Cores maintained by Abjurers. Together, they fed abjuring mana into the Large Shielding Resonator. The Resonator itself was supposed to be a colossal crystal the size of an automobile. Its resonation of wavelength frequencies was what created the invisible shielding between Stations that repelled magical creatures by attacking their Mana Cores.

Yet, at the bottom, the girl realised they were gazing towards precisely nothing— where the giant crystal was supposed to be, there was now only emptiness.

"Where did it go?" Debora asked rhetorically.

Gwen had nothing to say. A crystal of that size weighed at least a ton. Moving it by hand was impossible. Someone would have to first remove the Core from its mooring by overcoming its protective warding, then store it within an Extra-Large Storage Ring. As the owner of a medium-sized ring, she knew how much effort it took to stow items of a particular size and volume. The sheer amount of mana required to place an object of that size and mass into storage was mind-boggling.

Could she overcome the protective kill-Glyphs etched into the moorings? Not without a death wish.

Could she or Debora stow an object of such size and density? Not without knocking themselves out like a light.

If so, could they defeat whoever had been down here?

Gwen was no longer so sure.

"Maybe it's best if we return," she announced quietly.

"Agreed." Debora was more than happy to comply.

They carefully ascended. The way up was an exercise compared to the ease of descent, ensuring that both girls were sweat-drenched and half-choked by the dust air.

Finally, huffing and puffing, the girl arrived back at the atrium.

"Er— Gwen?" Debora shivered. "Where are the corpses?"

Where the bodies had been, there were now three trails in the dust.

"Shit," Gwen swore.

The Shielding Crystal was gone, which meant that there was nothing here to prevent wayward spirits and other Magical Creatures from filtering into the Safe Zones.

"Ariel! Caliban!"

Her Familiar duo materialised behind the girls, taking up the flank and rear.

"Shaa!"

"Ee! Ee!"

Gwen wanted to activate her detection spells, but Debora was right there beside her. It wasn't time yet to let her friend know.

"EE!" Ariel hissed at a particular section of the atrium.

Gwen conjured her Dancing Lights and sent them toward the dim corridor.

There were three humanoid figures.

Three desiccated figures, each hunched over, making scraping sounds.

"What the hell is that?" Debora mouthed nervously. "Weren't they dead?"

"Now they're Undead..." Gwen felt her scalp crawl.

The trio turned to regard the girls, their eyes smouldered like coals of a cold blue fire. The corpses were holding chipped stones that looked like daggers. Gwen's mind scanned through her Monster Manual classes. Considering the stone weapon and the glowing eyes, she had a rough idea of what they now faced.

"Malingee," Gwen announced. "Possessed bodies."

A local threat, Malingee were nocturnal spirits that possessed the bodies of the dead. They were especially attracted to the corpses of victims who died of violent causes.

"SKAAARRK!!" the creatures howled at the girls, their high-pitched half-scream horrible to behold. The girls grew momentarily stunned as the monsters crouched, launching themselves like bolts from a ballista.

"Debbie!" Gwen screeched, forcing her body to move. Ariel instantly grew to combat form and let loose a blast of needles, pinning one creature to the floor. Caliban likewise, took its pound of flesh from Gwen before launching a barbed tongue that pierced another corpse, pinning it to the wall.

"Sand Wall!" Debora recovered just in time.

The remaining creature leapt itself into the air, only to be met with Debora's Wall of Sand, trapping it within its tightly packed particles. It was the boon of having a spirit operate one's spells independently, one that demonstrated the blessing of a cooperative spirit.

The duo watched as corpses writhed. Caliban seemed to have no interest in consuming the Negative Energy creatures.

"Lightning Bolt!"

Gwen incanted the signature Evocation spell, watching her two targets blaze blue and white before the malevolent Spirits perished. Her Master had once told her that lightning was exceptionally proficient against Undead creatures.

Debora seemed less sure of what to do with her target. She certainly did not want to punch it or kick the raving cadaver.

"Debbie, hold it down. I'll finish it."

"No, I'll do it."

The sand wall tightened. There was a sound of crushing bone, then a wail escaped from the creature, fading the darkness.

As quickly as it began, their fight was over.

"Lord Almighty." Debora breathed out, her eyes full of question. Did she kill a creature or had she killed a person, she wasn't sure. "Goodness, that was intense."

"Good work, Debbie."

Their eyes met. Debora seemed to regain some measure of herself.

"Yeah... Wow. We did it. Just you and me."

"Yep. Let's get out of here first. Ariel! Caliban!"

Her Familiars returned.

They made their way past the gate, where an anxious Rhodes awaited them.

"Ready to go? Surya seemed rather insistent that youse be back in town." He regarded the half-open doors of the Shielding Station nervously. "Were things alright back there? There was a hell of a firework display from what I could see."

"Yeah, we've had enough, I think."

Rhodes nodded, choosing laconicism as they made the four-hour drive back to town.

Thanks to Caliban, Gwen was exhausted, opting to take a long nap at the back of the wagon. Debora sat beside her, leaning against her shoulder so that propped by one another, they dozed off to sleep.

When they finally arrived in town, Rhodes took the girls to luncheon. It was almost early afternoon by now, and the long drive had depleted their energy. Gwen groggily wandered through the cafeteria and picked up a serving of fish and chips, nibbling away at the greasy lunch absentmindedly.

Seeing her exhausted state, Rhodes asked her if he should take them back to the estate. Gwen reminded him that she had promised Tako a dinner date, to which Rhodes casually mentioned that it was no big deal if she wanted to cancel.

To Rhodes' surprise, Gwen refused.

"Alright, I'll get a room for the two of you." The rancher indicated to the inn; a place endearing named the Cock and Bull.

There, he paid for a room so that Gwen could sleep off her fatigue. Just in case, he also felt it far safer for his wellbeing should Surya possess knowledge of this impending development, and so he called the old Magus.

"What?! A DATE?!" came the howling voice of Surya. "How dare that whelp! I'll be right there!"

Rhodes shut down his Message Device, realising with absolute certainty that he should not have called the crazy old Enchanter.

Tako dressed up in his finest clothes.

He looked a damn treat, at least according to the advice of a sniggering Tommy and his gang of Jackaroo mates. He wasn't exactly sure how trustworthy the fashion advice of a half dozen young men who didn't own a tux between the lot of them could deliver, but he had seen the men's magazines, and he felt that he looked the part.

He had also arrived at the pub an hour earlier than the proposed time. With his hair slicked back in the same oily colour as his leather jacket, he pulled open the door and nodded at the Publican.

The Publican, an old jackaroo himself, had heard of Tako's endeavour and had seen to it personally that a romantic corner was segregated for the young man. He'd even got his Missus to snip off the head of one of her prized roses, placing it in a "fine Chinese" mug at the table's centre.

One of Tako's mates, Jacko, opted to play waiter for their dinner.

Taking a seat, Tako poured over the Outback menu.

Grilled Steak.

Grilled Fish.

Chicken schnitzel.

Chicken schnitzel parmigiana

Spag Meatballs

Hot Chips.

For dessert, the Publican made his wife cook up some of her prized bread and butter pudding.

The Publican didn't know if his pub would survive the date, but he did know it was going to be a spectacle. The town would speak of Tako's fuck up for months, years even. Tonight was the night that Tako got lucky with a Lady Mage, or died trying. All the gallery had to do was drink and watch. Tonight was a night to remember, and the Publican was a man with a long memory.

Gwen took a deep breath. She was ready.

Debora had fussed with her hair for the last hour, and now she was good to go. Looking in the mirror, she plucked at her dress, smoothing out the folds. She had allowed Debora to picked out the garment, a decision which Gwen now deeply regretted.

She wasn't even sure where Debora had found the dress. She had wanted to steer her friend away from their mid-morning encounter, and the date planning had proved a substantial distraction.

Then somehow, during her nap, Debora had arranged a dress, hair, and even found a pair of china-blue pumps exactly Gwen's size. The dress was a tight fit as well, almost to the inch, making her question Debora's knowledge of her figure.

As for the date itself, Gwen grew uncertain.

Even in her old world, she'd never been one for dates. A career woman, she had flings, but rarely cared for dates where the whole purpose of the engagement was the date itself. Occasionally, the Facebook feeds of her compatroits with their husbands, kids, and Golden Retrievers set on her edge, but she rarely felt depressed for long. For a single career woman, there were worse things in life than a water view house and two cats.

"Are you certain?" Gwen examined herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a long one-piece cheongsam that emphasised rather fictitiously her curves, thanks to Debora's copious application of bra padding. The silk dress also a long slit that ran up her thighs, suggestively exposing her thighs as she moved.

"I love it!" Debora assured her. "He's Chinese, after all."

"Takahashi is a Japanese name..." Gwen corrected her friend, but Debora would have none of it.

"Close enough." Her untravelled friend advised expertly. "You look so lovely, Gwen. I could just eat you up."

"... thanks?" Gwen replied. The dress was a little too liberal for her tastes.

Debora led her to the door, then slapped her on the bottom, making her yelp. From the second story, Gwen could see that Tako was waiting below.

"Go get em!" Debora's face was full of mischief.

Gwen left the motel room, her thin heels striding towards the edge of the bannister rails.

She looked down.

Fifty expectant faces gazed up at her, their shit-eating grins split from ear to ear.

"God damn it." Gwen gulped. "Debbie..."


Tako, AKA Takahashi, stewed in a pool of his sweat.

First of all, he had not expected such a thick flock of stickybeaks to be present at his date with Gwen. A dozen folks he could anticipate, his mates, for example; but now the whole bloody town had shown up.

Secondly, his mate Jacko who was also his waiter, suddenly took ill, citing that he had a real pressing need to go to the local pool and drop off some kids.

Thirdly, the product in his hair was already liquifying. The stifling Outback heat had been made insufferable by the breathing of fifty-odd individuals crammed into a pub meant for no more than three dozen full-grown men and women, and that's discounting the gawkers sitting outside.

And yet, he couldn't possibly leave. Not unless he had a death wish. His only solace was his date was a beautiful sorceress with a beautiful face, striking green eyes, a waspish waist, and—

The pub fell silent.

Takahashi peered up to see the object of his affection descending from the second-floor; one hand gingerly placed upon the railing. At the sight of such loveliness, his mind turned blank, all thoughts fleeing with the rest of his wits.

The girl made her way toward him like a dream, her white legs appearing and disappearing in-between the folds of her dress. Takahashi could barely breathe.

Gwen's shoulder-length hair had been piled up, twisted into a voluminous bun behind her head, leaving a few loose strands to draw attention to her slender neck. Her Chinese-dress was itself a form-fitting one-piece that straddled her shoulders, tapering skin-tight around her waist and her bosoms.

Unsteadily, she descended, stalking carefully, riding on a pair of high and elfin pumps. When finally Gwen had arrived at the bottom floor, she was the tallest personage in the pub.

Like a graceful swan, his date floated amongst chuckling stickybeaks until she arrived at his table.

Tako held his breath, unsure of what to say that would make him appear any less of a love-smitten fool.

"He... Hello," he mouthed with great desperation, immediately regretting saying something so mundane. "You look lovely. Lovely. Just Lovely."

"It's good to see you too, Takahashi." The girl leaned in, lending him a cheek to peck. Tako tried to meet her halfway, but the girl was a giantess, and he felt like a Halfling. She would have to lean down to kiss him, giving the scene a far more comical air, like a young mother kissing a child.

Instead, she offered him a hand, one which Tako stared at with bewilderment.

"You look very handsome yourself, Takahashi." The girl withdrew herself.

"Thank you." He swallowed, wracking his brain, feeling as though his world was burning down around him. "Please— sit?"

Gwen sat, a little disappointed that Tako had failed every engagement other than pulling out her chair. Once her buttocks touched the slightly oily stool, she noted with mild distress that the Publican's seats were wooden and uncomfortable. Furthermore, the unfortunately high-riding nature of Debora's dress made her unnecessarily exposed.

Dismayed, she regarded her date and noted that he had a jacket which should do the trick. She could sit and placed it on her legs, covering the side slits so that she wouldn't accidentally moon the crowd.

"Takahashi." Gwen met the young man's swelling eyes. "Could I borrow your jacket?"

Tako immediately stripped off his jacket, pulling it over his head in the manner of stockmen removing their dusty garbs. When he handed it to Gwen, it was glistening with moisture.

Gwen bore it with grace and placed the jacket over her legs, feeling the clamminess resting against her exposed skin. Tako didn't seem to know what else to do with himself, and so he sat as well.

"How has your evening been?"

"Good."

"Have you recovered from the Land Shark?"

"Yep."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah."

The boy wasn't much of a conversationist either. Gwen scanned her long term memory for knowledge of the Outback, finding that neither of her lives had any interest in sheep shearing, cattle droving, or possessed knowledge of bush yarns.

They sat awkwardly for a minute until the Publican sent out his Missus, Shiela, to moonlight break the tension.

"What'll ya have, Love?" Shiela asked, creaking the floorboard with every step.

"What do you have Ma'am?" Gwen inquired politely.

"The Schnitzel here is excellent," Tako added quickly, feeling himself somewhat losing control of the situation. "Shiela is the best cook for miles around."

"Thanks, Sweetie." The Publican's wife winked at the jackaroo.

Gwen felt her stomach contract. A good schnitzel was just the ticket, for the whole afternoon, she had been play-acting as her friend's life-sized Barbie Gwen. Accessories purchased separately.

"Oi! Tako!"

The Publican, Bill disrupted her contemplation.

"Here!" The big man declared expansively, putting down four ice-cold longnecks before winking at Tako. "On the house!"

Gwen returned a polite smile.
She wasn't old enough to drink, but she could sure as hell down a schooner or two.

"I'll have the Schnitzel," she said to the Publican's wife, who beamed at her in turn. "Extra-large."

"I'll have the steak." Tako exhaled with relief.

"So." Tako appeared to have finally wrangled his brain. "What's life like in the city?"

Gwen eyed the beers and their ice-cold beads longingly.

"Busy, really busy" she replied. "I live with my friends in the dorm."

"Oh?" Tako was rather happy that he'd finally caught onto a conversation. "What's it like where you live? Fancy houses and green lawns?"

"Ha! We live pretty modestly." Gwen laughed. "I shared a room with my other friends Yue and Elvia; we're in a team together."

"That sounds awesome, do you have a name for your team?"

"Not yet, but we'll probably need one for the Inter-High later next year."

"Ah—" Tako nodded. "That's the fancy high school competition, right? They show it on the Vid-cast sometimes..."

Abruptly, Tako's face took on an ashen pallor.
Perspiring profusely, the boy opened and closed his mouth like a mudskipper.

"Is something wrong?" Gwen asked carefully. Had she said something to offend him? That was impossible; they were just talking about her high-school Spellcraft team.

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Tako appeared as though he'd been Soul Drained by a Necromancer.

Suddenly, Gwen realised why Tako was now catatonic.

The poor sod had asked her out on a whim, lacking the knowledge that Gwen and Debora were still in high school. The misunderstanding was understandable. Certainly, Debora was more mature than any high schooler Gwen had never known, and she never saw herself as a real high schooler. Gwen had simply assumed that since Tako had asked her out with so much gusto, the young man should have known.

"Takahashi... did you not know I am a senior-high student?"

The young man looked like he was about to melt like cattle fat on a hot tin. His face had the texture of wax.

"Tako," Gwen lowered her voice. "Can you hear me?"

"Ern-HNMM—" Came the sound of a displeased grunt.

A very familiar grunt that Gwen recognised anywhere.
She turned from her seat and saw her Opa sitting in a dark corner of the second level, flanked by Tess and Mel, who was grinning widely and waving at her. Surya had seated himself strategically so that he wasn't visible when she had exited the room but was now painfully visible once he made his presence known.

FUCK.

It was now Gwen's turn to break into a cold sweat. How embarrassing, how infuriating it was that her Opa was watching her coo at some young man. Not only that, here sat a poor sob who had been so enamoured in his fantasies that he didn't even consider the age of the girl he was asking out.

"Gwen," Takahashi gulped. "I don't feel so good."

Gwen felt such compassion for the poor jackaroo. It was now clear to her that the world had conspired against him. The town was here to watch Tako pull a Mickey; his mates were out to have a lark, and Debs had probably known all along. That was why she had gotten her this ridiculous dress. That was why her friend was grinning like an idiot.

"I am sorry, Takahashi," Gwen apologised, leaning over and offering a hand of comfort.

Tako stared at her hand with an expression of horror. He didn't dare take it. Not with the town watching like a pack of hungry dingoes. He tried to move, almost sliding off his chair for the lack of strength in his legs. Gwen watched Tako's suffering. Wordlessly she returned his soaked jacket.

"Miss Mage," he apologised. "May I— may I go?"

Gwen nodded.

The entire pub watched as Tako beat his retreat, some shaking their heads, others laughing and exchanging a few notes under the table.

You bastards! Gwen fumed. You were betting on whether Tako would disgrace himself!

Now, she sat alone, feeling more embarrassed and miserable by the minute, all the more thanks to her pointlessly revealing attire.

Her Opa was smugly watching down from above, enjoying the show. For a second, Gwen wondered if she should throw a tantrum. A single command from her Opa could probably clear the pub, no question asked.

Gwen felt her stomach protest. She was still famished; she wanted her Schnitzel; she was ready to hammer the whole thing down just to feel better.

"What a shame." Debora joined her at the table. "All alone, sweetie? Can a girl join you?"

"That was needlessly cruel."

Debora pulled put a chair and made herself comfortable, her eyes licking her friend all over.

"What would make you think that?" She grinned mischievously.

The Publican returned with two plates. One with a steak swimming in pepper gravy and the other with a crumbed Schnitzel that hung over the side of the plate, steaming famously.

"Oh no, Tako didn't make it past ten minutes!" He groaned. "So much for the beer."

"What does that mean?" Gwen inquired.

"It's nothing, Miss." The Publican plated the food. "I had fifty riding on the fact that you'd at least finish your meal before Tako left."

Gwen felt her jaw muscles tighten. Was there anyone who wasn't in on the whole fiasco?

Bill, the Publican, audibly sighed.

"The missus made some pudding for ya," he added sadly. "I'll bring it out later."

"Thanks, Bill," Debora smiled at the old man brightly, watching the old man blush.

Debora dug into Tako's steak, twirling a bloody slice in the gravy before placing it in her mouth. "Mmm... medium rare, perfect."

Gwen cut into her Schnitzel and crammed a greasy fork-full into her mouth. Swallowing, she snatched one of the open bottles of beer and took a swig.

The malt was cold and refreshing, a perfect complement to the salty, fatty breadcrumbs.

Debora raised a beer.

"To us," she declared.

"To us," Gwen grumbled defeatedly, tapping Debora's bottle.

With a long pull, she chugged the rest of the tall neck.

Gwen returned to the Estate the next morning.

She had wanted a heart-to-heart with Takahashi, but the young man had taken on a long-ranging assignment droving cattle for the next week or so.

Debora laughed when she received the news, asking Gwen if she had a habit of driving men into the Wildlands.

"What were you thinking?" Tess had asked incredulously. "That boy would be in more trouble than he can shake a stick at if..."

"If?"

"Adult things happened."

"Well, it didn't," Gwen sulked. "But come on, you're not telling me Mages and NoMs don't associate at all, are you?"

"Not past high school, not at all," Mel interjected. "What would be the point? Where would such a romance go?"

"I don't know, for love, maybe?" Gwen said, then regretting retorting at all. Hearing herself, she felt stupid.

Her Opa's Apprentices broke into laughter.

"Oh, Gwen, honey! You're so precious."

"Not to sound like a prude, Gwen," Tess said seriously. "But girls with talents like yours don't marry poor Mages with a single School of Magic. An NoM? You'd be a fool."

Gwen felt Tess' advice resonate uncomfortably.

"Rich girls don't marry poor boys, Jay Gatsby. Haven't you heard?" She muttered silently to herself.

Certain fallacies of human societies, or so it seemed, was consistent across both space and time.

The next day, Debora left for an errand.

The acquisition of a mid-tier elemental Spirit meant that she had to be registered by the Tower. As a low-tier Transmuter, it was highly unusual for a student to possess so powerful a Sprite. The registration was a necessity, for though it was impossible to rob a Mage of their Spirit; it was possible to murder the owner so that a Conjurer can force the Spirit into a resonate Core, hoping that the Elemental choose survival over oblivion.

Thus registered, it meant that should such an incident occur, the entirety of the Oceanic Magedom would come down on the offender like the proverbial Mjölnir.

When she informed Henry of her decision, her Master commended her choice rather than berate her naivety.

"You will tread a difficult path," Henry had intoned with great gentleness. "One that could use more allies. Debora is a good girl, and with this, she would owe you for the rest of her life."

And with Debora gone, Gwen felt lost and lonely; she had spent the last week cheek to cheek with her friend, and now felt empty in her absence.

But, there was training to be done, and for a whole week, Gwen worked her self to the bone.

When Debora finally returned, she spoke wide-eyed and star-struck about conversing with Gwen's Master. She had also met Magister Walken, Debbie had revealed, another one of the Ten. Furthermore, several Maguses had enquired about taking her on as an Apprentice.

Additionally, Gwen's Master had given her Spirit the moniker of 'Sabulo' which meant Sand in the old tongue, making her its official owner.

Winningly, Debora showed off her new I.D Card:

Debora Jones
S.I.D: 0043544
Transmuter Tier: 3
Elemental Affinity: Earth (3 + 2)
Elemental Spirit — Sabulo
She was now as talented as Yue had been, if not more, a prospect that made Gwen a little antsy for her progress.

Currently, Yue was on her mysterious training journey with Alesia. How would she react if she returned from an Orange Zone after two months of survival only to find that her old rival had superseded her? Would Yue spontaneously combust?

Nonetheless, with Debora returned to the fold, her halcyon days resumed. Life returned to its old routine, with group training, individual training, physical training, mana exercises, and hours of meditation.

Midway, Debora's parents had come to visit, bowing and scraping to Surya and taking Gwen's hand with tears in their eyes, thanking her for changing their daughter's life. Gwen wasn't sure what her friend had told her folks, but was nevertheless embarrassed by their supplication.

And so, the girls' December ticked down, blending into one long stretch, until Gwen received a Message while out training in the woods.

Ding!

"I am back!"

"Evee! Oh My God! I missed you so much!" Her thrilling voice drove the birds from the trees.

"Gwennie!" Elvia' shrieking voice returned from the Message Device.

"When did you get back?"

"Just now, I am in Kensington. The ship took forever!"

"How was it?" Gwen asked.

"It was so boring— there was nothing to do but eat buffets. I think I put on at least two kilos..."

Gwen laughed. She and Debs likely lost some weight, especially after her Caliban-wrangling in the woods, trying to get a feel for her vitality expenditure.

"No worries. You'll work it off in no time! When can we meet up? I am at Opa's."

"That's why I am calling you Gwen! I want to ask you if you are doing anything for Xmas."

Gwen scanned her internal itinerary. There was nothing as far as she could recall. Her Opa had said that he wasn't one for the ceremonial celebrations of the Catholic Chuch.

"I should be free," she confirmed. "What's up?"

"My family's having a Xmas bash at the house, and mum wants to invite all of my friends."

"That sounds wonderful," Gwen replied earnestly. She hasn't had a Christmas party forever. Elvia's party would be a wonderful and welcome experience.

"There's going to be dozens of strangers there, and I would love it if you could come and keep me company," Elvia's begging voice was enough to melt her heart.

"I'll be there!" Gwen declared imperiously.

Elvia replied with halleluja.

"Did you manage to contact Yue?"

"Nothing yet, not even with my dad's Message Device. He says Yue must be in an Orange Zone because that's where we don't have any Divination Tower set up."

"Alright." Gwen hoped Yue would receive the Message in time. A Christmas reunion would be just the thing. "Say, I am with Debora at the moment since she's interning under Opa, do you mind if I bring her alone?"

"D-Debbie?" Elvia gasped. However, the girl was quick to repair her faux pas. "Of course! I'd love to have Debbie along!"

Gwen laughed. Elvia was the best.

"Great. See you in three days!"

"See ya."

The Message ended.

Three days until Christmas, Gwen punched the air.

If she could recall, Elvia's manor was on the North Shore, up near Avalon. From the Hunters, she would have to leave at sunrise to arrive at noon. Likewise, she had to tell her Opa that she'd have to spend the night at Elvia's, as returning home after midnight would be impossible.

Closing her eyes, she imagined Elvia in a white dress.

Suddenly, her heart was aflutter.

Christmas couldn't come soon enough!


"Debs, are you sure you can't make it?"

Gwen watched her friend's face contort with agony. She had petitioned Debora about the possibility of attending the Xmas dinner at Elvia's, but Debbie's response had been negative.

Though Gwen had not expected it, Debora's parents were devout followers of the Nazarene. For the family, Christmas Mass was a holy rite. This year especially, the Arch-Bishop Anthony Fisher tended the flock at St Andrew's, a rare treat for Sydney's devout.

"Are you not religious yourself?" Gwen asked.

"I am religious out of habit." Debora smiled evasively. "The family's always gone to Church, so I grew up with it. Never had a choice in the matter. I even attended all the Sunday services until high school."

Which likely coincided with puberty, Gwen nodded understandingly. When h school rolled around, Debora had started wearing shorter skirts and tighter shirts, becoming a part of the 'popular' crowd while Gwen contested with her family drama.

For Gwen's part, her mother worshipped only the one true God called the social ladder. As for Morye, considering the number of girlfriends he cycled through, the man may as well be a disciple of Eros. As such, Gwen's religious education remained non-existent.

But that didn't mean Sydney itself was a secular city.

In a world of Mermen and monsters, Faith Magic was real, even if rare and highly secretive. Officially, according to the mandatory scripture classes at school, all the major religions were established by ancient Magi whose achievements may as well be divine miracles. Gwen, however, had never met a religious individual. Sydney's faithful, split between Catholics, Protestants, the Church of England and the Pentecostals, usually stuck to their wealthier suburbs.

As for the Tower itself, modern Spellcraft perceived the old religions with ambivalent scepticism. After all, the social cost of challenging well-established orthodoxies was measurable. Historically though, the Church, the state, and the Mageocracy had enjoyed matrimony for almost two centuries. To its faithful, the Church taught that the Wild Lands were the devil's preserve, while the cities of man were the candles in the darkness. Some denominations even taught that Mages were a part of God's ineffable plan and that those who Awokened were the anointed.

"... sorry," Debora finished sulkily. "I've been a brat for the last few years, and still my mum's been good to me. Faith or not, I have to go and pray with them."

"That's fine, Debs, I'll eat enough for the both of us!"

"Arrrgh! You better not lose your figure!" Debora teased. "Man, I am going to miss you so much!" Debora moaned.

"I'll miss you too, Debs," Gwen said earnestly. She meant it too; after a whole summer spent cheek to cheek, the two girls as close as two kookaburras on an old gumtree. "Stay safe."

Debora swung herself from Gwen's bed. Her friend's eyes twinkled before she pouted in an exaggerated, sultry manner.

"One for the road?" Debora whispered winsomely, indicating a finger to her lips.

Gwen leaned in— then kissed Debora on the forehead.

"Get going, Debs! I have to get up at sunrise tomorrow, Avalon is six hours away from Pokolbin."

Debora reached the door with a sigh. "See you at school."

"Have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year."

"You too, Gwen."

The door closed.
Gwen laid out her outfit. From her wardrobe, she picked a high-waisted skirt, a white sleeveless blouse and a pair of ankle-strap heels. She also double-checked her transit card and her student ID.

Gwen Song
SID:: 0043598
Evoker:: 3
Elemental Affinity :: Quasi Elemental - Lightning (3)

Her temporary ID displayed an already impressive statistic for a girl of sixteen. For the next year, she would train for a future of fame, fortune and influence. Such was the pie in the sky her Master drew.

It was an admirable Path for Mage of her talent, yet at the same time, it was a future that filled her with was gut-wrenching anxiety. Becoming a Magister or a Tower Master holding tens of thousands of lives wasn't at all like running a consultancy. Real people, full of flesh and blood, could have their lives enriched or diminished at her whim. Was that a responsibility she was willing to bear?

Gwen pulled her t-shirt overhead, stepping out from her sleeping shorts.
The Gwen of sixteen didn't have an answer for that.
The Gwen of thirty was likewise ignorant.
Her only recourse was to keep on treading and keep her head above the murky water.

The next morning, Tess drove Gwen out to the station, where she took the first train into the city. From Central, she took a cab to reach Avalon.

Elvia's haunt was one of the wealthier regions of the Sydney Frontier, situated deep within a stretch of coastal water views known as the Northern Beaches. To Gwen's knowledge, the area was exclusively for Mage, especially those closely associated with the Mageocracy. Their peninsular, Avalon Beach, was a headland that extended out to one of the principal Shield Towers at the northern reaches of the city - Barrenjoey Station.

The driver, a feller in a turban, was talkative and friendly, complimenting Gwen's attire before speaking out about the woes of working on public holiday. Overfamiliarly, the driver explained that he had two daughters who were turning seven and ten, and spoke at length about his anxieties regarding their Awakening.

"You are so lucky." The man grew giddy when Gwen stated that she'd come from an ordinary family and that she had no idea why she was a Lightning Mage.

"You must have done something great in your past life." The driver observed, grinning from ear to ear. "The way of karma, huh?"

When the taxi had finally arrived at Elvia's address, Gwen was mightily impressed. Though not as absurdly elaborate as Uncle Kwan's Kirribilli manor, Elvia's home was far more modern. From the hill, the Lindholm's multi-storey home cascaded for seven levels down to its private jetty.

As Gwen was fashionably late, the parking area was already inundated with expensive-looking cars.

"Happy holidays!" The NoM driver waved to her before pulling carefully from the driveway.

Alone for the moment, Gwen straightened herself and corrected her attire. She had worn her hair au naturel to complemented her pale skin and striking eyes. In the reflection, she could see that her mothers' gifted heels exaggerated her attire, lifting her calves and giving her long legs shape and definition.

"Phew—"

Exhaling, Gwen loosened her arms, then strode towards the door. She depressed the doorbell, and a jingle later, the front door opened to reveal a youthful blonde woman with bright blue eyes, maybe in her early twenties.

"Oh my!" the woman exclaimed. "You must be Gwen!"

"Hello." The two shook. "I am Gwen Song, and you must be?"

"I am Elvia's mother, Elaina."

Gwen felt genuine shock and surprise. "Miss Lindholm, I could have sworn you're Elvia's sister!"

Her compliment was entirely serious. Elvia was sixteen! If so, when did Elaina give birth to her? How is it that the woman looked not a day over twenty.

Stolen novel; please report.

Elaina's laughter filled the doorway.

"Welcome." Elvia's mother beamed, revealing brilliantly white teeth that starred in their very own dental commercial. "Come in, come in. Elvia couldn't stop talking about you the entire time we were on that cruise ship."

They shook hands. Elaina possessed that rare genteel mannerism which some women affected effortlessly, impressing Gwen against as she entered Elvia's home.

"Elvia!" her mother called out. "Guess who's here!"

Gwen held her breath as the sound of heels musically approached. Her friend, the one and only Evee, appeared at the top of the stairs, a little breathless for the effort.

Elvia was attired in white, as Gwen had anticipated, in a one-piece garb involving both lace and frills. The girl had grown in the two months since she had seen her, with a bit more curvature to hint at an indulgent lifestyle of buffets.

"Evee!"

"Gwennie!"

The two embraced, Elvia slamming into Gwen's torso to bury her face into Gwen's bosoms. Gwen likewise wrapped her arms around the petite blonde girl and squeezed.

Instantly, Gwen felt completed.

"Ain't you two sweet," Elvia's mom cooed, fixing her daughter's hair. "Come on down when you're ready, Elvia can introduce you to the rest of the family."

"How have you been, Evee?"

"Gwennie— so much has happened! Uncle took me to a conference; we visited some refugee camps for NoMs; it was terrifying! How about you? Did you do anything interesting?"

"Aah—." Gwen squeezed Elvia's cheeks. "Where do I start? How about we meet and greet your family first? It's the polite thing to do. I love you dress, by the way."

"I like yours as well."

"Aww—"

The duo descended the stairs.

"Did you hear from Yue at all?"

"Nothing, I was so hoping she could make it today."

"Damn, that's a shame."

"Where is Yue anyway?"

"She's training with Alesia," Gwen said. "Probably kicking ass somewhere. I am sure Alesia has Yue well looked after."

They soon arrived at the second floor, where a massive living room led onto a multi-level deck, interconnecting the middle and lower levels.
Impressively, her friend's house even had a private jetty.

There were already people everywhere, a good thirty to forty adults and a dozen children. Despite the crowd, however, the unusual design of the house negated the limitations of space.

"There she is!" Elaina raised a glass to toast.

The attention of the room turned to Elvia and herself, a few individuals raising their glasses, while others inclined their heads, then returned to their conversations. As one, Elvia's family moved from their respective circles towards them.

Of the group, Gwen recognised only Elvia's uncle, Hans, a senior Medical Mage who had been instructing her friend.

Elvia's father introduced himself as Frederik Lindholm, the patriarch of their little clan. Handshakes soon exchanged all around, but when she arrived at a young man with the classic Lindholm blue eyes, he sneered at her.

Surprised, Gwen performed a double-take.

"Erik! Manners!" Elvia's father snapped.

Gwen felt Erik's eyes measure her up. Rather than interest, Erik's gaze was full of antagonism. In retaliation, Gwen gave the young man the biggest, brightest smile she could muster.

Like Elvia, Erik was good-looking lad, with delicate features and deeply set eyes. The boy's appearence, however, was decisively boyish. Gwen grinned, thinking that Elvia could have made a pretty cute bloke.

"My apologies." Erik bowed, a hand resting against his heart. "I am merely awed at the austere presence of my sister's idol. The Lightning Evoker, Gwen Song."

Frederike looked as though he wanted to smack Erik, but Elaina gave the young people a disarming smile, then directed Elvia's father away.

"It's nice to meet you too," Gwen replied, her voice somewhat wary of this antagonising development. "We haven't met before, have we?"

"No," Erik confessed. "But I have heard many nice things about you already from my friends."

"Oh?" Gwen was even more puzzled now. She certainly had no friend beyond her immediate circle.

"Patrick and Derek," Erik said offhandedly.

"Who?" Gwen was genuinely confused.

"Patrick and Derek."

Gwen shrugged. Who the hell were Patrick and Derek?

"Patrick... and Derek..." Erik repeated, sensing her indifference, the boy's face grew flustered. "They met you at a party in Kirribilli."

Gwen wracked her memory. She recalled that when she had gone to Uncle Kwan's. Some of the boys had tried to get a little handsy. She couldn't remember their names though; she had been trying to concentrate on not obliterating them.

"He means Dickhead and Emo."

A voice called out from behind. From the ease by which the profanities flowed, Gwen knew the source to be her cousin.

"Richard!" She spun. Behind her stood a bespectacled young man looking handsome in semi-formal, his Oxfords polished to perfection.

"Cousin," Richard said blankly without any particular emotion, but Gwen sensed that her cousin was happy to see her. They hugged and exchanged cheeks. Richard's embrace was a little wooden, but it felt good, like slotting her body into a groove.

"You smell nice," Richard remarked. He looked over at the red-faced Erik, then pointed to his cheek, where Gwen had just kissed him. "Are you jealous, Junior Erik? Gwen did not give you a loving peck on the cheek, did she?"

"What!" Erik's face was the hue of pork liver. "What are you even talking about, Richard? What does that have to do with anything?"

Richard's eyes twinkled, his glasses dangerously refracting the midday sun.

"Gwen, do note that Erik is lashing out because he is physically attracted to you, Gwen," Richard observed dryly. "Hormonal attraction can often be confused with hostility."

Elvia was reddening too, but unlike Erik, she was suppressing her uncontrollable laughter.

Gwen turned to Erik and lifted the hem of her skirt, performing a curtsey that showed offer her long and shapely white legs.

"Is that true, Erik?" she teased. "Do you like me?"

"No!" Erik blustered. "Elvia— she— shit! Why the hell am I even explaining this! Richard! Stop it!"

At Erik's expense, the trio burst into hyena-like laughter.

"Gwen, there's something on your clothes." Oddly, Richard reached out and brushed at the fabric of her dress, picking what was probably lint from a shirt sleeve.

"You'll probably have to show him a thing or two later," her cousin continued, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "According to the rumours, you shamed my juniors from Prince's."

He then turned to Elvia, apparently now satisfied that Gwen's dress was spotless.

"Not to mention, according to Elvia here, you'd kick his ass in a second. That's quite the boast, coming from Blackwattle Bay."

Gwen glared at Elvia, who looked away guiltily.

"Evee, is this true? Have you been tongue wagging?"

"Erik was mocking my school, our school!" Elvia huffed.

Gwen flicked Elvia's forehead delicately.

"Evee the troublemaker," Gwen admonished her friend mirthfully before turning to Richard. "So, how come you're here?"

Her cousin was watching Erik, who had joined his other friends from Prince's. Currently, they were giving Gwen's group the stink eye.

"I was invited by your friend here. She had heard about me from her brother."

Elvia beamed.

"She also told me that I was the only person in the family you could stomach."

Elvia wilted.

"... and also that my father was a fat bastard."

"Surely Tali's aright? She's cordial, as far as I know," Richard framed his question in a manner that seemed entirely academic.

"yes, Aunt Tali is a fine lady," Gwen agreed. "It's more so Uncle Kwan that scares me."

"Kwan's just doing what he thinks is best, regardless of whether its best for you or I," Richard observed drily. When again, Richard referred to his parents by name, she sensed in the young man's voice a certain sense of detachment. "But, I digress. Do enjoy the party, cousin."

"Thanks, Richard, I think I will," Gwen returned to her flaxen-haired companion.

"Evee?"

"Show me around the house? I want to see your room!"

"Sure!" Elvia slipped an arm into Gwen's elbow. "Come on!"

Richard strolled over to his juniors from Prince's.

"Senior."
"Senior."
"Prefect Huang."

All animosity aside, the boys were perfectly mannered when dealing with their senior. As a school, Prince's was very particular about mannerisms.

"Gentlemen." Richard inclined his head towards them, returning their greeting. He regarded Elvia's brother, whose face immediately grew several shades redder. "What is with that horrible performance Erik?"

The other two took a step away from Erik
.
"You embarrassed me," Erik accused Richard sulkily.

"You embarrassed yourself." Richard's tone contained neither hostility or mockery.

Erik looked downcast. Here was his house; he ought to be able to tell Richard to buzz off. However, he didn't dare. Richard belonged to the Four Houses as a Prefect. Meanwhile, he was just a junior Abjurer. Speaking unkindly to Richard would undermine his standing within the school's hierarchy.

"Are you going to take it?" Gwen's cousin demanded without warning.

The boys looked up at their senior incredulously.
What was Richard up to now?

"The pride of Prince's College had been trodden on, yet you fled like a little bitch. Then, instead of thinking about how to make things right, you all sit here and lick each other's wounds like milksops."

"You want us to show up your cousin?" Erik inquired carefully. "You don't mind if we embarrass her?"

"You think you can embarrass Gwen?" Richard scoffed. "You'd be lucky she doesn't 'kick your ass'. Did you think Elvia was lying to you?"

At the mention of his older sister's words, Erik's blood was up.

"Senior Huang, are sure about this?" one of the other boys intervened. Lightning was rare, but it wasn't Void Magic. Prince's had students proficient with Quasi-Element as well, and they were hardly indomitable.

"Erik, it's your party, your call, bro." The other, a dark-haired youth, pushed Elvia's brother with a hint of smugness. "It doesn't have to be serious. We can drop her in the harbour, make a show of it. That sort of thing."

Erik tried to imagine a bedraggled Gwen pulling herself from the water, water cascading from her dress. He would like that. It would be a bonus if his haughty sister cried as well.

"I am asking you again, Senior Huang, you are not adverse to our challenging of your cousin?"

"None at all. Not only that, if you do defeat Gwen, I'll personally vouch for you at the next student council election."

"Alright!" Erik gave an expression full of expectation. "Lionel, Todd, you guys with me?" The other two boys nodded.

"Great, I'll speak to Father. Let's see if we can duel on the jetty. I need somewhere with access to water."

Richard watched his juniors go.

"Ah, to be young." The Prefect chuckled to himself.

Within his immutable heart, Richard sensed a sudden flutter of anticipation. From the moment Gwen had walked into the room, he had sensed the familiar aura of Conjurers radiating from her body. Furthermore, in her experience, Gwen had left behind the tell-tale traces of crystal residue left by feeding Familiars. Having practised Conjuration for most of his life, Richard sensed without a doubt that his conjecture had to be correct.

And if Gwen did possess a Familiar— then her talent would be monstrous beyond belief!


While schemes both dangerous and devious brewed below; Gwen was busy marvelling at the fluffy decor of Elvia's pastel bedroom. The furnishing was like a catalogue's: a four-post bed, satin sheets, antique white walls, and shelves full of plush toys.

Elvia sat on the edge, swinging her legs to and fro, an adorable life-sized doll. The duo had already been everywhere else in the house, greeting guests, sipping non-alcoholic cocktails and stealing canapés. Gwen was having the time of her life. In her previous incarnation, she had never had friends like Elvia, and so felt a little intoxicated by the euphoria of it all.

"Why does your brother have so much curry?" Gwen borrowed an old Aussie proverb.

"Well, its to do with my decision to pull out of Lilith's," Elvia confessed. "I guess he feels betrayed because Lil's and P's are brother-sister schools, they do a lot of activities together, you know, socials."

"Like a boy-girl Formal?" Gwen puzzlingly cocked a brow.

Elvia tilted her head puzzlingly, sometimes Gwen said the darnedest things.

"Like our Field Trip. However, theirs takes place all around the world. Prince's supplies London Imperial— as such, they can access different Zones across three continents. The final trial is with schools from Tier 1 cities."

"Sounds rough," Gwen remarked. She had yet to meet a single Mage her age from a tier 1 city.

"Yeah, but also rewarding. If the other schools like you, you just might receive a scholarship! You'll get to live in a tier 1 city!"

"So how come you're not going to Lilith's?"

Elvia rolled onto the bed.

"I was scared," she replied. "I was afraid that I couldn't be special like all the girls there, that I would awaken to something mundane. I went to Lilith's preparatory school, you should know. There are people there whose whole family were Quasi-Elementalists."

"Well, you're a Positive energy Mage, your uncle is one, is your dad one? You're in good hands, right?"

Elvia shook her head.

"He's an Air Diviner."

"Your brother?"

"Water Abjurer."

"Well then," Gwen tried one last time. "Your mother?"

Elvia beamed.

"She's a Positive energy Conjurer!"

"There we go!" Gwen marvelled. It was little wonder Elaina looked so radiant and so fresh. Usually, those gifted with Positive Energy seldom aged. Conversely, people like her, afflicted with Negative energy, may skip ageing entirely by dying young.

"Well, at any rate, your family has a genealogy of Positive Energy, so..."

"I was still scared." Elvia pouted. "Who knows, what if I became something bizarre like an Earth Illusionist? I'd be just a non-elemental caster."

"Why would you think that? No one in your family is an Earthen Mage nor an Illusionist!"

"Erik said I was a weirdo, that I'd probably awaken as a rock."

"Ridiculous! You are an Angel!" Gwen hugged her friend maternally against her bosom, soaking in some of that Positive Energy. "Say, last time, you told me that you were afraid of being set up."

"There's that too." Elvia felt a little heat colouring her face. Gwen was very close. "A lot of the girls from Lilith's get married as soon as they graduate, I was afraid that mum had that in store for me."

"Why would you think that?"

"She's an alumna— and Dad's a graduate of Prince's."

"Right. Gotcha." Gwen gazed at the ceiling, where a petite chandelier scintillated. "Are they happy together?"

"Very," Elvia admitted.

"You don't want that for yourself?"

"I don't know."

"That's alright, Evee. Do you regret coming to our school?"

Elvia shook her head, spreading her flaxen tresses over the bed.

"I am so happy I got to meet Yue and you." Elvia's accidental homonym caused Gwen to giggle indulgently.

Elvia's appeared so cute that Gwen leaned in and kissed her on the forehead in a sisterly manner. In response, her friend placed a hand on her forehead, blushing mightily. Pinching Elvia's rosy cheeks, Gwen felt her bosoms all aflutter.

"I am getting all kinds of thirsty." She lifted herself from Elvia's bed. "Shall we head down?"

"Sure," Elvia said quietly, still rubbing her forehead where Gwen had kissed her.

When they returned to the party, two young Mages were duelling on the jetty.

Both contestants were in their swimmers, a young man and a girl. The young bloke was an Earthen Evoker. Currently, he was throwing tier 2 Obsidian Spears straight at the frail-looking lass. The girl appeared to be an Air Transmuter, and flitted about here and there, dodging the spears. The exchange went on for several minutes until the dramatic speed difference between them grew apparent. The Evoker had his shield chipped away until the transparent underlayer of his mana shield becoming visible.

In his desperation, the Evoker switched to the tier 1 Stone Bullet to try and conserve his mana, but the Transmuter was simply too quick. Following another spell exchange, his shield glimmered. The Transmuter grinned mischievously as the lad put up his arms in surrender. There was a thump, and the young man flew off his feet, landing in the water with a spectacular splash.

A round of cheers erupted from the house. Congratulations greeted the winner and her relatives. The girl gracefully walked back along the jetty and pulled the young man from the water. Laughter resounded, after which the young man received pats of consolation.

Gwen felt immensely impressed at the sportsmanship. A friendly Mage Duel! How precious!

"Evee, how often—"

"Gwen Song! We challenge you to a duel!" shouted Erik Lindholm, Elvia's peevish blonde brother.

Gwen's mind went blank. Erik wanted to duel her? The boy was a junior, and he was a Water Abjurer. Even if Erik had the talent to Awaken early, it wasn't until late puberty that Mages came into their power.

"Duel me?" Gwen performed a double-take. "I am your senior."

"Of course! You didn't think we're challenging you to a one-on-one, did you?"

"You want to gang up on me?" Gwen blustered.

"You're a legendary Lightning Elementalist, right?"

"That may be." Gwen frowned. "But three at once? A girl can only take so much. I am not as experienced as you make me out to be."

Without warning, Erik's flushed a deep carmine. "Gwen Song! Do you want to duel or not? We're all tier 2, so you've got a whole tier of spells ahead of us."

"Evee?" Gwen looked toward her friend for advice. Elvia appeared equally confused.

"Why do you want to duel Gwen?" her friend demanded, her blue eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Why do you care? Didn't you say she could kick my ass?"

"I am sure she could."

"I concur." Gwen gave Elvia a thumb's up.

Erik raised his voice so that the people around him could hear. "Gwen Song of Blackwattle! We, Erik Lindholm, Lionel Zachary and Todd Smith, of Prince's College, challenge you to a duel of honour!"

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Elvia's smile faded.

"Erik! You can't bring Prince's into this! You'll make trouble for Gwen!"

"Wait, what's happening?" Gwen said quizzically. When it came to these superficial rituals and social codes, she may as well be a blind man riding a deaf donkey.

The rest of the crowd awaited Gwen's response.

"Evee— do I accept?"

"I don't know—" Elvia searched the crowd for aid.

Thankfully, Richard stepped forward.

"Gwen, you should teach these boys a lesson in humility," he remarked stoically. "Win or lose; they won't bother you again. I promise you that."

In and amidst the anticipation, Gwen wondered what the masters of the house thought of all this. She found Elvia's father shrugging, while Eliana was made eyes at her son.

Gwen looked towards Richard again.

"It's three on one, Richard, are you sure?"

"Rip him a new one," her cousin answered her with a twinkle in his eye. "Kick his ass so hard that his testes drop and Erik becomes a man."

"Cough—" Elvia's father choked on an olive.

Gwen met the boys' eager faces.

"Fine!" she clasped the boy;'s hand. "Let's duel!"

Elvia looked at the jetty worriedly.

"Did you bring a cossie?"

"Why?" Gwen asked. "Is Erik going to push me into the water?"

She flashed her Storage Ring.

"I got spare dresses, but no swimming suit, so this will have to do. Don't worry, Evee, I'll be right back."

Below, Richard stood front and centre of the crowd while an older gentleman with the rank of Magus made himself known to the duellists.

"First to shield break," the Magus announced solemnly. "Minimise damage to the surroundings; you break it, you pay for it."

With long strides, Gwen marched herself to the end of the jetty. On either side, enormous pillars of ancient, salt-soaked wood anchored the pontoon in place, sloshing as the bean-green waters below beckoned their next victim. Gingerly, his cousin knelt over and removed her heels, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders as she unclipped each shoe.

Richard's glasses gleamed. He could see that Gwen possessed at minimum a small Storage Ring, an uncommon item in the Frontier.

The boys from Prince's soon finished setting themselves up on the opposite side.

Their Adjudicator incanted a levitation spell and floated at a safe distance.

"Ready?"

Gwen nodded.

The boys nodded.

"Commence!"

"Lightning Blast!" Gwen opened with her signature spell, a torrent of hysterical electricity ionised from the air around the boys and lashed out with blue-white tentacles of pure plasma, scorching the flooring of the jetty.

"Water Shield!" Erik expanded a barrier of flowing water around him in a semi-sphere. To Richard's surprise, the shield reinforced itself by drawing water from the surrounding sea.

"Absorb Elements!" Erik added to their team's defence.

Against the boy's shield, Gwen's lightning fractured into glowing Lichtenberg figures, draining harmlessly into the bay, frying the fish feeding from the barnacles.

Richard whistled. Erik was a better Abjurer than he had initially thought.

"BLAST BOLT!" Gwen upped her intensity. With enough offensive power, all tricks melted away. "BREAK!"

Her bolt pierced Erik's barrier and blasted the two junior Mages hiding behind the boy's shield. Gwen yelled with triumph, only to see the bodies fade into the aether.

"Ah—" Richard nodded. "Well done. Projected Images."

Immediately, Gwen switched to the defensive. To Richard's surprise, his cousin's shield was no less potent that than of a bona fide Abjurer.

_SPAK! SPAK! SPAK!_

The barrier manifested just in time, three shards of ice skidded off her semi-sphere, transforming the locations where they'd struck opaque. Though Richard's juniors were novices, their volley packed quite a punch; the last of the boys was an Evoker, not to mention a Quasi-Elementalist like Gwen herself.

_SPAK! SPAK! SPAK!_

A second volley of Magic Missiles struck Gwen's shield. Richard puckered his lips. His cousin shouldn't just keep defending as she was bound to be OoM sooner or later.

"FLASHBANG!"

_BUNG!_

An explosion of sound and light erupted above the three boys.

Richard's eyes glowed with triumph, filled with the dazzling light of his cousin's Conjuration spell.

Gwen wracked her head for something viable. She had been too reliant on Caliban and Ariel while she was out amongst the NoMs, and now she was struggling with her utilitarian Schools of Magic. In particular, she struggled to manifest Detect Magic, a spell which could discern if the boys were tricking her with illusions.

For her present battle, she felt as though punching wool. Her current repertoire of Evocation such as Guiding Bolt, Lightning Blast, and Lightning Bolt wasn't very helpful against opponents she couldn't brute-force. Each of her staple spells was excellent in a straight-up fight, but she lacked the utility to nail the boys.

To win, as such, she would have to play the match by ear and catch the Prince's boys on the backfoot. Therefore, forcing herself to calm, Gwen awaited the volley of Magil Missiles that would inevitably come.

_SPAK! SPAK! SPAK!_

The ice shattered, turning her double-glazed barrier milky white.

Instantly, she retracted her shield, clearing her field of view. Across the jetty, she saw Erik. There was a second figure hidden behind Erik, while the third boy hid behind his illusions.

Gwen raised her hand.
Erik pushed more mana into his shield.

"Flashbang!"

Gwen incanted the Conjuration variant, over-channelling her mana into the manifestation. The unstable crystal ionised from thin air, delivering a cacophonic cargo of sound and light directly over the boys' heads.

"Arrrgh!"
"Shit!"

The flash turned Erik's barrier brilliant white, stabbing into his eyes. The young man who had been hiding behind Erik fell to this knees, holding both ears.

Meanwhile, Gwen took advantage of the fulminating distraction to cast Detect Magic.

Two down, Gwen scanned her surroundings. Erik and his mate were down for the count for now, but where was the third bloke? Where was their Illusionist?

Her electric-blue eyes scanned the surroundings.

Behind Erik, the Evoker was beginning to recover; realising that she had to make a call, Gwen pointed a finger towards the whimpering duo.

"Lightning Bolt!"

A zigzagging bolt of plasma arced through their air. The tier 3 spell struck the water shield, scattering motes of water and electrifying the surface.

"ARRRGH!" Elvia's brother sounded like he was pushing his guts outside his body. His shield spluttered, but it held.

Gwen cursed. She had underestimated these elite schoolboys; they were not like the small fries from Blackwattle, nor like haphazardly trained Mages from Blackheath.

Unlike herself, the boys' foundations were built upon a life of privileged access to resource and instruction. In a one-on-one, she could smelt Erik like a nugget, but now she faced three of the little tykes.

Likewise, while she fought alone, Erik had a party. While the Abjurer solely focused on defence— she had to do both.

"!"

Unbidden, Gwen felt the gathering of mana behind her.

She instinctively dived.

A water-blast erupted where she had stood a second prior. Were it not for her premonition; she would have copped the hit and tumbled into the water. Still, the liquid washed over her before she could erect a mana shield, drenching her diaphanous linen dress.

"Bloody oath!" Gwen swore under her breath; the seawater rode up her skirt and made her feel ashamed and embarrassed. "Alright, you asked for it—"

Gwen fumed. She would not show all her trump cards, but she may as well give them a show. Its the Xmas spirit after all.

The Illusionist was visible now, clearly pleased with his sneak attack. The other boys were moving up, giving him support, recovering from their stunned state.

Gwen took a deep breath.

"Jump!" She leapt back. It was a universally known Transmutation invocation, one that was no cause for drama or suspicion. Simultaneously, she activated the Feather Fall effect stored within her ring.

For a split-second, she hovered over the jetty.

"Ice Spines!"
"Magic Missile!"

Both the Evoker and the Illusionist had recovered from their spell fatigue and now launched their renewed attacks.

A shimmering sphere enveloped Gwen. Her stolen Abjuration talent made her barriers near-instantaneous.

_SPAK! SPAK!_
 _Thump! THUMP!_

Electrical sparks showered from her shield. The boys appeared aghast, unable to conceive that Gwen, an Evoker, possessed an impenetrable shield.

Gwen began her descent.

"Warding Bolt!" she invoked her new spells.

In the next moment, twin orbs appeared beside her contoured silhouette, each a menacing ball of living lightning.

"Call Lightning!" An ominous and dangerous-looking cloud formed above Gwen's head, rapidly coalescing until it blotted out the sun.

A commotion broke out from the observing crowd, fixing jubilance with shock.

Gwen's shield dissipated into the atmosphere.

"Ice—"
"Magic—"
"No!" Erik suddenly realised that Gwen's spells did not require her active casting.

_CRACK—CRACK!_

Blasts of electricity shot from each of the globes, lashing into the young Mages. The cloud above likewise made its power known, raining down an arm-thick bolt of purple plasma.

Gwen watched as Elvia's brother grunted, somehow holding out against her semi-autonomous volleys.

"Lightning Bolt!"

She added to their already impressive burden.
By her third volley, Erik's Absorb Elements faded.
The boys' were at their limits.

Gwen fought off the spell-fatigue clawing at her guts. Thanks to Evocation, her turret spells delivered full payloads at the cost of doubling expenditure.

Finally, with the last of her mana, she gestured a finger toward the heavens, then with a flourish, pointed it towards the nadir.

"Blast Bolt!"

The clouds above them rumbled.

_CRACK!_
Three separate bolts conjoined into one.
No amount of reinforced shielding and Absorb Elements could withstand the combined effort of Call Lightning, Warding Bolt, and Blast Bolt. Before the crowd, a tidal wave of electricity washed over the trio, azure and white, violet and amethyst, crisscrossing until the boys were barely visible.

"Halt! Halt! The victor is Gwen Song!" Their Adjudicator cried out.

Gwen cut her mana channels.
The electricity faded.
The boys emerged looking worse for wear, their clothes smoking gently with heat; their bodies numb with static.

"We yield!" The Illusionist and the Evoker both raised their hands.

"Do you yield, Erik?" Gwen asked.

"I yield," Elvia's brother announced dejectedly.

Gwen exhaled.

"You got lucky," Erik grumbled.

The little twerp! Gwen gritted her teeth, feeling an ardent desire to teach the boy a lesson. When Erik added insult to injury by trying to give her a handshake as though they were equals, she instead pulled him close and planted a kiss on the cheek.

As expected, the young man jumped back as though bitten by a Red Back, stuttering incoherently before fleeing from the jovial laughter of the crowd.

"Thanks for the duel, Ma'am," the remaining Prince's boys introduced themselves. "Todd Smith, at your service."

"Likewise, Ma'am." The other boy bowed. "Lionel Zachary."

"Nice to meet you both," Gwen replied. "Please, just Gwen is fine."

"May we ask a question, Ma'am?" Lionel maintained his tone of formality.

"Sure." Gwen smiled, though she was still mindful of her drenched attire.

"Are you... are you a Magus?"

"Ha!" Gwen snorted. "No, I am just a student."

Behind them, the crowd erupted.

"Did you see that?"
"Who had Detect Magic on?"
"She as using Conjuration! Isn't she an Evoker?"

Among the crowd stood Elvia, her mouth half-open in disbelief. Her parents, likewise, were staring slack-jawed at Gwen.

And not too far from Elvia, her cousin's mind raced. Richard desperately wanted to know the depth of Gwen's talent. He wanted to know what her Familiar could be. Now that he's seen her talent, he felt left with even more unanswered questions.

Besides him, the crowd boiled over, full of questions Gwen couldn't address even if she had the answers. When finally the girl grew too flustered by the attention, she took her friend Elvia by the hand, then disappeared into the depth of the Lindholm's multi-layered.


Thankfully, Elvia’s had an ensuite in which Gwen could change out of her bedraggled clothes. She liked the ocean as much as any girl growing up within thirty minutes of Cronulla, but the distinct stink of the fish-scented sea was difficult to dismiss.

Elvia had asked Gwen to leave her dirty laundry, but Gwen stowed them in her ring anyway. The soiled attire was kept in stasis anyhow, and the very thought of Elvia or her mother sorting through her intimates was mortifying.

Earlier, the crowd outside had been barking mad for answers. Gwen had none to give but hoped that things worked out so long as she didn't drop a big 'Void' bomb. In all honesty, having access to 'two' Schools of Magic wasn't all that amazing. What was surprising was the age at which she gained access.

For the every-Mage, two Schools of Magic meant effort and tireless practice. Even her Master, Henry Kilroy, had first been a Conjurer, then a Transmuter, and finally an Evoker and so on.

For her Master, it was his ability to tap into all four Prime Elemental Planes that made him truly unique. There was Sufina too, whose life-giving and life-draining talent gifted him the moniker of "Deathless Henry."

Gingerly, she slipped on a fresh set of intimates, then a vintage polka-dot sundress she'd bought near Surya's. An NoM lady, a local dressmaker, had made the dress. She then towelled the water from her hair, using her hand to mould a one-sided fringe. The result was that she looked humble and country, but at least she was comfortable.

Elvia's eyes sparkled when Gwen emerged.

"Tell me everything!" Her friend took her hand and squeezed as though she was wringing juice from an orange.

"I will! I promise!" Gwen replied. "Not now, though, maybe later? There are still guests out there. You have to the carols, don't you?"

Elvia sulked. She loathed any form of attention, benevolent or otherwise. Still, her doting father, not to mention Gwen herself, very much looked forward to Elvia's performance.

The Lindholms weren't religious by any means, but from the limited conversation Gwen had shared with the mother, they were immensely sentimental about Europe. The original Patriarch of the family was a refugee from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and had kept all the White Christmas traditions alive, despite their exile since the sixties.

"Don't worry, Evee. You look a treat!" She couldn't help but smile. Elvia in a white dress, singing Christmas Carols? Could there be anything more perfect than that?

To no one's surprise, the moment Gwen re-emerged, they were surrounded. Gwen responded to all questions with the universal answer that she was not at "liberty" to speak on pain of ex-communication from her mysterious master.

After loudly repeating her prepared response to a dozen guests, the old questions ceased. Now, they were interested in her personal life: was she dating? Who was her mother? What about her House? And so on.

When Gwen again grew flustered, she caught Richard lingering stoically by himself at the buffet table, pondering the philosophy of which canapes he preferred.

"Richard!" She called out.

He raised his glass to her.

She ran up beside him and hooked his elbow.

"This is my cousin Richard, the heir apparent of my House!" she announced. "He will answer all of your questions."

"I will?" Richard looked at Gwen with a raised eyebrow.

"Help me out, Richard," she whispered beside his ear. "I don't know how to deal with these people. I can't even understand what they're talking about."

"Fine." Richard inclined his head, then turned to the multitude.

"You." Richard pointed to a questioner. "You first."

"Does Ms Song have a partner in mind?" The middle-aged asked carefully.

"No, but I sure as hope you're not asking for yourself. Next!"

Gwen's face turned a bright scarlet, wondering if she had made a terrible mistake in asking Richard for help. Maybe she should stop Richard before he said something irreversible.

The crowd murmured excitedly.

"Who is the patriarch of the Huang Clan?" Someone else asked.

"Surya Huang, my grandfather, Senior Enchanter associated with the Tower."

More murmurs engendered.

"The artist?" Someone asked.

"The same."

"He's an Enchanter?" A voice said incredulously. "I thought he just made er— art."

"Does Ms Song's father belong to a House?"

"No. Next!"

"What is her father's pedigree?"

"Abjurer Tier 4. Next!"

The crowd appeared confused. Gwen's father was a nobody? That seemed hardly right. If she were the progenitor of her talent, it would make her less desirable then if she had a family history of curious multi-school Awakenings.

"What does Ms Song look for in a partner?" Some who was more interested in Gwen herself inquired.

"Magus and above. Tier five or go home. Next!"

The crowd jeered.

"Any preference in particular?"

Richard measured Gwen expertly, placing a hand over her head and another floating down her hips like car salesman marvelling over the curves of a Pininfarina model.

"No shorties. You must be this tall to enter. Next!"

Gwen baulked.
Richard was doing TOO WELL of a job, and now she wanted off his wild ride. Yet, the crowd was now jovial, and the atmosphere had lost the seriousness it possessed only a moment ago.

Leaving Richard to his dog and pony show, Gwen slowly backed away and joined Elvia. Thankfully, the guests were soon out of questions after another volley of Richard expertly calling out 'next,' like an auctioneer.

"Sorry Evee," Gwen apologised for derailing the Xmas gathering.

"I think we should blame Erik! He was the one who made this happen."

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Gwen agreed but still felt apologetic.

"Miss Song—"

On cue, they were joined by Frederik, Elvia's father, and an unhappy Erik, looking every inch the helpless kitten facing an impending bath.

"Erik, apologise," Frederik commanded.

"I am sorry."

"It's alright, Erik," Gwen replied sweetly. "No worries, eh?"

"Gwen." Elvia's father coughed to draw her attention. "If there's anything the family can do for you, all you have to do is ask."

Gwen felt a little taken back.

"Please, Mr Lindholm, you don't have to."

"I am serious." The man remained solemn. "Please speak kindly of today's incident to your Master. The boy— he's not the best spell in the tome. I was at fault as well. When he asked for my permission, I didn't see any harm in it. That was short-sighted of me. If you need someone to blame, I would gladly shoulder the blame—"

"Mr Lindholm!" Gwen interjected. "Please, it's fine. I promise. No harm will come to Erik or Elvia, or anyone in your family. We're just kids mucking around."

Frederik's expression grew considerably softer than before.

"Thank you."

"It's me who should be apologising," Gwen replied earnestly.

Frederik nodded, Gwen watched the father rufflke his son's hair, then brush a finger across Elvia's cheeks. "Take care of our guest, you two."

The kids watched their father return to their mother with the good news. Elaina too, had been holding her breath.

Gwen's eye met Elvia's own, and she could see the cogs turn inside her best friend's ash-blonde head. Thee girl was misreading the situation.

"Whatever my talents, Evee, it doesn't change anything between us." She held Elvia's hand. "We're friends, AND we're a team! That's not going to change, no matter who my Master may be."

Elvia's lovely blue eyes glowed with anxiety, seeing Gwen as though for the first time. Gwen guessed correctly that the girl was stunned by her father's attitude. If Gwen and Frederik were equals, then what of Elvia? What was her position in all of this?

"But—"

"No! Elvia—Evee! I am just Gwen, you know? Your friend!" Gwen wondered if there was something she could do to make Elvia understand.

Erik looked downcast, likely realising that he may have screwed the pooch this time.

The three thus stood beside one another in an awkward triangle: one didn't know what to say, one didn't hear what the other had said, and the other wanted to leave but couldn't.

Ding-dong-DING!

The doorbell proved a welcome distraction.

"I'll get it." Erik left hurriedly.

"Evee..." Gwen placed a hand on Elvia's shoulder.

The humble healer regarded her friend warily, still indecisive as to how she should approach her friend in light of her new knowledge. When she’d first known Gwen, her friend had been a joke, widely mocked by the lowest Mage with the most meagre of talents. Then, Gwen had become a Lightning Evoker, grew close to the legendary Alesia de Botton, and now she was a Conjurer-Evoker. Moreso, Gwen had likely been apprenticed by a Magister, and now even her father was afraid of Gwen.

If so, could they still be friends? Elvia's felt the weight of Gwen's affection like a ball and chain. Had she not forgone Lilith's precisely to get away from grandeur? She liked Gwen, she loved her, even; but now, Elvia wanted to cry. She had finally found someone kind and gentle, but now she wasn't good enough. Was her middling talent going to be a burden to her friend? Was Gwen going to tire of her when she inevitably left for a tier 1 city?

"Evee? Hello— are you still in there?" Gwen watched Elvia enact the thousand-yard stare. She wondered if she should give Elvia a shock, a little zap from her fingers to jolt her from the stupor. The girl was overthinking things.

"OI! I AM BACK!"

A shrill cry rang out from the upper floor, rolling across the atrium.
Erik stumbled down the stairs with a frightened look.

"I... I think we're under attack!" He stammered.

Following Erik's finger, the girls saw a familiar figure descend. Their eyes spied a pair of dirty leather combat boots still stained with ichor and blood, ending at the knees in military cargos. Above, two bandoleers of potions slung across the broad hips, hooked onto a stained combat suit. Across their intruder's shoulders was strung a hefty looking backpack with an assortment of camping multi-tools.

And finally, somewhere in that mess of gear was a head full of matted hair, framing a heart-shaped face.

"Rambo?" Gwen murmured, aghast the sight. "Is that Yue?"

Elvia was agog and could say nothing.

"Guys!" Yue shrieked from atop the stairs. She unclipped something, and her gear landed with a noise akin to two skeletons making out on a tin-humpy roof. "I've missed you so much! I MADE IT!"

Yue sprang down the stairs two at a time.

An arm that smelled like the jungle wrap around Gwen's neck and brought her closer towards a pair of suffocating bosoms. Elvia received a likewise treatment, being drawn unwillingly into the deathly embrace of survival training.

It wasn't long before the girls' bodies went slack.
Gwen staggered back, gagging and choking.
Elvia turned green.

"Ha-ha." Yue laughed jovially. "Finally you all get to share in my suffering!"

Gwen circulated a mote of mana to calm herself before the canapes found their way back up.

"It's good to see you too, how did you get back? Where's Alesia?"

"Back to the apartment." Yue grinned. "I came straight here, wasn't going miss Xmas. It's Elvia's party, after all."

"I thought you were out of contact?" Elvia forced herself to swallow. "Did you get my invitation, after all?"

"I received it as soon as we hit a Divi-Station," Yue said. "We flew and teleported as much as we could, fighting whatever critters came out along the way. Even so, it took us 8 hours! There was no time to change."

"I can smell that."

"I am so happy you're here!"

The girls gushed.

Gwen snuck a peek at Elvia; her friend had been sufficiently distracted, for now. She realised that, sooner or later, she had to come clean with her friends. Secrets festered when left unscoured.

"How much time do we have until your performance?" Gwen enquired.
Elvia looked at a clock.

"About thirty minutes?"

"Good. Yue, get yourself cleaned up. Evee, can Yue use your bathroom?"

"Sure, I'll get her a change of clothes."

Gwen passed a hand over Yue's gear, stowing the lot in her Storage Ring. Yue whistled.

"Moving up in the world!"

"It's a long story." Gwen studied Elvia, before turning back to Yue. "Later, I'll tell you everything, I promise."

Yue read the awkward atmosphere.

"You guys have a spiff or something?"

"Nothing like that."

Elvia smiled, reticent in her manner.

"I'll be back!" Yue shrugged. "Whatever your problems, point me to the ensuite first."

Gwen changed again. This time out of her Yue-soiled dress and into a pair of white shorts. As for Elvia, it was no surprise she had an endless wardrobe of white dresses. After the costume change, the girl left Gwen and Yue alone to await the night's final festivities.

Behind the sliding door, Yue showered, humming a little tune as she washed off the grime, moaning from the pleasure of hot water and cleansing, moisturising soap.

"So." Yue's voice penetrated the door. "Are you up shit creek without a paddle?"

"Yep, I am stranded in a sea of shit."

“Yikes. But have ya Awakened in the school of Paddles?"

Gwen snorted.

“Sorry, spent a lot of time with soldiers, picked up some bad habits.”

“Nah, the candidness is refreshing.”

“Well, don’t let it grow on ya.” Yue finished showering. “I am trying to control myself around Elvia, wouldn’t want our innocent Evee to pick up a bad habit.”

Yue slid open the door.

“Whoa,” Gwen turned away, blushing fiercely. “Your puppies are out and about.”

Yue shrugged impressively.

“You get used to it in the field,” she replied. “Showers are rare, and leeches the size of snakes live in the rivers. No time for modesty or comfort.”

“What the hell did you do?” Gwen asked with her back turned.

There was the sound of clothing shuffling on hurriedly.

“Yue, are you decent?”

Her answer arrived in the form of a pair of arm wrapping about her waist.

“It’s good to be back in the real world.” There was a dark edge to Yue’s voice.

“Yue?”

“Just a moment,” Yue answered. “Just need to make sure this is real and not a dream.”

Gwen remained still.

“I am real.”

“I know.”

"What some tissues?"

Yue dabbed at her face.

“Okay, I am good. Let’s go see how our daughter is doing, mother.”

“What? I always thought I was the father,” Gwen inquired suspiciously.

“Ha! You wish!” Yue laughed, obnoxious invading Gwen's privacy, making her yelp. “Jesus, you lose weight? Wheres the meat gone?”

“I worked it off.”

“Another long story?” Yue's wandering hands retreated. “Bloody oath, you're all Gwen and bones. Nobody likes that!”

“I’ll work on it— wait, what's that?”

The sound of music came from above.

“We’re going to miss Elvia's performance!”

The girls entered the living room as the carols were about to begin.
A dozen of the children, mostly boys in white shirts and ivory vests, were lined up by the jetty. A Conjurer had created hundreds of floating Dancing Lights, lazily swimming through the air and over children. Like fireflies, the twinkling sparks danced across the water, illuminating the singers.

Elvia stepped forward, resplendent in the white light, glowing faintly with an aura akin to celestials. She gazed upwards toward Gwen and Yue, her luminous blue eyes twinkling with emotion, then began to sing.

_Stille Nacht~ Heil'ge Nacht~_
 _Alles schläft; einsam wacht_
 _Nur das traute hoch heilige Paar._
 _Holder Knab' im lockigen Haar,_
 _Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!_
 _Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!_

The sound of angelic voices and soft piano music faded into the darkness of the bay, commemorating the birth of a God-like being that would change the world for the next millennia. And as the song reached its crescendo, the girls stood alone with their thoughts and their stories, awaiting the long night.