Claire didn't lift her eyes from the book in her lap.
"T-technically… fire magic... tends to misfire during high-t-tension states..." she murmured while tracing a line of text with her finger. "I… I told you that already."
Claire's voice still held a hint of hesitation, but her stammer had softened lately as she spoke more with the others.
"Not another 'magic flows where the mind goes' lecture," Lily groaned.
Melinda grinned from nearby.
"Come on, it's kind of cute when she gets all bookish."
Claire calmly flipped another page. "It's just facts."
"Also, Melinda… it's kind of d-dangerous to test poison without gloves…"
Melinda shrugged shamelessly.
"It builds immunity!"
From the wooden bench beneath the shade trees, Astra's cool voice drifted across the training grounds.
"Or removes it permanently."
The girls fell into a brief silence, eyes flicking to Astra as Shade twitched its tail on her shoulder.
The mood sobered just enough.
Melinda awkwardly cleared her throat before immediately attempting damage control in the most diplomatic voice she could manage.
"So…" she began carefully, "we all agree to get along together?"
"I'm not making promises," Cassia replied instantly. "Depends on Lily's mood."
Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Watch it, summoner girl."
"Bring it, firebug."
Cassia smirked without missing a beat.
Their bickering sparked chuckles, the tension diffusing like steam after a good laugh.
As they continued to squabble, Lora, panting lightly from practice, leaned on her sword and turned toward Astra, still seated calmly on the wooden bench.
"Your Highness," Lora called hopefully, "why don't you teach us something today?"
There was clear admiration in her voice.
Melinda perked up immediately from where she was watching a small rat react to her carefully prepared concoction.
"Yes! Even just a little!" she added quickly. "We won't ask any questions. Promise!"
Astra slowly lifted her gaze toward them. A faint, cool smile rested on her lips as she reclined beneath the dappled shade.
"No."
"You didn't even hesitate."
"I'm consistent," Astra replied smoothly.
"Come on…" Lora groaned dramatically. "What's the point of having a cool, mysterious princess around if she refuses to teach us some deadly skills?"
"At least let us watch you do something cool," Lily complained while extinguishing the flame dancing on her fingertip. "You're always so… quiet."
Astra answered calmly,
"I'm observing."
Cassia teased. "What are you observing, exactly? Our incompetence?"
Astra didn't even blink. "Exactly."
A collective groan erupted from the entire group.
"One day," Lily declared seriously, "we're going to crack that royal shell."
"Let's spar for it!" Ella said jokingly. "If I land a hit, Your Highness teaches me how to make someone vanish with a finger tap."
Gerald, standing nearby with all the exhausted patience of a man regretting every life decision that led him here, answered dryly,
"That's not training. That's attempted assassination."
Ella crossed her arms proudly.
"Well, that's exactly what I'm training for."
The training grounds erupted into bright, carefree laughter once more, their voices echoing warmly beneath the evening glow of the sky.
They had changed.
They had grown closer.
Even Ella, once stiff and silent, now sparred with Gerald while throwing the occasional dry remark.
Claire, who had always kept to herself, was seen nudging Lora with a smirk as they watched Melinda handle the unfortunate rats.
Cassia had taken to calling them "the quieter duo," earning indignant protests and mock glares that faded into light chuckles.
The leaves swirled in the wind, and even Shade blinked lazily, seemingly amused.
But Astra had already drifted elsewhere.
Because last night… there was the dream.
Or perhaps, a memory.
Astra rose from the bench with quiet grace, brushing a crimson leaf from her skirt.
Shade stirred around her collar, its violet eyes narrowing with unease as it slithered up to perch on her shoulder.
Lora called out: "Your Highness? Are you okay?"
Astra turned slightly, her expression distant.
"Just tired."
Without another word, she turned and walked away from the training ground. The chatter behind her faded as her footsteps grew softer.
That night, Astra's sleep came heavy and slow.
She drifted into darkness… only to awaken in a place not her own.
She stood barefoot in a field of glowing silver and blue flowers beneath a sky that pulsed like a living canvas of stars.
The air was warm and still, steeped in memory. The petals shimmered like frost, and every step echoed as if memory itself carried weight.
Astra's breath caught.
She knew this place.
She had stood here before. But she doesn't remember when.
Maybe in another name. Another life.
Then came the voice. Familiar. Calm. Distant.
> "Your blade is steady, but your heart is not."
Astra turned slowly, breath catching in her throat.
A man stood at the center of the field—draped in dark robes, his face obscured by shadows, as if memory refused to fully remember. And yet... his presence struck deep, undeniable.
"You... again."
> "Still running?"
"No. I've stopped. I just don't know where I'm standing anymore."
He tilted his head, the faintest movement betraying disappointment—or maybe amusement.
> "You were never meant to stand still. You were meant to lead."
> "A ruler must choose what they protect. Power… or people."
"Don't talk in riddles. As if you know me so well."
> "Do you know yourself?"
She hesitated. The wind stirred the glowing field. She felt it again, the ache in her chest. A pull. A name, trapped on the edge of a cliff inside her.
"...I'm not obliged to answer that."
The man stepped closer, but no sound accompanied his movement.
> "You made a choice once—to forget. To break yourself apart to protect what mattered. But the world is shifting again."
"Then tell me what I left behind."
> "I can't. Memory must return by will, not force."
He paused.
> "But I can remind you of the question you feared most."
"What question?"
> "What were you willing to become... to love?"
She froze.
The flowers beneath her feet dimmed for a heartbeat.
"You speak like you knew me. Like we were—"
> "We were many things. Allies. Enemies. Mirrors."
Astra asked quietly: "Then tell me your name."
> "You once knew it better than your own."
She took a step forward.
"Why now? Why return in dreams?"
> "Because time is thinning. Your fate is no longer just yours. And soon—"
He lifted a hand, pointing to the sky.
> "Even the world will choose sides."
The sky above flickered, constellations blinking out one by one, leaving only void.
> "You cannot hide who you are forever, — — —."
The name blurred, like a whispered secret swallowed by time.
But she knew what name he spoke.
Astra gasped... and awoke.
Moonlight spilled across her bed, pale and indifferent.
Shade stirred beside her pillow, coiled loosely, sensing something but saying nothing.
Only silence filled the room.
She dreamed of it again.
But Astra remained still, staring at the ceiling for a long, breathless moment.
"That voice... It felt as if i haven't heard it in decades."
She placed a hand over her chest where the weight of something long-buried stirred faintly, as if memory itself had shifted in its sleep.