"Uh ah ahh! You must take that goblet with BOTH HANDS as if you are going to share it with me, a noble…well, a fallen one actually."

A hoarse singsong voice was heard in the thatched bungalow situated at the end of the white mangrove forest next to the sea.

The house may be made of wood but its appearance gave off the impression of a cemented modern dwelling.

From its closed curtain terrace showed a spry middle-old woman and a young girl with cerulean hair having lunch.

The hand gestures made by the woman was poised to a perfect demonstration of Medieval decorum while the girl was struggling not only with balancing her hold on the stemware but also preventing her back from slouching for an hour or two.

She was clad in a pearl-white, satin silk, fit long gown with off-shoulder balloon sleeves that show off the lace trim appliqué of lifelike dark gold laurel leaves and burgeons spread on its elastic neckline as well as 3-D gilt sequin roses embroidered from the side waist to the hem of the tunic.

Her ensemble was complete with a gilded laurel wreath that tamed her tousled bob-cut hair, an aureate thin link chain choker, and a round pearl-framed Sea Bear's Glass that acted as her earring.

That young girl was Alist Glassheart.

Twelve years ago, the toddler Alist kept her promise to stay by her parents' side enjoying her little childhood years.

She didn't run away like she did when she was also 12 in her previous world.

She didn't act like a spoiled 'chosen one' just because she transmigrated into her favorite novel and knew the entire storyline til its conclusion.

She didn't even consider gathering all the heroes and forcing them to fulfill their roles to save all of Deo.

Instead, Alist had a pleasant and peaceful life with just the three of them.

Well, sort of.

She now has two siblings to play with and to cherish for.

So if someone asked her who were the people in her life she knew that they loved her, she would answer:

"My parents and my younger sister and brother!"

Alist gained two precious people under her list of V.I.P.s worth protecting or caring for.

Her time spent in the town of Darya was not for naught.

She may have time to sight-see and get acquainted with many of her neighbors but she never forgot the Glassheart Safety & Protection Plan.

The title may be wordy but at least it made her remember whose safety and protection was on the line.

Her three major goals were now revised in a different order.

First, travel to the Celesta Kingdom of the Sideron mainland to mark the names of her parent's important relatives and friends in preparation for evacuation before the submergence of the continent.

Second, gather information on the Darken Pawns' identities including their status and families.

Lastly, eliminate Raven primarily to prevent Bernael's shade army from scattering and spying in Deo's shadows.

Although Alist made the elimination of Raven her last goal, she made Raven her ultimate mission.

She even made a large flat conspiracy board of Kaiden with a red string connecting her raven bird drawing to the continent of Sidero.

This special board is always kept in her Sea Bear's Glass, a rare spatial item with a growth type magical space.   

From thinking on new perspectives and situations, Alist formed six solutions which will prepare her against the likes of the Shade Specialists.

Obviously, the first thing she needs to do is to develop her mana and train her Water Manipulation as well as creating many uses for it according to the Superpower List she referenced from seen anime shows, movies, novels, and webcomics of her previous world.

The second important solution which will match her at odds with her soon-to-be enemies is directly involved with the etiquette classes she is having right now.

Alist is currently in the house of Xenia Verdant.

Xenia is a splendid 76-years-old woman who is an Earth Specialist.

She is both her godmother and private tutor when it came to Specialism Control, Propriety, and a whole lot of things.

Formal education with Xenia began since she was eight years of age and it can be said to be one of the torturous milestones Alist ever had while living in Darya.

Xenia tackled subjects on Social Studies (particularly, Kaiden's Geography and History), Language and its literature, a hint of Mathematics, and Elemental Specialism.

For a commoner to be receiving such education, this was considered absurd as she wasn't of noble status or at least an illegitimate child of a noble.

No one even knew that Alist was taking lessons on par with the elite educated Specialist children.

Not even her parents.

That's because the eight year old Alist agreed to Xenia's offer of tutoring her on real world knowledge.

This offer was the result of Alist's antics from successfully inviting her to become a member of her family.

For Alist, Xenia is an important pawn…, no, variable in her Glassheart Safety & Protection Plan.

She met Xenia on her first birthday ceremony.

~o~

First birthday traditions were revered as an incredibly important anniversary for most people.

It's the same in the town of Darya.

A child's first birthday is held at the stroke of midnight.

With that, Alist got to celebrate with her night friend: the bright yellow moon.

By twelve in the afternoon, everyone is invited to assemble at the town circle which is shaped similarly to that of the Rosa Parks Circle in Michigan USA.

In the coastal village, it is tradition to present their son or daughter who is celebrating his or her first birthday to the townspeople.

Then, the town's middle-aged and above will form a circle around the child to begin the Mana Initiation Rite.

In the life of a resident Daryan, he or she has two or three important persons in his or her journey as a Specialist.

The father (or father figure), the mother (or mother figure), and the godparent.

These persons are responsible for introducing the child on her or his steps towards the journeying as a Specialist.

This is represented by the child's first release of his or her respective specialities in gratitude of their parents and the appointment of a godparent.

Unlike in Alist's former world where godparents are selected by their parents, Darya retains this birthday tradition as a sign that their children are individuals with the capability of making their own choices in the Specialist society and it will manifest in the person the child chooses as guide or the godparent by approaching one of them in the circle.

The circle that the adults formed around the 1st birthday celebrant is mana-powered.

This stems from the passive skill they used called Mana Release in order to let out what is known as Aura.

Mana is one's personal magical energy so no one else can see it glowing inside of a Specialist except for the individual herself or himself.

The glow unleashed by Mana Release and seen by every Specialist is called Aura, the outer manifestation of a person's Specialism and the determinant of one's mana capacity or duration.

Some aurae are unbearable while there are others that are unnoticeable to the receiver and there are a few whose aurae are tolerable by many.

If one of the unfamiliar adults was chosen by the child, he or she will become the leading godparent.

Exceptions arise when the child calls out for his or her parents, family relatives, or someone younger than the qualified age group.

As a child who has been exposed to human greed in her previous world, Alist got the impression of being at the mercy of hungry wolves in sheep's clothing among the adults which made her feel she should go back into her parents' arms.

There was no one in the circle she wanted as her godparent until she heard a woman's loud and gloating voice.