As they remain in their cells, they process the situation they find themselves in very differently from one another. Itō Akito, the twenty-year-old university law student, has done his best to remain calm regarding everything from the magical lantern to waking up in this strange environment. Sakurai Maho, who is just relieved to be awake, no matter where she finds herself, chats away with him. After eight years in a coma, it is all she wants to do for the time being.

Katō Yuuji, a plump nineteen-year-old boy, is in the midst of a panic attack in the room to the right of Maho, worrying about who would take care of his loving mother if he wasn’t there. In the room past him is the twenty-three-year-old office worker, Arai Eito, who has spent too much time hanging around his criminal friends. Currently, he is trying to pick the door open with anything he can find in the room, with no success.

In the room next to his is the young twenty-one-year-old American boy Cameron Ulysses Noah Turner. Who, more than anything, is just trying to get back to sleep, believing this is nothing more than a bad dream, wishing the others around him would be quieter so he can do so. 

The weeping boy, Taniguchi Yukito, is still sitting on his bed crying after the magical flame had also bit him. In the final room between Yukito and Akito is Alexander A. Hawkins III, examining the damage he had accidentally caused in the metal wall with no effort.

Unknowingly, they are being observed by two individuals. The first is Oleras, who sits at his desk as his magic produces an image, playing out the scene of each of the separate chambers before him.

Staring intently, he adjusts his purple ducal hat which is sitting slightly askew on his head as he twirls his beard and observes the House’s guests. The door behind him swings open as a young woman strides into the room, commanding attention with her regal posture and elegant appearance. Her hair is a distinct shade of white, cascading down to her shoulders with a mesmerizing glow. She has a captivating and slender face and, like the old man, has purple irises, but unlike his, hers don’t have the same ethereal glow. They, however, shimmer with a subtle and different otherworldly intensity that someone would miss if they didn’t know to look for it.

Approaching his desk, she exudes an air of being here purposefully and presents herself with discipline in her stance. Clad in stainless white pants and a vibrant red military-style jacket, she presents an intriguing contrast of strength and elegance. A white sash is cinched around her waist, emphasizing her assertive presence. Notably, a sword is securely fastened against her body, a constant reminder of her preparedness for a fight, much to her Aunt’s dismay.

She strides deliberately and confidently toward the lounging wizard, reminding him of a self-assuredness well beyond her years. Oleras ignores her at first, continuing his observations of their House’s guests, before giving her one second of his time by looking at her for a brief beat of the heart, then returning his gaze to the image and ignoring her once again.

Glaring at the old man for having such audacity to so easily brush her off in such a manner, she asks him in her uniquely prim and proper accent. “How are our guests doing, Wrinkled Sorcerer? Have you prepared them to be presented to Her Majesty?” She looks over his shoulder at the visage to see each guest in their cells.

Continuing to ignore the girl and her poor attempts at insulting him, he watches and listens as some members of the group speak with one another while others continue to either panic or try to sleep.

Becoming increasingly frustrated by being ignored by one of her mentors, she moves closer to get a better view. Her eyes widen as she sees Alexander, his presence intriguing and captivating to her. She can’t help but remark on her fascination, “That man… he possesses an undeniable allure,” She whispers to herself, her voice barely audible in the chamber.

Oleras raises an eyebrow as he slightly turns his head towards her, “Ilina, my dear, that is not the manner in which a married woman should be speaking, or thinking for that matter, about any man that isn’t her husband.” he says, his tone laced with gentle reproach.

Ilina’s gaze hardens, her determination shining through, “Why, Oleras, you old cod, you, of all people, know I don’t mean it in that manner. I just find him…” She pauses, allowing her thoughts to catch up with her tongue, searching for the correct words to say, only continuing after she can find them, “...intriguing.” She utters, noticing that the metal wall in Alexander’s room has been bent. “And besides, you know, most of all, it is only an engagement of convenience and a loveless one at that.” Finding a tinge of defiance in her voice, she continues, “I’m simply not Sir Dale’s type, and we will find a way to break off this sham engagement before it’s too late. Mark my words.”

Regarding her with sympathy and admiration, he weighs their circumstances and understands the longing for a love that has been denied them both. He does know all too well. “Ilina, you possess a strength and spirit that will guide you toward the path you seek. Trust in yourself, and the answers will reveal themselves.” He looks back at the image, “Tell you, Aunt,” catching himself, “My apologies, please inform Her Majesty, her guests will unfortunately not be ready today; I do apologize profusely for their tardiness and take full responsibility upon myself. As well, please inform Her Majesty there are complications with one of our guests, the one you find intriguing, to be precise. It seems my spell attempt has failed due to a small language barrier. It appears I will have to relearn a whole language, called English, overnight, and am now extremely exhausted. I remember the first time I dealt with such a contradictory language; it was an absolute nightmare. At least this time, it will just be a quick refresher.”

“Oh?” Ilina nods, visibly confused. “I thought you nicked them all from the same place to avoid anything like that from happening?” Looking back at the image, at Alexander and Maho in particular, she senses a strange and enigmatic connection between them. As she stares at them, her curiosity about him grows.

“I did,” he sighs, “I believe he is from the same realm, just a different part of their realm than the rest of them.” Turning to face her, he continues. “Can you ensure Anaka makes something for them to eat? I would hate for them to have a temper because they got too hungry.”

“Hmmm. Sure.” She replies. “Can’t wait to meet them.” She utters before turning around and exiting the same way she had entered. Oleras cautiously watches her as she does so, having lied to her. He can’t let her know why he had done so or to what extent, at least not yet, but he knows her too well to know she most likely had picked up on something.

His thoughts turn to the past, to the previous time he had summoned heroes for Her Majesty’s mother. The man Her Majesty refers to as her brother is the one she has lied to that girl about, telling her he was her father.

There are so many lies within these castle walls, and only Oleras knows what truly is fact and what is in fact fiction. After all, he has told a majority of them to keep this girl safe. And knowing he will have to keep up with this facade for the foreseeable future. It will all be worth it. Is all that he can assure himself with. Knowing that at some point, he may have to cross a line that there will be no turning back from, he does this for her, as well as his secret adoptive family.

Ilina closes the door to his tower as Oleras continues to watch the group as they intently have their bewildered conversations. Standing on the other side of the door, puzzled and confused, she thinks about her unusual encounter with her teacher. She has known him far too long to know when he is lying to her, and more puzzling, he would never lie about something like this. He is the greatest wizard in this corner of the realms, and having a spell not properly functioning is entirely out of character for him. He was an avid liar, but it was always about non-serious things like his drinking habits or how much money he owed a local gambler, never about magic.

Pondering why he would even lie to her about something like this, she contemplates all the interesting and strange things happening around Castle Dorne recently. Her Aunt shedding tears for any reason is already unheard of, and now her trusted teacher, lying about something serious as though it were a game. It is all too much, all at once. Having the two people she holds closest to her heart acting strange. It makes her worried, wondering if things had become this hectic the last time they summoned other-realmers.

For now, she thinks it best to put the matter to rest, hoping everyone around her will return to normal soon enough, not fully grasping that everything in her life is about to change with this particular summoning. Everything she knows to be true will be turned on its head.