Renee returned to the lobby with a stony expression, her eyes empty. She wasn’t sure what to feel at the moment. Her heart was in a turmoil, with grief, rage, and exhaustion battling out for control.

“Let’s go.” She told her companions, and left without another word, forgetting to check out.

“What’s wrong?” Anise asked worriedly as soon as they stepped out of the hospital. “Did something happen in that room?”

“The summer solstice.” Renee answered in a flat voice. “It was a nythral that caused the car accident. I remembered.” 

Anise fell silent as soon as she realized what it meant.

As soon as they got to a more private location, Renee broke down in tears, heaving heavy sobs that racked her body. Sadness and grief had won out.

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” Renee asked, tears streaming down her face. “The nythral was there to kill me, but it ended up hurting my parents instead.”

Anise wrapped an arm around Renee’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

“Don’t say that, Renee.” Lirion reached out to her. “You once told me to never blame myself for the actions of others. You’re not the one at fault here. Eris is.”

“Did you know about it?” Renee asked him. “When I mentioned the car accident earlier today…”

“I suspected that there might be a link. I don’t believe in coincidence either.”

“The other saints… can they heal them?”

Lirion shook his head sadly. “None of them have healing powers except for Anise. We’ll find another way to help your parents. I promise.”

Renee sniffled, then nodded. “I’m in.”

“What?” Lirion raised an eyebrow.

Renee wiped away her tears, promising herself it’ll be the last time she’ll cry for a long, long time. “The fight against Eris. I have no memories of a previous life, hardly any emotional ties to you or the other saints, and little faith in a goddess the world hasn’t seen for a thousand years, but I’ve decided that I will join you and the other saints in this ultimate battle between good and evil, and not just because it’s the right thing to do. This is personal now.”

Now, her grief was replaced by anger and cold fury.

Lirion nodded, but there was no joy in his expression. “Where do you want to go next?”

“My house.” Renee answered. “Let Anise say goodbye to her mother. And I want to grab a few things while I’m there as well.”Save

Lirion nodded. “Let me create another nythral and I’ll—”

“No need,” Renee shook her head. She didn’t want Lirion to waste his mana chauffeuring them around, especially since the distance isn’t too far away. “Let’s just call a ride.”

A few minutes later, they were in the back of a cab and there was an awkward silence in the air between them. Renee felt a bit embarrassed about breaking down in tears in front of someone she had just met. She hoped that her eyes weren’t too red right now. What would her aunt say if she saw Renee’s tearstained face? 

Suddenly, it occurred to Renee that she never saw her aunt cry, not even when she learned about the current state of Renee’s father, who was also her brother. Speaking of which, why did her father never mention that he had a sister?

Renee straightened even more, drawing some attention from Anise and Lirion. What was her aunt’s name again? Unable to wait any longer, Renee snapped her finger, and suddenly, another time capsule formed, encasing the three of them so they could have a private conversation without the cab driver listening in on them.

“Anise,” Renee started in a slow voice. “What is your mother’s name again?”

Anise, still startled by the formation of the time capsule, thought hard for a moment before turning bright pink. “I forgot.”

“What about your father? Your mother never mentioned anything about him? You’re not adopted, are you?”

Anise frowned. “No, she never mentioned anything about him.”

“Where did you live before you moved in with me two months ago?” 

Anise blinked, panic rising in her eyes. “Near the capital of Elysia! I remember that clearly! I remember the address…” She trailed off, as if realizing the number of things that she doesn’t remember when she should.

“What kind of career does your mother have?” Renee pressed on. “What are her hobbies? Her favorite color? Are we even cousins?”

“I- I don’t know!” Anise blurted out, starting to cry again. 

“What’s going on?” Lirion asked, catching wind that something was amiss.

“My aunt,” Renee turned to face him, “has never, ever made an appearance in my life before the car accident. I was too distraught at my parents’ conditions to question it before, but now I wonder, ‘Who is this woman? Is she also someone sent by Eris?’ And I’m now realizing that there are gaps in Anise’s memories that do not ease my suspicions.”

Lirion’s face hardened. “Should we stop and head back to the capital instead?”

“No.” There was a steel in Renee’s voice. “If she is not who she claimed to be, then I’m going to kick that outsider out of my house.”

She snapped her finger again, popping the time capsule so they could finish the trip. The cab eventually pulled up to the driveway of Renee’s home. After Renee thanked the cab driver and watched them drive the cab away, she turned back to her house. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her house key. As she got ready to insert the key into the lock, the door swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman with dark hair who reached out to lay a hand on Renee’s shoulder.

“Renee! Anise! Are you back home for Winter Break?” She asked them with a jovial smile that seemed rather empty to Renee’s eyes. Renee couldn’t ignore how cool her aunt’s touch was, how inhuman and devoid of heat. How did she not notice this before?

“Mom?” Anise called out to her mother hesitantly as she took a few steps toward the door.

“And you’ve brought a guest!” She acknowledged Lirion.

Renee shrugged off the woman’s touch as she took a few steps backward to create some distance.

“Who are you?” Renee asked. “And before you tell me that you’re the sister of my father, you should know that I’m not falling for that a second time.”

The woman’s face froze, her eyes wide as the fake warmth slid off her face.

“Ah,” the woman responded. “So you finally realize.”

Lirion’s hand started glowing faintly, as if he was about to start blasting icicles again. 

“What is your relationship with Anise? Are you even her mother?” Renee demanded, her voice growing louder.

Instead of answering, the woman merely replied, “Now that you’ve realized, my job here is done.”

To Renee’s shock and horror, her not-aunt dissipated like shadows right before her eyes. She was so stunned that she couldn’t move and just stared at the space where the woman who claimed to be her aunt was standing just a few seconds ago. She became dimly aware of Anise screaming from beside her. As Anise’s horrified screams turned into choked sobs, Renee turned to Lirion and voiced aloud what they were all thinking.