Twenty minutes earlier, Kaito pushed through the thick snow, putting on his hoodie, his other hand fixing his scabbard.

His gaze was set on the tiny brown speck as if he couldn't afford to look anywhere else.

He grew impatient and changed tactics, blasting through the tundra.

Even the growing snowstorm added to his fire, making him arrive at the village in only one minute.

And then he stopped, taking a moment to stretch.

But just as he took the first step, a deafening sound roared in all directions.

Its screams seemed to reach the clouds above.

Kaito moved his head little by little, anxious to find out the root cause.

A fiery thorn impaled the skies, its red and orange flames spiraling out of the top.

Just as he snapped out of it, bracing himself to run back towards the campsite, someone pulled him back.

“Take shelter now!” A Sister in tactical uniform shouted, waving her hand towards her other Sisters as if telling them to hurry.

Kaito pulled away and began racing away from the village again, watching as a few dozen had already made their way over.

However, he was yanked back again, this time more harshly.

He was shoved down into the snow, almost rolling.

“What’s the problem with you?” Kaito grunted, getting himself up.

“It’s an order, go find some shelter now–” She paused, looking him up and down rapidly, suspicion growing in her expression. “You’re not a citizen of Lunar Province, are you?”

“I was sent here by Neoma, but that doesn’t matter now; I need to go save my friends–”

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck from behind, restraining him instantly.

“Imma about to show you the meaning of power.” The Sister from behind laughed, her golden glasses sparkling. 

His legs swung in panic, his hands trying to resist her intense grip.

“You’re the one she sent me to look for.” Kaito blurted as fast as he could, his breath faltering.

“The kid says that Neoma sent him here.” The officer stated, seeming skeptical. 

Instantly, Kaito was let go, crashing against the cold ground.

It took him a few seconds to regain his breath, the stress around his neck hurting like burning metal.

“Jeez,” Kaito grumbled, massaging his neck a little more, barely sitting up straight. “That’s one way to greet someone.”

The officer rolled her eyes, reaching for her radio.

“Sorry, punk, I take defending this town seriously.” The muscular woman laughed, resting her hands on her hips. “The name’s Luana. Now tell us why Neoma sent you here.”

“She told me to find Kayla and lie there for now.” Kaito stood up cautiously, his legs still quivering from the fright. “And that you knew where to find her.”

“Oh yeah, I know where she lives.” Luana chuckled, pointing down the center road. “Go that direction, and it’ll be the third-to-last house on your left.”

She turned back to find out he had vanished, leaving her feeling a bit betrayed.

He had tried to run away, only to make it a few feet away.

“Don’t worry,” The Sister sighed, pointing at Kaito’s failed attempt to run away. “I froze him.” 

Luana laughed once more, walking over to him and slapping the back of his neck.

From his legs to his shoulders, Kaito was trapped in thick ice.

“Why are you in such a rush to go back, huh?” She raised her eyebrow in a teasing manner. “You know we clones can’t reproduce, right?”

Kaito stared at her with a blank expression.

Then, a mixture of shock and confusion.

“What are you on about?” His head tugged away in multiple directions, his tone just as confused as he was. “Someone help me!”

“So you don’t have a crush on Neoma?” Luana tilted her head, puckering her lips in confusion.

“No!” Kaito turned to face her, half disgusted. “I want to save my friends, that’s all.” 

“If Neoma told you to find Kayla,” The officer interrupted, her eyes sharper than a blade. “Then that is what you shall do.”

All the other Sisters had already vanished, now running black dots amongst the snow. 

Kaito looked back at the faint trails of ash, his eyes shivering with concern.

“I promise you that they’ll be fine.” She placed her hand on the ice, guiding it back down into the snow. “Luana and I will make sure of it.” 

Kaito watched as it merged with the ground below, his eyes glancing between his hand and the ice as if stuck between choices.

“But what about the village?” Luana asked reluctantly, her smile shortening a little.

“It’s just for a little while.” The Sister paused, fixing her hair. “Plus, it was Your Majesty herself who requested you as a reinforcement for Neoma.”

Luana wasted no time.

With a grand smile, she raced past the two, snow bursting underneath every footstep.

And not too far away, the official walked with a calm pace.

Kaito stomped his foot in frustration until he ultimately snickered, turning his body around towards the village.

He inhaled, held it in for a moment, and then exhaled.

The snowstorm began to pick up even more, the snow turning somewhat sharp.

And thus, he picked up his pace, heading towards the very end of the road.

The village had a dozen branching roads, quite a few stalls, some even tempting with their delicacies.

And after a minute, he finally arrived at the third-to-last house.

It didn’t look much different from its neighbors, a brown palette all around with a gray door.

He took one more breath and turned the knob, opening the door slowly.

His feet froze still, his jaw dropped.

And down slid a single sweat drop.

Two ladies lay on the couch, one pinning the other down.

For what felt like the longest second ever, none dared to move.

Then, Kaito snapped out of his daze, panicking like a tornado, and shut the door.

He took his hand off the knob, retreating from the entrance as stiff as a board.

Slam!

The door burst open, the quick winds sending a shiver down his spine.

“And you are?” A woman asked mildly, her tone with a hint of annoyance.

“Look, I’m really sorry.” Kaito kept his face straight, raising his hands slowly. “I must’ve got the wrong house.”

“Did Neoma send you here?”

“Uh, yes.” Kaito stuttered, scratching his neck. “But I don’t want to interrupt whatever was going on in there.”

“That was my niece and her girlfriend.” The woman appeared to be in her forties, her expression that of an exhausted board member. “Plus, they were just kissing. I think everyone is just overreacting. Come on in.” 

And before he knew it, he sat on the sofa across from the couple.

One hid behind a pillow as the other glared at him, almost as if it were a staring competition, her eye twitching.

Kayla returned from the kitchen, holding a tray, her pace matching the Sisters' style.

She placed it down on the large sofa table, passing everyone a cup of green tea.

“Feel free to accompany the tea with lemon cake or shortbread.” She gestured her hand towards the sweets on the table. “I’m sorry I don’t have a wider selection.” 

Nerve-wracking silence slithered around the room, watching as the four remained speechless. 

Kayla sighed and grabbed herself a chair, reaching for a cookie.

“So this is my niece, Beta.” She guided her hand between them, hoping to break the silence. “And that’s her partner, Delta.” 

Delta waved her hand from behind the pillow, her pajamas blending in with the blanket.

While Kaito waved back, Beta reached for a cookie, her smile trying to hold itself together.

“You know, Auntie Kayla,” She clenched her fist, breaking the dessert into a dozen pieces. “I don’t mind guests being sent here, but have you heard that there are people who lack proper etiquette? I don’t know, maybe, like… knocking!”

Beta slammed her hand against the table and threw the crumbs at Kaito.

“Calm yourself,” Kayla exclaimed, concern flashing in her eyes. “I promise I’ll get a lock for the door soon.”

“I’m really sorry, you know?” Kaito put his hands on his knees, sighing underneath the chaos. 

“Please calm down, everyone,” Delta murmured with a disappointed glance, tilting her posture.

“And you just stood there with those ugly eyes, jeez.” Beta sat back down, her arms crossed with an irritated look.

The noise paused for a brief moment.

Only the running water from the sink and light static from the television remained.

Beta let out a sigh, staring at the ceiling.

“Were you even taught manners?”

“No, I wasn’t,” Kaito whispered, his eyes stuck on his limp hands. “My parents died before they could teach them to my sister and me.”

The room went quiet.

Not out of awkwardness but pity.

And guilt.

“But that isn’t an excuse. I’m really sorry.” Kaito stood up and bowed, his arms by his side. “I’m old enough to know that–”

“Shut up already.” Beta interrupted, looking down in shame. “You don’t need to apologize. I might’ve overreacted just a little.”

Delta sighed in relief, grabbing her cup of tea.

“Actually, I got a message from Neoma letting me know ahead of time.” Kayla blurted casually, chuckling lightly. “But I forgot.”

Beta blinked, her gaze vacantly attached to her aunt’s.

“Oh my.” Delta turned away, taking a sip of her tea. “What a turn of events.”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Kayla said, taking a bite of her dessert. “You two have a room.”

“We aren’t gonna head there every time we wanna kiss.”

“Okay, guys, we’ve taken enough of his time.” Delta pushed away the pillow, hitting Kaito in the face, and spilled her tea. “No, no, no. I’m so sorry–” 

She hit her head against the table as she tried to pick up the cup, tipping the glass top.

It slid off and raced towards Kaito’s feet, crushing his toes.

The other two cups of tea accompanied the disaster, also aiming for his feet.

Delta scooted past the messed-up table as Kaito shouted, only to trip over her aunt’s chair, knocking her down too.

A minute passed by, the four sitting in embarrassment.

Kayla had ditched the chair and sat next to Kaito, holding an ice pack on her head.

So did Beta and Delta, each in a different area of their forehead. 

Kaito sat back up straight after massaging his feet, sighing in exhaustion.

“So tell me, Kaito.” Kayla patted her legs, each beat seeming to follow a melody. “Did you come alone?”

“No, I came with my sis, best friend, and guardian,” Kaito replied with a smile, his eyes squinting in joy just from listing them. “Well, the best friend is kinda my only friend—his name’s Souta. As for my guardian, he was more of a friend to my dad. And my sis, Elena, she’s like the coolest person ever.”

“That’s nice to hear.” Delta gently clapped her hands. “I bet you’re an amazing team.”

“Oh yeah, we are! We’ve got the most awesome coordination and teamwork.” Kaito spread his hands out briefly before knotting his hands again. “Except the bad thing is we go down easily once any of us are taken out of the equation.”

“Is it really smart to be revealing your weaknesses to strangers?” Delta leaned back against the sofa, scratching her head.

“I don’t think of you all as strangers, though.” Kaito tilted his head, looking up as if searching for a particular thought. “Friends of my friend are trustworthy in my eyes.”

“But I don’t know this Souta guy,” Delta remarked in a half-tired tone, squinting in confusion.

“I think he meant Neoma, dear,” Beta added, wrapping herself in the fuzzy blanket.

“Hey,” Kayla lifted her eyebrow, smirking playfully. “I thought you said you didn’t have friends?”

“Yeah,” Kaito laughed, stretching his hands up high. “That was my bad.”

The four continued laughing together, letting the peaceful moments slip by.

After a bit, Kayla stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

Delta yawned, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“Wait, what? Ten minutes!?” 

“Wait,” Beta sat forward, lifting her brows in confusion. “Has it really only been that long?”

“Should we contact Neoma?” Delta put her hands together nervously.

“Let’s give them another minute or two.” She shifted her gaze to her, growing worried too.  “I’m sure this crisis will be solved like all the rest before.”

But the sound of glass budging startled them.

Kaito held his hands out, using the glass to support his trembling body.

The two stood up with worried expressions, yet a light fear slithered past them.

Their mana quivered before his, leaving them frozen still momentarily. 

His gasps for air grew deeper and deeper. 

And the center of his chest began to glow.

“Guys…” He wheezed, a few tears falling from his eyes. “I don’t feel so good.” 

His legs and arms thrashed around the space like those of a doll, his eyes flickering.

A second later, the violet illumination vanished.

And with that, Kaito fell onto his knees and lost consciousness, his body lying on the floor.

“Hey, Kaito!” Beta shouted, reaching for him in a panic.

“Kayla, call the medical department!” Delta yelled, her tone breaking under anxiety. 

Rapidly dialing on her tactical tablet, Kayla contacted Lucy, her eyes glancing back and forth with each ring.