Family Matters [Private]

✖"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"✖

Grey eyes flashed on a gray horizon. This place... why had they taken her here? Well, actually, she knew why. She just didn't know why it had to be a dismal place like this. This smog-filled city was completely destitute from any natural beauty. Or at least anything that appealed to Skylar. Her little sister on the other hand, she would probably love it here. She appreciated the finer things that this certain city had to offer. Skylar happened to be sitting inside one of those finer things right now. It was a vehicle that somehow hovered right off the ground, but was still too heavy to actually fly. In a artistic sense, Skylar actually felt bad for the mechanical beast. To live a life where the sky is just out of your reach...

Unfortunately, she needed to be worried about herself right now. You see, she wasn't exactly in this car by choice. She continued her even breathing to resemble sleep while her captors were in arms reach. They were quiet, which she didn't like. She was hoping that if she faked being asleep that they would divulge something, anything she could use to break out of this contraption. And worse of all, her katana, her lovely blade, had been confiscated as well. She missed that comforting weight against her hip. Now it was replaced with a loneliness and a longing.

These fiends had grabbed Skylar months ago. Months. She just managed to track down her little sister and only two weeks later did she get kidnapped. Skylar took a deep breath and shuffled a bit in her laying position. She did it to seem like she was dreaming but also to calm her breathing. She couldn't think about Haretsa at a time like this. She needed to focus. Skylar began drawing a mental plan in her mind.
Task one, get these bonds off.
Task two, get her sword.
Task three, get the hell out of here.

For some odd reason, Skylar still had access to her magic. She could feel the eternano flowing through her veins. Her power gave her a little sense of peace. She could still fight back! Skylar theorized that because she wielded a sword that her captors must have assumed that she didn't have any magic. Hopefully that mistake would be to her advantage.
~~~

They rode along for what felt like hours. Hours of listening to the rumble of the engine. It was maddening yet calming. She pushed out her distractions and discomforts while she thought of ways to escape. Every now and then she would shuffle around in the sleep until she was up against the wall with her back against it. Thankfully her robes were still held tight around her body. Modesty wasn't something Skylar suffered from, but she didn't want any of these fools getting a look at her - that was for sure. One good thing about sitting and listening for the past couple of hours was that Skylar was being aware of the subtle motions of the vehicle. When it stopped, there was a moment of weightlessness in her stomach before gravity caught back up. And when they accelerated, Skylar was pushed back ever so slightly. There it was.

That was the key.

She didn't care where they were or how many of them there were. The next time this thing stopped, she was getting out of there. She wasn't stupid though. She knew that she needed to have some sort of plan. Since her back was to the wall and she was blindfolded, she knew she would be safe to cast a spell. She took a deep breath and let her magic run forth. "Senses of the Goddess!", she thought aloud. Her senses seemed to spread out as her telekinesis did just that. Her confines were just a plain metal room with no seats and a latched door. There weren't even any windows. And no wonder it was so quiet...

She was alone.

She immediately loosened her stiff muscles. Skylar felt royally stupid for sitting here by herself for hours, pretending to be asleep. Thank God no one else would know about this... She could see with her telekinetic senses that her bindings were just a tangle of rope. She hadn't dared to try and unravel them this whole time for the fear of anyone with her. She probably could have escaped hours ago!

Skylar snapped her fingers and the ropes around her wrists began untying themselves. After they laid in a pile at her feet, she rubbed her raw skin before slipping her blindfold off. It was dark. The only light in the room was the aura from her spell. After getting up and stretching her aching muscles into activity again, Skylar closed her eyes again and focused. She spread her senses out even further - all the way to the 30 meter limit. Any farther and Skylar would be overwhelmed. First she looked past the door that barred her passage. Immediately outside, she could see the ground below moving at an alarming rate. So she was alone in her own transport. A transport that moved rather quickly. She pushed further. Two magic-mobiles followed her transport closely, matching it's speed expertly. This time, six waves moved back at her. Two from the nearest vehicle, and four from the furthest. Skylar turned her attention to the front now. Her driver was alone in the front cab. Skylar's eyes snapped open though as she searched the passenger seat. There her katana sat underneath what looked like a filthy satchel. A flicker of anger ringed through Skylar's body. How dare they disrespect her gorgeous weapon! Setting her disgust aside for the moment, she scanned further ahead. The next two cars were far more worrisome than the last two. Instead of six waves coming back at her like last time, thirteen resonated at her. She wasn't getting out that way. Okay, now that she had some sort of bearing of her surroundings she could finally take action.

Now to get her weapon.

Unfortunately, Skylar couldn't manipulate objects that she can't physically see, so she couldn't just bust out and have her katana smash through a window to get to her. She only had one other option. Skylar walked over to the side of the wall where the passenger seat was and crouched down. She only had one shot at this. She rubbed her hands together and took another deep breath. Skylar then placed both her open palms on the wall and cast her spell.
"Phasewalk!"
A incandescent lavender shaded magic circle bloomed on the wall and spun around, immersing the dark room in a cool light. Suddenly, the wall that was before her was no more. She heard the driver exclaim in surprise, but she wasn't going to let him have any leeway. She immediately grabbed for her katana but stopped when she saw the pack. For a split second she contemplated what might be inside before adrenaline kicked in and she just grabbed it and her weapon. The driver let go of the wheel to try and stop her from arming herself but once her hand was back through her magic circle, it shattered and the wall existed again. Skylar slipped her katana over her shoulder and strapped the pack on. That's when the vehicle jarred backwards. All her kidnappers were about to know she was trying to escape and they would know she was a magic user now.

It was time to go.

Skylar raised a hand at the locked door. She began to try to telekinetically pull apart the lock so the door would just open, but it was honestly just taking too long. Skylar braced herself, gathered power, and sent a swath of telekinetic energy careening at the door. It buckled almost immediately. Her quiet prison erupted into sound and life as the door ripped off it's hinges and was sent flying into the car that was following ever so closely behind it...

She could hear the sound of breaking glass and tearing metal over the roar of the winds, but she didn't have time to wonder how many of her captors she'd incapacitated. Skylar sprinted to the edge of the cab and jumped into the open air.
"Ascension of the Goddess!"
Skylar's forward momentum sent her careening forward as the telekinetic field around her body took hold. She swerved hard to the right to avoid the truck she'd damaged and then as high as she could manage. By now, she could hear the sound of the other vehicles coming to a halt to see what happened. She couldn't think about it though. She just had to get away.

Thankfully, they were still in the city. With all the tall buildings around, Skylar was sure she'd be able to lose her captors before long. She rocketed around skyscrapers, dipped under bridges, and zipped down alleys. Anything to get away. But they were persistent. Skylar guessed that once they realized that she could use magic that they were tracking her with it. She whizzed down several more alleys before touching down on the ground and dismissing her spell. She would have to huff it out on foot now. Skylar scanned the area with her  sharp grey eyes. She saw many different kinds of businesses - all annoyingly car related - until her eyes landed on a magic post office with a picture of roadrunner mailman. An idea formed in her head.

Time to call in the calvary.

Five minutes later, a letter was sent via teleportation circle to a certain woman that read as so:

✖"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"✖

"She's around here somewhere, idiot! Look harder!" The order was followed by a muttered affirmance before the sound of shuffling feet echoed through the alleyway. Skylar could hear things being overturned and doors being kicked in. This couldn't go on much longer. The swordswoman had been running for hours now. She was sure that her sister had to be getting here soon, but she couldn't hold out much longer. Skylar had mostly depleted her magic by now. She figured out that this was how they were tracking her, so the less magic she was projecting meant the farther she could run - however since she had less magic - she was getting exhausted. She was filthy from running through these grubby streets and her feet were beginning to hurt. She didn't have time to dwell though.

Skylar was pressed against a wall around the corner from the approaching man. She needed a distraction if she was going to get back out to the street. She looked around quickly. Perhaps she could throw something in the opposite direction? Grey eyes darted back and forth frantically. She couldn't manually pick up anything around her, which was trashcans or bags of anything. She'd make too much noise. She'd have to tap into her already dangerously low reserves. "FIND HER ALREADY!", the same voice from earlier wailed. It scared Skylar into action. She knelt down and grabbed a handful of gravel. She stared at rocks but for a scary moment, they didn't move. Skylar increased her focus and the rocks finally started floating as a magic circle appeared in her palm. She wasted no time chucking the rocks down another alleyway with a forceful push of her magic. The swordswoman ran for dear life. She was just about to round the corner into another alley when her vision suddenly clouded. Her right shin connected something incredibly hard. She went down like the rocks she'd just thrown. Her leg was numb now and her vision was still a bit blurry. I must have less power left than I thought, dammit!

Skylar crawled over to the wall and blinked hard until her gaze was sharp again. She was about to pass out. Now of all times. She tucked her legs in and hugged the wall for dear life. If they didn't come around the corner then they wouldn't find her. Hopefully no one noticed tha-

"It came from down there. Go look!" Skylar's throat tightened as she put her hand on the hilt of her blade. No, not like this. She can't get captured again. She can't die like this! Training kicked in as Skylar began steadying her breathing and blocking the pain in her leg. She had to do this. She had to survive. "There's a faint signal coming from around the corner. Just go look you dimwit!" Skylar bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat. This was it. All or nothing. She tightened the grip on her blade and withdrew it silently. Her runed blade gleamed even though Skylar her was bruised and battered. She took another deep breath as she saw a approaching shadow. It seemed like the man had some sort of pike in his hands. It was aimed level in front of him. That means Skylar would have to come in low to get the jump on him. However, she didn't know if she could manage the movement because of her leg. No matter. She had to try.

Skylar's heart was beating in her ears as the man got closer and closer. With every step he took, her anxiety built. She was acutely aware that she might be hyperventilating, but she blocked that out too. N-No! Can't...lose consciousness...now! Not now! I wont be...an easy target!"

Then it hit her.

This is how Haretsa must have felt. Her little sister - at such a young age too - had been abducted as well. Is this what was running through her mind as well? Did she wonder what they were going to do to her? If she was going to live or die? Skylar twitched before liquid rage filled her body. Fuck the pain, forget the outcome, Skylar was going to win. Her grey eyes hardened to the point of diamonds. She wasn't going to die today! The tip of his pike just appeared over the corner. Skylar slowly stood the best she could with the dangerous edge of her sword ready to slash.

"Wait. There something coming from the north! These readings are off the charts! T-There's one... No, two of them! It must be her, let's go!" The pike disappeared. Skylar's rage only flooded on. No, no, NO! She wasn't going to let them get away, not to hurt anyone else! She rushed around the corner and raised her blade. It was then that two people were walking along the sidewalk at the complete opposite end of the street. Skylar managed to get a good look at one of them and suddenly all the strength left her bones.


It was all she managed to say before her katana slipped from her hands and she fell into a broken and unconscious pile on the ground.

✖"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"✖

Skylar's consciousness was swimming somewhere in the dark. Her eyes weren't open but her ears worked fine. One moment she could hear the roasting sound of flames or the clink of chains, the next she imagined herself at her villa, sipping tea. She continued on like that for what felt like hours, drifting through the avenues of delirium. Until she heard a certain last name.

"Sparrow."

Skylar's grey eyes snapped open. That name... It sounded oddly familiar... And when they said the name "Acnologia", Skylar's brow furrowed. What was this feeling coming over her? She...was remembering something. It was then that Lilith looked over and saw that Skylar was awake. "U-Uhm, hi Mrs. Sky Lady! I know you’re probably confused but my name is Lillith and that-" The little girl paused and pointed off to the side. ”Is my Mommy, who's gonna kick those peoples butts for hurting you!” Skylar stared at the girl for a moment longer before following her line of sight. As soon as her eyes fell upon the scene unfolding in the alley she'd just been in, her lips parted a bit in surprise. Such magical pressure! The old and decrepit buildings were barely holding up to this kind of power. Oh, and the heat...! It was wafting up at the two females even this far away. Skylar could see pieces of trash that were getting set on fire just from the overwhelming temperatures alone. But at the middle of it all was some kind of strange creature. The nature of this magic felt somewhat familiar but Skylar couldn't put her finger on it. Skylar looked back at the little girl. That thing is your mother? Skylar thought to herself. The strawberry-blonde tried sitting up - which was a difficult move - but eventually got it. She was sore all over and she was sure that she looked terrible as well. Whatever was going on, she just needed to stay safe until Haretsa got here-

Skylar's eyes snapped back at the fiery creature in the alleyway.

She just remembered seeing Haretsa before passing out! And this magic power radiating out was just too much like her's. But...w-what the hell was she doing looking like that?! And her magic was so much more pure and radiant now. She'd gotten much more powerful since Skylar had last seen her. The woman gripped her katana which had been comfortably placed next to her. Skylar shakily got onto her hands and knees, her breath ragged the whole time. Lilith looked at her in concern. "You should probably not try and move right now. You look pretty beat up! U-Uhm, no offense..." Skylar looked over at the little girl as she tried to regain her composure. She'd called Haretsa her mother, but Skylar had seen her little sister only a couple months ago and this child had to be around seven or eight years old. Did Haretsa adopt her? Skylar certainly hoped so because she couldn't imagine her sister having....r-relations...

Despite the pain rippling through her body, she managed to give the child a dazzling smile. "If what you're telling me is true, then you're my niece! My name is Skylar Shikon, your Mommy's big sister!" Lilith's eyes sparkled a bit at this new information. "Oh wow! That's great, I always wanted a- h-hey, what are you doing!?" Skylar trying to stand up now but she fell to her knees again. Lilith rushed over and helped her to her feet. Skylar ended up using her katana as a sort of crutch to keep her standing. Lilith stared at Skylar with trepidation. "You really shouldn't be moving right now!" Skylar shook her head as she took a deep breath to steady her heart. Her body was racked with pain but she noticed that for some reason her magic levels were normal again. Her sister must have done something, but she didn't really know what it was. "I...have to...help her..." Lilith looked at her new aunt like she was crazy. "It's only 40 something guys! Mommy will be fine! Besides, you can barely move!" Skylar's grey eyes narrowed a bit as she stared down at the scene below. Her sight darted back and forth as she counted the combatants below. She looked back over at Lilith. "What do you mean? There are only 35 five down there." Lilith looked at Skylar like she was crazy. Again.

"What does that even matter for?! Mommy's got it in the bag! I mean - she better! She promised me sprink-" Lilith was saying before a unknown force wrapped around her all of a sudden and yanked her backwards. Lilith found it strange though, it didn't seem offensive - it was even cushioned - but it had caught her completely by surprise. Then she noticed her aunt's outstretched hand and the scorching spot that she'd just been standing at. She'd saved her in a split second...

Lilith looked back and saw five men approaching them from the adjacent roof, magic staves leveled in their direction. One of them however, Skylar recognized from down below. It was the leader of this unit. He must have broken off from the rest of his platoon so he could claim his prize while Haretsa was distracted in her anger. Lilith looked at Skylar when her aunt set her down next to her side. "How did you know that they...?" She said before she noticed the bright rainbow gleam coming from Skylar's eyes. "Woah, pretty..."

"Ahh, the Dragon's Spirit. It seems your whole family has Dragon Blood in their veins don't they? Your's is the peskiest of all. Your foresight makes you very hard to trap, but it's not impossible!" He chuckled just a bit and some of his men did as well. The fact that they found kidnapping and chasing her halfway across the city funny only annoyed Skylar that much more. "Now, Councilwoman, that was just a warning shot. Resist again and we won't miss" Skylar's eyes tightened a bit. You mean they weren't even trying to hit Skylar? They aimed right at Lilith but referred to her as if she wasn't even in existence!?

THAT was unacceptable.

But through Skylar's anger, something...clicked. Fell into place, if you will. Lilith looked at her aunt with a puzzled expression. "Councilwoman? What's that even mean?" Their pursuers suddenly turned pale as they realized they had just made a mistake. Or, better yet, that they'd been making mistakes this whole time. All of a sudden, Skylar stood up straight. She was breathing evenly and Lilith noticed that she was radiating strength like she'd never seen before. The leader swore under his breath as his men moved back a bit. "Dammit, the memory seal is weakening! Now! Attack, NOW!" The mages fumbled with their staves but hastily brought them to bear before firing bolts of lightning and fire at the two women.

Lilith instinctively put up a shield of sorts as she braced herself for impact. However, she didn't feel any heat of fire or the tingling of electricity. When she opened her eyes again all she could see was bright orange light emanating through her chains. She looked over at her aunt, who was completely unharmed. In fact, all her injuries were gone! And she was releasing magic pressure so strong that it was seemingly on par or even surpassing Haretsa's. The men across the rooftop were struggling to stand at this point as Skylar's magical pressure began cracking the building they were standing on. Lilith was perplexed. Where in the world did all this godly power come from?! How could her aunt - who was struggling to stand just a minute ago - putting out this much energy!? The light finally died off and Lilith noticed that some sort of frontal barrier had blocked the attack from ever hitting the two women.

"Lilith."

The girl looked back at her aunt. "I'm sure you realize by now that these are bad guys. Bad guys that need to be dealt with. Now, any child of Haretsa is going to be a fighter, but I want you to just sit there and let me deal with them. Is that okay, sweetie?" Skylar said as her orange magical aura enlarged, sending her strawberry-blonde hair floating about while she looked back at her niece. Lilith gulped for a second before nodding. "Y-Yes, but what did they do?" Skylar smiled again. But not like before. This smile wasn't to make Lilith feel good. It was a reflection of Skylar's emotions.

And she didn't look too happy this time.

"FIRE, ALL OF IT!" The man cackled suddenly as Skylar took a step forward. Orange magic power rippled from her body as rainbow light leaked from her eyes. "They..." skylar disappeared from the spot as spells smashed into it. She reappeared on the left. "Took my..." They fired again. She vanished again but reappeared in the air right above them. "...FUTURE! NOW I'M TAKING THEIRS!" Skylar was falling down into the fray of five men with her elegant sword already drawn - which she probably unsheathed while she was moving too fast for the untrained eye to see. She touched the ground in the middle of the group as a radiant magic circle appeared in her empty hand. "Sword of the Goddess!" The magic circle pulsed for a half-second before flashing into a orange-hued telekinetic katana that sent a shockwave of magic through the entire area that even Haretsa would feel from below. From there, Skylar became a blur of motion. It was supremely impressive to watch. She flipped backwards, avoiding strikes then rocketed forward, shearing men in half - right through their weapons. Lilith counted. Only 20 seconds had passed and the only man standing was the leader. And standing wasn't exactly the right word.

The enraged woman sat on his chest with both her mystical blades against his throat. He looked up at her with pure fear. What had he done? He'd angered a Goddess! She was bringing down divine punishment on them all! Skylar's power was at it's peak now. Her magic was radiating out as a pillar of bright light and every loose object in a mile radius was floating weirdly in a loose telekinetic field. Good thing these slums were abandoned...

Skylar growled down at the man that had caused her so much torment. "I am Skylar Shikon, former 4th Seat of the Magic Council! I am NOT something you can toy with!" Her rage was making her blind now. A curse for the Shikons. The man only had one chance and he took it. In these close quarters, it was nothing for him to reach up and around Skylar's blades and stamp her forehead with his hand. He quickly moved it to the right and a deep locking sound echoed throughout the area. "Seal! You will obey me you wen-" It was all he managed to say before the recoil from the surprise attack caused Skylar to fly backwards, slicing easily through his throat as she did so. Skylar fell back and writhed on the cement as she felt his seal taking hold again. The telekinesis in the area suddenly stopped and the light radiating from Skylar sucked back into her body like a drain swallowing water. The woman let out a terrifying scream before she fell silent again, smoke wafting up off of her body as she laid across from the dead man.

Skylar's power had been sealed away again.

✖"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"✖

It was gone. Again. She'd tasted her strength, her power, her capability, just for a minute. And now it was sealed - locked away again. She'd lost so much in such a short time. Her family, her power, her memories...

Skylar's eyes snapped open.

She remembered! All of it! She could recalled everything! The man must've not had time to fully afixiate the seal on Skylar. For once, in a very long time, Skylar allowed herself a grain of bright hope to flourish in her spirit. Skylar was pulled from her mental reprieve when she witnessed an amazingly white-coated horse fly past her with a aquamarine laser beam shooting from a rainbow colored horn jutting out it's forehead. Skylar blinked once then closed her eyes again. "I've finally gone insane..."

”Welcome to my imagination! I kinda should have brought us here in the first place….. uhm… s-sorry…. but here we’ll be safe from what Mommy’s about to do!” Skylar sighed audibly in relief. She sat up a bit, wincing from her very real wounds. She stared about in awe - taking in this most peculiar landscape. Skylar should at least be happy that Lilith's imagination looked like this and not like some hellhole. Maybe her little sister wasn't such a bad mother after all...

Speaking of Haretsa, Skylar zero'd in on the screen that showed the real world. The strawberry-blonde could only sit there and gawk at her sister's impressive - terrifying - and awesome display of magic. Yes, little Harety wasn't so little anymore... But what was that strange language she was speaking? She'd definitely heard it before but Skylar couldn't put her finger on it for the life of her. It was certainly something she would look into whenever this all blew over.

”Annnnnnnnnnnnd THAT is why I took us into my imagination…. Mommy’s scary when she’s angry…” Skylar nodded. "You can say that again, sweetie." Lilith nodded. ”Annnnnnnnnnnnd THAT is why I took us into my imagination…. Mommy’s scary when she’s angry…” Skylar's face went blank for a moment as she sighed in amusement. "I didn't mean that literally..." Once things had calmed down in reality, Lilith picked up her aunt and took her back through another portal. Skylar couldn't help but think how humiliating it was for her not even ten year old niece to have to carry her because of her own foolishness. When the pair touched down in the real world, they witnessed Haretsa standing in the middle of a ashen crater with smoke wafting around her in a dramatic fashion.

Apparently she registered the duo's return because she turned on her heel and rocketed up at them with a burst of magic. As she did, Skylar watched as the crazy magical aura Haretsa was throwing out dissipated as she landed by them and ran over. Before long, Haretsa was in Skylar's arms - bawling her eyes out as her sister rubbed her back. "It's okay, sis. You don't have to cry! And as for this...transformation? Couldn't it have been a little...cuter? You look like a chameleon!" This earned a giggle from Lilith, but Skylar only did it to calm her sister down a bit. It was more than likely that the men from before had backup coming and Skylar was sure a detachment from the local Rune Knight division was going to be on its way as well. Skylar - former Councilwoman or not - did not want to be there when either party arrived. "We have to get moving soon. We aren't going to be alone for long."

✖"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"✖

"Look, all I know is that you need a devastating amount of lotion to heal up that dark crackled skin! No sister of mine is going to walk around her like a forgotten salamander on my watch! Ohhhhh, and don't even get me started on your hair! I disappear for a bit and you completely let yourself go! Oh no ma'am!" Skylar was kidding, of course...or not. But she was using her humor and nagging to mask the intense pain she was feeling. It wasn't a sort of physical pain but more of a mental one. After all, that was where her power originates. And it had been severed. Again.

Skylar was glad her sister was clutching her like she was because Skylar had tried sitting up on her own and it was like her body wouldn't even listen to her commands. The strawberry-blonde was just about to ask her sister to help her to feet when she heard an oddly familiar voice. It tickled at the back of her mind, jogging her memory.

Emilia. Emilia...Hawke. Skylar blinked at the woman in surprise. She hadn't seen her old subordinate in a long time but she couldn't believe how much the girl had changed! For starters, she'd definitely gained certain assets since they'd last seen one another. Secondly though, Emilia was radiating power. On a scale of pure magical quality, she trumped Haretsa by miles. How had she gotten so strong in such a short time? Or maybe the better question was...

How long had Skylar been gone?

She stayed quiet while Haretsa and Emilia exchanged words but when she heard an absolutely unmistakable voice hauntingly emenated from her little sister's mouth, Skylar's eyes widened as she gasped. She met Haretsa's eyes. They weren't her's but a pair that she hadn't seen in much too long. She took a ragged breath before pulling Reiki into her arms and crushing him in a hug that she probably shouldn't even have been able to make.

✖"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword"✖

As the little group made their way out of the razed ghetto, a pair of blue eyes gazed down at them from miles away. The eyes glanced over at the smoke just billowing into the air and darkened a bit. There was smog perforating this entire city, but this smoke cloud was going to send the ozone back at least a year. The eyes closed as the gigantic cloud of smoke suddenly dispersed in a powerful gust of wind.

"Wasteful."
~~~

Skylar was quiet the whole way to the coffee shop. Mostly because it was exhausting to speak. She could never remember being this tired before. How could anyone stand it? And when the door to the coffee shop finally opened, Skylar's stomach did a flip. She'd forgotten that she hadn't eaten in the past couple of days. Of course that would attribute to her weakness. While the place had it's own little...quaint charm that she was sure her little sister appreciated, Skylar was less than pleased. After all, her own villa was swankier than this. But when the smell of chocolate hit her again, she didn't really care anymore. She just wanted food.

After Emilia helped her into a booth, Skylar sat up a bit. She couldn't help trying to retain what little dignity she had left. It was vexing that a former subordinate had to see her like this. She'd gone from one of the most powerful wizards on the Council to...this. Kidnapped, sealed off. Broken. She knew that Emilia wasn't reveling in seeing Skylar like this, which did help her ego a bit. With her sudden flood of memories, she remembered Emilia much more clearly now. She'd been one of the good ones. Skylar had tried her best to teach the girl, mold her into a respectable Knight. Afterall, most joined the Rune Knights to earn some title or power. Skylar always thought that those things didn't matter to Emilia. She was genuinely happy to see her again.

A little smile blossomed on the woman's lips as she felt her body begin to relax at the activation of Emilia's healing magic. It seemed to just be a low level healing spell, but it intrigued Skylar nonetheless. She didn't remember Emilia having any kind of healing magic at all. Which meant that her pupil had been training in her absence. ”There we go. I’m not the best at it, but it should at least heal a majority of the minor injuries.” Skylar's smile increased a bit. "It's alright dear, I understand. Everything is quite a bit different now it seems... I'm not sure I'm quite used to it myself yet." Even as she spoke, the thoughts just kept surfacing... "I can't quite say that I am either... Hell, I still feel like some of this is all some crazy illusion because of the air outside, but I digress. There's quite a few things I'd like to discuss with you Skylar... one of them being about Haretsa. You do know what happened to her when she was taken away thirteen years ago, right?" Skylar's smile vanished. Even with the healing light surrounding her, thinking about her sister's past made the unsettling feeling come back into her stomach. She shook her head. "I don't fully, no. When we first reunited, all she mentioned was 'those bastards' and 'the bad people.' She never went into further detail about any of it." Just from the way that Emilia sighed and adjusted her seat told Skylar that the story she was about to hear was not going to be pleasant.

...

As the tale ran its course Skylar showed no emotion. Her face was as frozen as her last name. It wasn't until near the end when Skylar looked over at Haretsa and Lilith did she smile for just a second. When the story was done, the strawberry-blonde reached across the table and took Emilia's hand gently. "Thank you for being there for her when I couldn't." She gave her hand a bit of a squeeze before she laid back against the booth. So the same people that had taken Skylar were the ones that took Haretsa... and did those things to her. Skylar lifted her head up a bit and pursed her lips as she tried to contain her anger. It wasn't rational right now. She had no power...

Skylar's hand instinctively went for her sword.

She gripped the guard with one hand and the hilt with the other. She held it up in front of her face as she slid it open slowly. Her injured reflection stared back at her in the blade's metal. "I swear by this blade, I will annihilate anyone who hurts my family ever again." Skylar looked over at Emilia. "All of my family." She was her sister too.

When Lilith and Haretsa returned with a modest supply of cookies and drinks, Skylar let Haretsa sit before motioning for Lilith to wait. The girl looked at her with a confused face. "Did I do something wrong?" Skylar shook her head. She raised a hand and wrote some kind of rune into the air. In a little burst of light, a credit card appeared out of thin air. Skylar handed the child the card. "I want you to go back up there and buy every piece of chocolate and every cookie that they have." Lilith's eyes glittered but she was still rational. "B-But that's super expensive!!", she yelped. Skylar smiled warmly at her new niece. "While your mother is very good at fighting, your aunt is even better at making money. Now go clear them out!" Lilith disappeared and reappeared on top of the counter with happiness pretty much leaking from her face.

Skylar smiled before looking at Haretsa and Emilia's shocked face which caused her to blush a bit. "W-What?! I just didn't want her to hear our heavy discussion that's all!" It was that moment that Skylar's stomach began to rumble with enough force to shake the table. Her blush increased. "C-Call Reiki, Haretsa! I...w-want to know what happened to him as well!", she said, desperate to change the subject.