Mercury softly picked a bouncy melody on her guitar, bobbing her head and smiling with her sisters. Jupiter kicked in with light tapping and slapping on her cajón, a box drum that she sat on while she played it. Neptune then came in, playing on her piano, layering a melody in with Mercury’s. For a while, the three girls stuck with just instruments, playing off of each other, changing things up, improvising, and moving through a story without words. They were smiling, bobbing their heads, tapping their toes, sharing looks that meant more than words could ever say, that no one but they would ever understand.
There was hope and light, joy and just plain fun in their song, and soon Neptune took over the melody on the piano while Mercury strummed chords, fast and light. Her steady rhythm helped free up Jupiter to do put in more ambitious, intricate fills and patterns, adding a whole new percussive world to the song they were putting together.
The library’s fun. But I’m glad Selphine has nice places like this where we don’t have to be so quiet.
When Mercury had found the fountain garden, an outer place with splashing water, beautiful flowers, and birds singing in the trees, she couldn’t help but pull her sisters along with her. And then the jam session had begun.
Now Jupiter, Neptune, and Mercury were all humming, harmonizing with familiar ease. Jupiter threw in a whistling section, and Mercury laughed, not because it was funny or something to belittle, no, her laugh was one of pure, unbridled joy, of happiness overflowing beyond smiles to noise.
All together, knowing instinctively it was time, the girls started to sing. Mercury formed words, while Neptune and Jupiter hummed underneath her, adding depth to her bright, clear melody:
“A clear and perfect day / I’m glad to see it
I hope you know it’s true
No place to run away / We’re here to step up
And share our light with you
Three more steps along / Giving not taking
It all falls into place
We’ll stand against what’s wrong / That’s why we’re singing
It’s written on our faces”
That last note, drawing out the first syllable of “face” to match the rhyme, before transforming it into a plural, was accompanied by all three instruments building in tension, in excitement, for a brief moment, before exploding with energy and hope. All three sisters sang together, Neptune in the lead at first, her melody deep and full:
“Braver we’ll become for this adventure
Love shines on, the perfect guide
Faith and hope, immeasurable treasures
Love breaks through to the other side”
Jupiter took the lead now, her voice spunky, punchy, a mildly gritty attitude impossible to ignore over Mercury and Neptune’s clear, steady harmonies:
“Hearts as one, a million beats per minute
The steady rhythm keeps us in time
There’s no question that we are gonna win it
Failure never comes to mind”
Finally, Mercury came back into the lead, her bright smile matching her clear, strong voice:
“Hand-in-hand, we’re stronger together
You’ll never have to stand alone
Lifting high this light, it shines forever
Illuminate the way back home”
After that, they worked together to move into the next verse. But Jupiter got a little too ambitious, throwing together a wild fill. Mercury tried to follow and got lost, fingers slipping and playing the totally wrong chord, a discordant, unpleasing key change. Neptune simply sighed, taking her hands off the keys and shaking her head. All three girls looked at each other, Mercury and Jupiter a little sheepish. Then Jupiter grinned, a giggle escaping her lips. Mercury followed suit, and Neptune’s lips quirked up in a small smile. A second later, all three sisters were rolling with laughter.
“Honestly, you two,” Neptune said, shaking her head. “We were onto something special.”
“We’ll just have to keep what we’ve got so far memorized,” Mercury said, grinning. “Can’t make everything come together in one shot, after all.”
Their conversation quieting, they heard giggling, and all three looked up to see…
A little girl.
Her hair was parted to the side, with the left cut super-short, and white, while the longer hair that swept rightward was a shocking pink. Her left eye was blue, while her right eye was green.
And she was cute as a button.
“You’re Caleb’s little friend, right?” Mercury asked.
The girl nodded. “Adelaide,” she said. “But you can call me Addie.”
“That’s a pretty name you’ve got there, Addie,” Jupiter said. “A pretty laugh, too. Were you having fun watching us?”
Addie nodded again. “Tons of fun! You guys are really good. And really funny.”
“See, Neptune?” Jupiter said, grinning. “Nothing to worry about. Someone thought we were funny.”
“Do you like singing, Addie?” Neptune asked.
Yet another nod. “I love it!” Addie said, beaming.
“Then why don’t you join us, little lady?” Mercury asked, scooting aside to make room between her and Neptune on the wall of the fountain. Addie’s eyes lit up, and she raced over to sit between the girls. Mercury started strumming. Jupiter started tapping. Neptune started playing.
All together, the three sisters and their new little friend, started bobbing their heads, tapping their feet.
And then they sang.
——
Olivia sat at the reflecting pool. One foot was bare, the pant leg rolled up to her knee, and that foot rested in the water, finding comfort in the calm, cool moisture. Her right foot was planted on the stones around the pool, her right knee drawn to her chest, her hands clasped around that knee.
It was very quiet. This was a place for reflection, for contemplation, after all.
And Olivia had a lot to think about.
There’s still… so much I don’t remember.
And then there’s…
She reached into her shirt, pulling out a pearly amulet on a milky white chain. A single glittering sapphire was embedded in the amulet’s surface.
She opened the amulet, revealing a picture inside. There she was, perhaps a year or two younger than she was now, and she was…
Smiling.
There’s something you haven’t done in a long time. Not since…
Olivia shuddered.
She stared at the other people in the photo. A mother, a father, a brother. All had the same dark hair color as her, though her mother and brother had striking blue eyes, compared to her father and her with their dark eyes.
It was a beautiful picture.
And yet…
I don’t really remember them.
I can tell who they are. Their relationship to me, even their names, come to mind right away. Even little notes about their personalities, their likes and dislikes…
But…
Those aren’t memories. Just facts. Information without emotion, without context, without…
If that was all she had to worry about, that might be fine.
But…
If Lairah is to be believed — and I have no reason to doubt her — then Sonya was imprisoned, brought there by me, at least fifty human years ago. Before then, I’d been the Sealed Vessel for quite some time, too.
Fifty years…
Probably much more…
My parents, my brother…
They must all be dead. Or at least old, incredibly old, and…
Bereft of me. Not knowing what happened to me. And if I were to return to them now, after all this time, when I still can’t truly remember them…
Olivia snapped the amulet shut and tucked it back into her shirt. She stared at her ungloved hand, and then slowly rolled up the sleeve, just a few inches.
A knotted scar started an inch away from her wrist, spiraling up her right forearm, ending at her elbow.
It wasn’t the only one like it. When she’d finally had a chance to be alone since being rescued by Fae, she’d looked over her whole body, felt over every scar and mark she could find.
Nothing hurt. She was in prime physical condition — healthy, flexible, strong.
But scars told a story. And she couldn’t remember what that story was.
She reached up, pulling up her hood. She didn’t pull it down so low it hid her face, but there was something comforting in having the hood over her head. Such a simple act, yet to her, it felt like putting on armor.
Footsteps sounded, and Olivia’s heart skipped a beat.
She wasn’t alone. She wanted to be alone. If it was someone else, as long as it was Fae… but if it wasn’t Fae, then…
“Hello.”
The pleasant, sweet voice didn’t belong to Fae. It belonged to the silver-eyed girl who stopped next to Olivia, looking down at her. The girl’s hands were clasped behind her back, and she had a mixture of elegant poise and quaint innocence.
Ingrid. She’s Mister Midnight’s assistant.
Despite her difficulty at remembering things before Fae rescued her, Olivia found her memory to otherwise be incredibly sharp. Whenever she heard someone’s name, she paired it with their face and memorized it instantly, even with the surprisingly large group here at Eventide Archive.
So if my memory’s so good, then why…?
“May I sit with you?” Ingrid asked.
Olivia realized she hadn’t responded to the girl’s greeting. Though her time with Fae so far had helped a bit, she still felt…
Jittery? Nervous? Those weren’t quite the right words.
Frightened.
I’m frightened of other people.
Slowly, Olivia nodded. She wanted to be alone, but she also didn’t want to be rude. And she didn’t think Ingrid was someone she’d ever have real reason to be frightened of.
Ingrid sat, carefully adjusting her dress beneath her legs. For a long time, she stared into the water. Watching her like this, Olivia saw that there was a great deal of pain in the girl’s silver eyes, concealed so well by her kind, courteous demeanor.
“You looked lonely,” Ingrid said after a while. She still stared into the water. “I… I heard your story, and saw that you were uncomfortable with it being told. I can’t blame you. All these strangers learning what you’ve been through must be frightening. But I… your story resonated with me.”
“What?” Olivia asked.
Ingrid suddenly looked up, waving her hands, appearing flustered. “I’m sorry, I just —!” she started, but then shook her head. “Please, um, if you don’t mind… let me explain.” She looked at Olivia hopefully, as if she’d really requested, and wouldn’t explain anything at all unless Olivia consented to it.
Slowly, Olivia nodded.
Ingrid smiled. “You see, I… for a long time, I thought my parents were different people entirely,” she said. “I thought they were these people, these… well, honestly, not very good people. But they were all I had, and I… wanted to make them proud. I worked for Mister Midnight for a long time, but I knew that I… I didn’t remember everything. Not truly, not properly, not completely. There were a lot of gaps in my memory, and one gigantic hole in my childhood.”
Olivia stared at Ingrid, transfixed.
You… don’t remember, either?
“Mister Midnight has a power,” Ingrid continued. “I don’t entirely understand how it works, it’s not a magic I’ve seen or heard of elsewhere. But he’s able to see other people’s memories, even those that they can’t remember themselves. It turned out I had… ‘locked,’ I think is the word he used. I had locked memories away. And he kept them from me, to protect me, but then he had a change of heart. I think Caleb had a bit to do with that. So Mister Midnight didn’t just look at my memories, he unlocked them. He let me remember all I’d forgotten. And it was… horrific.” Ingrid bowed her head, staring deeply into the waters. “I was captured, along with my entire family. We were experimented on, the Radiant King looking to transform us into Eternals. In the end… I was the only one who survived. My parents, my siblings, they all died. And now I… I’m Human. But it feels strange to say that, because… I’ll live forever, ageless.”
Olivia looked away, out across the reflecting pool at the flowers on the far side.
She didn’t remember what happened to her.
And when she did…
Olivia shuddered. What kinds of terrifying things lay in wait in her memories? What had happened to —
And then there was Wasuryu. Being taken against her will, for someone else’s aims…
Could this girl, who showed up out of the blue, really be so similar to me?
“I think Mister Midnight could help you regain your memories, if you asked him,” Ingrid said. “But… I can understand if you don’t want to. And that’s not really why I came out here. I mean, I think it’s good for you to know that his power is available. But…” She looked up, staring at Olivia seriously. “I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you had a friend.”
Olivia blinked, stunned into silence.
You were…
...worried about a stranger? About me?
“I have a power, too,” Ingrid said, holding out her hands, palms upturned. “I’m an Empath. It’s a form of Birthright Magic, but along the lines of Time Magic — other people can have it, too, it’s just very rare. When I touch someone, I can feel their emotional state like it’s my own. Not just what’s on the surface, but even the unconscious feelings you’re dealing with. I’m not saying you have to do anything. But I wanted you to know that… if you’re willing… I can share the burden with you.”
Olivia still couldn’t speak. Her gaze turned down to the small hands the girl held out to her.
Share the burden?
You would…
...for me…?
“Why?” Olivia asked, only realizing a second later that the words had escaped her lips.
“Because it can help,” Ingrid said. A small, sincere smile was on the girl’s lips. Everything about her was sincere, genuine. “It’s very frightening and challenging to deal with fear, or pain, or sorrow alone. And I know there are other ways to handle these things, but I… I think this is why I have this power. To help people like you. I don’t want you to feel alone.”
Olivia couldn’t take her eyes away from Ingrid’s hands. They were steady, unwavering in their offer.
She knows what she’ll probably feel. I’m a mess. I’m full of so much…
And she’s willing to bear that with me?
But I can’t. I can’t do that to someone.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Ingrid said. “In sharing this with someone, in feeling what they feel, even the hardest, most painful parts… I think there’s a beauty in that. I’ve felt pain, and sorrow, and fear. I still do, sometimes. I’ll never get my family back. But I have a wonderful new family, and wonderful new friends, and… they may not have my gift, but they share in my pain. They help me bear the burden. Loneliness… I think it makes every bit of heartache, of fear, of uncertainty so much worse.”
She’s not going to turn back from this. She’s ready to see it all, to feel it all.
And I…
I don’t want…
Before she knew it, Olivia’s body was moving past her mind’s conflict. She held Ingrid’s hands. They were soft, and warm, with a gentle, soothing touch.
Ingrid gasped, a light but sharp sound, and Olivia almost pulled her hands back. But when she looked into Ingrid’s eyes…
There was pain there, pain that ran tremendously deep.
But there was determination, too. She wasn’t going to run away from this. It wasn’t her pain, it wasn’t her fear, her sorrow, her guilt, her anxiety that she was feeling.
But she was determined to share the weight.
“It must be…” Ingrid started, and her voice wavered. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” She gripped Olivia’s hands tight, but it wasn’t a painful touch. It was a young girl giving all the strength she had into sharing Olivia’s turmoil. “Please. Know you’re not alone. Whatever memories are waiting to be uncovered… whatever new world waits for you back home… you don’t have to be afraid.” A small smile ghosted on her lips. “And you have Fae. You have new friends. You’re not as alone as I thought. I’m so glad.”
Ingrid wept, and Olivia, seeing those tears and feeling acutely what Ingrid was feeling from her, cried along with her.
——
Sonya stood in the bamboo forest. Having wandered through it for a long time, testing her healed feet and new clothes — new shoes especially — she’d found a narrow, winding, hidden stair. It led up to a strange sort of resting place, a small clearing with a stone floor, a wrought-iron bench, a small, gently trickling fountain, and what looked like an unmarked gravestone. Incense burned at the base of the stone, and to either side were flowers, recently picked white irises.
Sonya sat on the bench, taking in the quiet.
She had a great deal on her mind.
The Broken Vessel.
Broken.
That’s all I was. Overflowing with pain, and with…
She raised a hand, staring at her fingertips. A shudder ran through her, a fear.
Nothing happened, nothing leaked out, but…
It did before. Even with Fae ringing the bell and calling out to me, even with all these people coming around me and supporting me…
Even with Collapse destroyed and yielding its power over me…
The strange power still remains.
I lost my Talisman long, long ago. I’m Human, and yet…
There. Sonya flinched as she was her fingertips burst to life with a magenta, flickering fire. It wasn’t fire, but some kind of magical, flaring aura.
Magic. Magic without a Talisman, from a Human.
The magic flared only briefly, then vanished.
It didn’t hurt. It never did.
But it’s still here. Whatever Wasuryu did to me…
Its scars still remain. This terrible power, a power for which I was rightly imprisoned…
It’s still here, in me. Leaking out from me, against my will.
And the only prison that could ever hold me is lost to darkness.
Sonya looked away, through the bamboo in the direction of the main library of Eventide Archive.
She thought of Fae and Olivia.
They look just like me. They wear glasses while I don’t, but…
There’s no mistaking it. It’s more than a resemblance. As far as our faces and voices go, we’re identical.
More questions. She’d spent so long without questions, with just that wild, horrific brokenness.
Now the questions were stacking up at a rate she couldn’t keep up with.
And…
I want to stay close to Fae. I want answers, and being near her, it’s… comforting. Something I haven’t felt in so long.
But…
I don’t want to hurt anyone. Not again.
I…
I should be alone.
Now, while they’re all distracted with each other, focused on resting and preparing…
It’s the perfect time to leave. To go find a place… I think I’ve heard of something. The Final Frontier. And beyond it, the very edge of the universe, the Westward Plains…
They say there’s something beyond even that.
A place where one can be truly, fully alone. Not a danger to anyone.
Footsteps, soft and steady, sounded. Sonya shot to her feet, but…
There was nowhere to go. There were only the stairs from whence she came, and those now bore a newcomer. She could just go crashing through the bamboo, racing through the thickets, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She’d damage the grass, ruin the bamboo. If her powers flared out while she ran, she could destroy this entire place.
So she stood, heart racing, as the most surprising, strikingly beautiful woman she’d ever seen joined her at the shrine. Her skin was like sculpted copper, her hair like woven sapphires, her eyes like diamonds inset with emeralds, and none of that was metaphor. She truly looked formed from precious gems and metals, and Sonya, as she’d been at the meeting table when all had been together, was transfixed.
Mineria smiled, the way she always smiled, closing her eyes as she did so, making her seem so pleasant, so kind, so full of warmth.
She’s so good. I shouldn’t be here. If I were to harm her —
Sonya muttered an apology and started to rush past Mineria, but the woman’s musical voice stopped her.
“Please don’t go,” Mineria said. “I was hoping we could talk.”
Sonya stared at her. “We…?” she started dumbly, too shocked to comprehend. “You wanted… you were looking for me? Specifically?”
Mineria laughed. “Indeed I was,” she said. “May we sit?” She went to the bench and sat, gesturing for Sonya to join her.
I should go.
I should go, and yet…
Sonya came to sit beside her. She found herself staring at Mineria’s feet. While shoes were not allowed in Eventide Archive — even in the bamboo forest, which had impeccably clean paths despite being made of laid, patterned stones — all others had been going around in socks or slippers.
But Mineria’s feet were bare. And Sonya had noticed at her arrival, and overheard conversation suggesting the same, that Mineria hadn’t been wearing shoes. She wasn’t one for footwear at all, it seemed. Her feet were copper, like the rest of her, while her toenails were a thin, translucent gold.
“You’re troubled,” Mineria said.
“I —” Sonya started, shocked at Mineria’s blunt assessment.
Mineria smiled. “I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I?” she asked. “There’s much you aren’t telling in your stories, much you haven’t told even your newest friends. Oh, I’m not here to tell on you or anything.” She waved her hands innocently. “Please excuse me. I tend to speak before thinking of what others might infer in my words. I simply meant, well… I know what you’ve struggled with. What you’re still enduring, though you try to hide it from others.”
“You know…?” Sonya started, not knowing what else to say.
“I worked as a messenger in the Crystal Palace,” Mineria said. “For a time at the end, I was a personal messenger for Princess Titania. It was on one of my trips for her that I encountered you. You won’t remember, of course, but I saw what you were facing. What frightening power you wielded, against your own control. I don’t know if you remember everything from your time as the Broken Vessel, but —”
“Where?” Sonya asked, leaning forward, eyes wide. “Where were you? Which was it?”
Mineria’s eyes were sorrowful. “Titan’s Hall,” she said. “The great city on the —”
“I know,” Sonya said, looking away to stare at her feet. Her heart was clenched with grief. “I… remember everything. All that I did. All that I destroyed. All those I… killed. I had no control, but I remember it all as clearly as anything.”
To Sonya’s shock, Mineria placed a hand on hers. Her coppery skin was warm, like she’d been bathed in sunlight. “You mustn’t blame yourself,” Mineria said gently. “You were horrifically violated by that monstrous Dragon. He did this to you.”
“But I… I still have this power,” Sonya said. “I don’t understand it. How did it come from him? It’s not his, it’s not a Dragon’s power. It’s… my power. And I hate it. I wish to be rid of it, but even with healing, even with hope from Fae, even though I can honestly say I’m no longer the Broken Vessel... “ She shook her head, gritted her teeth, swallowed tears that threatened to spill out. “I have powers I shouldn’t have. Destructive capabilities that make me a danger to all those around me.”
“And yet we’ve all been safe,” Mineria said. “You even were able to sleep last night, to rest properly. Your power didn’t escape you. You didn’t hurt anyone, and you’ve been here for a while now. Your power is destructive, and you don’t fully understand it. But the only way it ever harms another again is if you fear it.”
“You think I can control it?” Sonya asked. “Just by being… unafraid of it?”
“I do,” Mineria said. “Fear has a hold on your heart. And it’s more dangerous than any power you possess, more destructive than any weapon in the universe. Banish your fear, Sonya. Because you spoke rightly.” She took both of Sonya’s hands in hers. “This power is yours. How it came to be, why it came out of your trauma and pain, we may never know. But where it came from, what it’s been used for… that can be the past, and remain in the past. I think you already have evidence that your power has changed since then.”
She speaks so sincerely, so kindly, so hopefully.
Hope…
That’s what Fae offered me, what the bell showed to me, what I clung to in my escape from that prison, from the encroaching darkness.
I’ve had nothing but fear for so long.
What would happen if I let it go? If I banished it, as she says?
“You aren’t alone,” Mineria said, smiling. “That is a strength, not something to fear. Your friends can help you. And I think they will even if you don’t ask for help. If you ran from them or sought solitude, they would pursue you, I’m sure of it.”
Sonya stared at Mineria. “Am I… that easy to read?”
Mineria laughed, a musical laugh that brought sudden warmth to Sonya’s heart. “I have seen others like you, Sonya. And I have been much like you, a very long time ago.”
Sonya blinked, stammered, fumbled for words for a moment, then stopped trying to speak.
You were like me? And now you’re…
You’re so joyful, and kind.
“I’m sure our paths will part before long,” Mineria said. “But I hope you won’t lose heart. You have wonderful new friends. They won’t let you down.”
Sonya couldn’t bring herself to smile. She couldn’t bring herself to give any kind of declaration or sign of agreement, couldn’t buy in wholly to what Mineria was saying.
But…
There it was again.
Hope.
And though her fear still remained, Sonya knew she didn’t want to know a life without hope ever again.