“Hey Yana, did you hear the news?”

  As she was waist deep inside a metal panel, prodding the circuits and wires with her wand, an irritating gnat buzzed around behind her back.

  She cut one of the wires, causing several of the flickering lights to suddenly shift to a steady bright red hue and dye her silver eyes blood-red, before she turned around to glower at the idiot.

  “‘Yana’ is a touch busy here, darling. If you’re bored, why not go slice another guard or two apart? That sickle I lent you shouldn’t dull no matter how much kevlar it carves through.”

  “Thought you told me we’re s’posed to keep a low profile til the Whispers show up… Are you sure they’ll head this way when the fireworks go off?”

  “Sure as the sun rises in the East. They just need the right bait, which is what I’m trying to set up here, while fending off your incessant prattling.”

  Tatyana stuffed her head back into the panel, a small red laser firing from the tip of her wand and etching a complex arcane formula onto the circuit board.

  “If you say so… Anyways, apparently the Exaltare has a child. Like, a flesh and blood daughter! She’s pretty cute too, but uh… Don’t tell the Speaker I said that. Anyways, she’s only about forty-six, and her birthday is right in the middle of Moonsend! People are saying she’s gonna be the second coming of Lilith or something crazy like that, but they’re probably just reading too far into things, hahaha. Personally, I think—”

  “I require silence while working, you muscle-brain. How thick is your skull that you did not pick up on that? Unless you wish to randomly explode alongside this entire facility, you’ll leave me to my work. I’m dealing with some particularly volatile runes.”

  Ugh, vampires, I swear.

  It was a lie, but he was a simple enough fool to both believe her and let her insult slide, if it was such a supposedly dangerous thing she was handling.

  Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t focusing, overlaying already-established technology with extra magic circles and diverting the stream of mana without causing an array failure was a nigh-impossible art. Certainly nobody in the world—aside from Tatyana—could manage such a feat.

  Perhaps the Exaltare could, if she dedicated herself to it, but she was far too busy for such deliberate, slow work.

  “Exaltare, hmm…”

  Tatyana at least understood why the loudmouth was so excited. If what he was saying was actually true, the Exaltare had just accomplished something that—even by Her calculations—was completely, utterly impossible.

  As she whiled away at rewiring the aethermic engine’s array, a nagging thought crept into the back of the Witch’s mind.

  … …Mid-forties, born on New Year’s Eve…?

  For a moment, Tatyana felt as though someone had stepped over her grave.

  ＊　＊　＊

  For the second time in two days, Lycoris found herself waking late in the morning, rubbing her eyes blearily as she felt Athena hovering awkwardly near the door. Slowly pulling herself up, she looked at the clock beside her bed.

  “Mm…? Gah, it’s already oh nine hundred!?”

  “Our little flower appears to be making the fullest of her birthday triune, hmhmhm~”

  “M-Mama!?”

  She nearly jumped out of bed when she realized it was Lilianna standing there, rather than Athena. But rather than one of her usual flowing multi-piece dresses, she was wearing… gym clothes.

  And her wings were fluttering with what Lycoris could only describe as a hint of excitement.

  “Where’s Athena? And… you don’t have any meetings today?” Lycoris couldn’t conceal the hopefulness in her voice.

  “Technically, we weren’t supposed to have any yesterday either. Most courtiers are with their families for the holidays, but some were called in for an emergency meeting as the investigators assigned to the Geolle insurrection brought an urgent report.”

  Lycoris stared up at her with a deadpan frown. “So that’s why you were asking me about my…”

  She hesitated, before saying the word on the tip of her tongue.

  Would they really still be her allies? After what she’d done?

  She certainly didn’t want anything to do with Tatyana, other than seeing her ruined, but she never really considered any of them to be her friends. How could she, when she had never truly opened up to any of them?

  I wonder, why was it so much easier to talk to Sera? …Even if I didn’t exactly ‘open up’ and say anything about my past before meeting Mama.

  That would have been a bridge too far. Just because Athena behaved like a particularly full sack of bricks, it didn’t mean it’d be safe for her to simply go around proclaiming to everyone she befriended that she used to be human.

  Especially considering the agenda they were pushing about her being Lilianna’s daughter by birth.

  “Is that Witch really trying to cause civil unrest? Actually, that sounds like the most heroic thing she’s ever done…”

  “Lycoris, this is your empire we speak of as well. And it remains uncertain that there even is any sort of ‘resistance’ at present. Though, that matter hardly concerns you for now, there’s no reason to burden you with our job; if you must know, perhaps we can speak on it later. First, there’s something far more important to take care of!”

  “Is it… a birthday sparring session?”

  Lycoris looked at her gym pants, slowly inching her way out from under the covers.

  “Perhaps later… we’ll have to borrow one of the training halls used by the guards, as well.”

  “I knew they had something like that here! …Ah, *ahem* Why is that, Mother?”

  “Because we have come up with the perfect solution to our poor little daughter’s troubles with flying.”

  “R… Really?”

  Lycoris hopped out of bed and darted forward, arms pressed together in front of her as she looked up at her mom. Perhaps she should’ve expected the Exaltare to have figured out an answer within a single weekend, but the excitement she’d felt two nights prior reignited and mercilessly seared through her morning grogginess.

  Lilianna spread her wings out pointedly, arms folded as she raised her chin with the slightest hint of smug superiority.

  “But of course, dear. Now let us get you changed into your gym clothes. Athena should be putting the finishing touches up as we speak…”

  ＊　＊　＊

  “…”

  Lycoris stared, nonplussed by the transformation the private training hall had undergone.

  What had once been a spacious, ceramic-tiled room filled with training dummies, now had dozens of mattresses lined up along the floors and walls, with pillows filling the gaps in the plush, padded chamber.

  It was enough bedding for an entire village—perhaps a smaller scale city, even—but it’d all been dragged up for such a trivial reason.

  Athena stood in the center with her hands on her hips, beaming proudly as the two of them entered and Lycoris began casting her gaze around.

  Even the ceilings had been padded, though Lycoris wasn’t sure how exactly they’d been fixed in place; probably frivolous and wasteful applications of magic. Fortunately the chamber was spacious enough that it didn’t feel stuffy or claustrophobic even with all the additional cushioning.

  “I had to stay up all night, but it’s done, Your Majesty!”

  “Good work, you may take your leave and rest now.”

  “I… W-W-Was I just praised by Her Majesty!? I… I could never!”

  The maid immediately flopped forward, stress-testing the padded chamber as she slammed head-first into the floor and kowtowed before the royal duo.

  “B-B-But also, I wouldn’t wish to miss Her Highness’ training for the world!”

  “…Then if Lycoris finds it acceptable to have an audience, we shall grant you this privilege.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one ordering her around…? Oh well, it’s not like I disagree…”

  Lycoris stepped forward and crouched down before Athena, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a soft pat, glancing over her own at her mom.

  “Thanks for setting all this up… But, um… How is this supposed to help with my fear of heights, exactly…?”

  “Because there is no need to fear injury from falling or flying too quickly. Though, we do need to put some finishing touches on, as if you’re anything like us—which we know to be perfectly so—your top speed would be enough to simply tear through the wall regardless…”

  A pang of concern settled into Lycoris’ chest as she envisioned herself crashing headfirst through a wall, but quickly shook the thought off as her mother began weaving a sigil before her with her fingers.

  “The soil gives way beneath thee — From starry sky to distant horizon — We lay thy weary head to rest — Thy walls shall be as a dragon’s hide — Dampen | Solidify | Disperse — The Earth kneels to my command,”

  A ripple of power spread from Lilianna’s outstretched hand as she finished her incantation, spreading out and soaking into the padding and walls of the room as her will imposed itself upon reality.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Every time Lycoris saw someone do proper magic, whether it was her mother, a court wizard, or even… that other woman, she was impressed at how effortless they made… well… literal magic look.

  She felt its effects immediately, as the mattress beneath her feet became springier.

  “There, now nothing shall harm our precious little flower. Shall we begin your lessons?”

  “Um… Sure, okay.”

  She couldn’t completely shake her nerves, but the sight of Athena awkwardly bouncing her way toward the edge of the room brought a wry smile to her face in spite of them.

  With a steadying breath, she flexed and unfurled her wings once more, the process far easier now that she’d already understood how it felt and what to do.

  Immediately, she began doing some warm-up stretches… though she wasn’t sure how exactly to stretch her wings, since they hadn’t seen any practical use before.

  “To start with, we shall merely carry you in our arms as we fly around, to give you an idea of how to fly.”

  “A-Alright.”

  As Lilianna picked her up, Lycoris’ arms and legs began trembling nervously.

  She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe slowly and mindfully.

  It’s okay, Lycoris. There’s nothing to worry about, Mama made it so we can’t get hurt here, nothing’s going to happen. She wouldn’t even drop us in the first place! Just… calm down. It’ll be okay…

  She reflexively opened her eyes again the moment she felt her mom take off, a sense of weightlessness overtaking her as she felt her back press against her mother, the Exaltare’s arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

  “O-Ooooohh…??”

  Lilianna specifically avoided any dramatic maneuvers like she’d showed off the other night, simply flying around in slow, steady laps. She even made a point to stay relatively close to the floor, no doubt for Lycoris’ sake.

  It was still a little uncomfortable. Lycoris did not enjoy the lack of control she felt.

  But it was also… a little thrilling.

  Her sense of excitement gradually began winning out, her… instinct urging her to flap her wings, albeit somewhat hastily and awkwardly.

  “See, dear? Isn’t it exhilarating?”

  “It’s… definitely just as fun as it looked, but…”

  “Hmhm, you’ll feel better once you have more confidence in yourself. First, steady your wings, hold them out and let them catch the wind beneath. If you try flapping them randomly, you’ll tumble and roll.”

  She couldn’t fully chase away the sense of dizziness assailing her, but Lilianna’s instructions gave her something else to focus on.

  Lycoris forced herself to relax her wings, gradually stretching them out to their full width.

  “Good. Next, try flapping both as one. Just a single smooth motion. From there, try repeating it every time we do. Follow along with our rise and fall through the air.”

  “Mm.”

  Lycoris nodded, doing exactly as her mother instructed. Her motions started out awkwardly, but it reminded her of when she first learned to swim, almost.

  And if there was ever somewhere that she felt most comfortable, it was practicing and flexing her muscles. It didn’t even have the disadvantage of being highly conceptual and insubstantial like magic, even.

  Though after she grew accustomed to flapping her wings properly, the next step involved… a somewhat troubling wrinkle.

  “W-Wait, don’t let go!”

  “Dear, we’ve padded the room. To say nothing of the fact that we’re right here. Unless you think you can fall faster than we can fly?”

  “N-No, but…”

  “You’ve followed our instructions flawlessly so far. Have greater confidence in yourself, as we’re sure you do not believe our confidence to be misplaced, no?”

  “That’s… true.”

  “Then, on the count of three. One—”

  “W-Wait a sec!”

  Lycoris wiggled about in her mother’s grasp, though obviously if she slipped out it’d be the same end result as if Lilianna let go…

  “Two—”

  “Hang on, I’m not ready!”

  She kicked her legs about and reached for her chest with her hands, but the locket wasn’t there. Naturally, she had left him in Athena’s care to avoid any risk of incidental flying projectile.

  “Three!”

  “Eeeek!!”

  Lycoris shrieked as her mother let go, immediately loosing her like a 30kg cannonball.

  She immediately began tilting forward as gravity reached its merciless hands up at her, all the earlier comfort and practice abandoning her at the most critical moment.

  The room began spinning as she reflexively tucked her arms and legs inward, curling up defensively around herself as she accelerated toward the padded floor.

  But before she could even test the springiness of the training hall’s added padding, she felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her, slowing her descent as her mother caught her and touched down.

  “Aaah… Mmh… I-I…”

  “Shhh. Did we not promise that we would catch you? …Nobody succeeds on their first attempt. Or perhaps we should say, it is better to stumble while practicing, as failure’s a far better teacher than success.”

  Lycoris certainly didn’t need her to explain that. Getting hit with a training sword hurt, but it was better than losing an arm on the battlefield because of a lack of awareness.

  Thinking about this padded training space in that manner, Lycoris gradually stilled her quivering hands as she let out a long, steadying sigh.

  “Are… Are we going to go again?”

  “Only if our little flower is to try once more. We’ll give it as many tries as it takes for you to learn to spread your wings on your own.”

  “I suppose it will… only get easier the more I try, right?” Lycoris gave her mother a timid smile.

  “But of course, dear. Now let’s right your posture and give it another go.”

  “Y-Yes Ma’am!”

  ＊　＊　＊

  While Lycoris was in the midst of doing practice laps around the room—her form having improved significantly after several botched attempts—something that none of the three could have expected occurred.

  The doors to the room burst open, along with the clatter of ceramic armor.

  In an instant, both the adults nearby had their weapons at the ready, though Lilianna was naturally quicker, her blade right at the man’s neck… as he prostrated himself on the floor before them.

  “A state of emergency has just been called over in Kranes! Their cloud generator has malfunctioned, and the engines supplying the city’s dawn-walls with power have also broken down! And… Er…”

  “Kranes!?”

  Lycoris cried out as she heard the man—whose voice sounded like Percival’s—shout the news.

  She immediately lost her focus, her wings catching the wind in the wrong way as she immediately began tumbling and crashing into… or rather, bouncing off of the padded floor.

  “Lycoris! Are you alright!?”

  “I-I’m okay!”

  Her mother caught her as she tumbled forward, before she could collide with the guard.

  The man didn’t dare raise his head, his arms trembling as he kept his head pointed straight at the ground. Though… Lycoris wasn’t sure if that was because he was terrified of what he’d stumbled on, or because of the news he had just shared.

  “…That’s where Emma was sent off to…”

  “Emma? Who’s that, dear?”

  “N-Not to interrupt, but I haven’t finished my report, yet.”

  The guard nervously lifted his head just enough to gaze at their feet, and in response Lilianna shot him a contemptuous glare.

  “The only reason your head remains on your shoulders despite your interruption is because it would stain Lycoris’ gym clothing, and the padding we’ve installed. Out with it, quickly.”

  “I was wondering why that was all being hauled in… I mean! Right, Your Majesty! …There was an earthquake reported to the west of town, its epicenter right in the midst of the closest Whisper hive. Preliminary reports say it was likely a heavy payload explosive that did it, as there was nothing in the way of aftershocks, however… It stirred up the hive.”

  Lycoris shivered as she heard the name ‘Whisper.’

  Any Human knew them as the most horrific monsters a vampire could send their way, likened to shambling zombies or ghouls, only far less human; their construction was a blaspheme and their intellect abominable.

  Though, she later learned during her journey that they weren’t actually under the vampires’ control, but remnants from the mistakes of sinners past—an admittedly strong point in favor of the Church’s strict control and abolition of researching ancient ruins.

  Regardless of their origin or nature, they were decidedly unpleasant to fight, and decidedly hard to kill.

  “A bomb… Twice is a clear pattern. This is a rather blatant declaration.”

  Lilianna’s eyes briefly wandered down to her daughter in her arms.

  The girl timidly shrugged in response. She didn’t know of anyone who could have produced an explosion large enough to cause an entire earthquake.

  Her mother didn’t seem keen to press her on it either, as she quickly looked back at the guard.

  “Find Lesath, tell her to mobilize the imperial army and send the emergency response team out to Kranes immediately. You speak with our full authority when delivering this order.”

  Percival jumped up to his feet and offered a crisp winged salute with his hands over his chest. “Yes Ma’am! Are there any other instructions to give?”

  “Our Executioner will know how to proceed.”

  After the guard rushed out of the room, Lycoris peered up at her mom with a curious look.

  “Why not just… message her?”

  “Our ashen maiden has some difficulties accepting technology. She lives as ascetic a life as possible. It makes times like this difficult, but she is our… my most loyal servant on this entire ball of rock.” Her eyes wandered up from Lycoris toward Athena.

  “Sounds like she’d fit right in with the clergy…”

  “The what?”

  “Er, nevermind.”

  That was a topic she desperately wanted to avoid bringing up to her mother. Something gave her the impression that it would lead to a conversation she would regret with every fiber of her soul—or whatever was left of it, at least.

  “I know I only just managed to start flying but, can I head back to my room early? I want to contact Sera and let her know what’s going on.”

  Her mother blinked, and then understanding dawned on her. “Ah! Those must be the two commoners you befriended.”

  “Did you really forget their names already!?”

  “We have many things to deal with, oh sweet little flower. There will come a time when you will have trouble recalling the names of every blade of grass beneath your feet.”

  “…”

  It was a rather tasteless analogy, and she didn’t exactly want to bring up the fact that she already couldn’t remember most of the names of people she’d known in the past. It felt like admitting her mom was right.

  “A-Anyways, can I go? We can practice more later, okay?”

  “We… suppose there are matters we should tend to as well,” Lilianna sighed.

  In spite of their conversation, she hadn’t set her daughter back down yet, instead carrying her as she started out of the room.

  “Wait, where are we going!?”

  “Back to your room, of course. It seems as though things will become quite busy for us, shortly. We wish to spend every last moment possible with our darling Lycoris before then.”

  “Mmgh…”