–Oct. 23, Saturday, The Hub–

  Jack, Jake, Lina, and Luka stood before the healing pod that contained the Terra Radiant's sister. Jack appeared worried as he gazed at his sister. The desire to release her was buried under the fear that Johanna's desire will never return. This was why he asked Lina and Jake to be with him for support. They also acquired a gurney to transport the sleeping girl to the lab

  "Ya being a worrier, Jack." Lina spoke up. "It's been long enough and now we have to see the result."

  "I know."

  "Then let's sate our curiosity and open that pod, Luka!"

  "It's Jack's choice." reminded the physician.

  Lina yawned. "Mhm, just speaking for him."

  The fire warrior nodded. "You can't keep her sealed forever. It's best to know now and decide from there."

  The terra warrior nodded. "Ja."

  "Aye." responded the flora warrior. "So…?"

  Jack exhaled softly and turned to Luka. He nodded to her, prompting her to do the same, then waved her hand on the surface of the pod. A pane slid open,l revealing buttons inscribed with foreign letters. She pressed a few, then closed the panel. She stepped back as the edges of the pod glowed softly before a hiss of air escaped. As the last of it escaped, the front of the pod raised up from the bottom.

  Once the pod fully opened, the sleeping woman was exposed to the all. Luka approached the sleeping woman with the gurney and gently transferred the girl, clothed in a gray bodysuit, on it. She pulled out a tablet device and scanned the woman.

  "Based on past data, I requested an updated scanner. After recent events, I want to be very thorough with my patients."

  Jack's eyes narrowed. "Meaning."

  "I'm scanning her mana to make sure it's at favorable levels." She nodded. "Abnormal status… negative." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's take her to the lab."

  "And if her mana wasn't stable?" wondered the flora warrior.

  "We'd transport the patient for further analysis." She smiled warmly. "For now we'll transport her to keep her comfortable until she regains consciousness."

  A soft moan was heard, causing everyone to stare at the stirring woman. The older Vincent's head shifted slightly before her eyes fluttered open. She weakly gazed at the group before her attention landed on Jack. To their surprise, she smiled faintly. She weakly reached for him.

  "Ja..ck."

  He grasped her hand. "Ana."

  Jake leaned in to Lina. "Nickname?"

  "Aye."

  The woman weakly spoke to Jack in her native language before exhaustion overcame her and she drifted back to sleep. Jack had a panicked expression as he turned to the physician..

  "Many experience this after exiting the pod. Even the strongest will feel unfocused, no matter how much bravado they have. Come."

  Luka pushed the gurney out of the room.

  "What did she say?" asked the fire warrior.

  The terra warrior faced him, a small smile on his face. "I can feel." Then without another word, he followed the physician

  The flora warrior smiled brightly. "Ah, braw!"

  "Yeah… braw means good, right?"

  "Aye." Lina approached the door. "Today's already fascinating."

  An hour had passed since Johanna was removed from the pod. Jack sat on a chair while Luka worked at her desk. The stoic youth found himself occasionally tapping his foot nervously, only to force himself to stop. He heard her say it clearly, groggily, 'I can feel.' He didn't fool himself into thinking it, he knew he wasn't. Being the only one near her didn't mean he had imagined it. Right?

  There was also the chance she had merely reacted to his touch. He shook his head. There was no point in wallowing in doubt. He had enough doubt and ache in his life. Though, he wasn't naive enough to think this would solve all his problems. Not every problem, just some. Their… parents… never contacted the institution Johanna was supposedly in. He knew that woman pursued a different avenue while that man focused on his new family and paid for his online academia. That was better than attending the same institution or attending the same district as that man's family.

  All he needed was right here… with them.

  Jack smirked. "Them." He whispered. He understood the meaning. He didn't always participate in the activities they hosted, but he was warming up to them. They were a good group. Even if he didn't fully believe in destiny or how the crystals functioned, he appreciated having met them.

  A soft moan broke through his thoughts, making him look toward the woman's sleeping form. Johanna slowly opened her eyes. She blinked twice before locking onto him. Slowly she sat up, the action catching the aviana's attention. Luka spun around while shifting her appearance to a blonde-haired woman, precaution to put Johanna at ease and in case she didn't retain her memories.

  "Jack," She spoke, her eyes widening as she took in the room. "Ah…" She turned toward Luka. "Hmm?" She perked up, remembering the doctor. "Lu…ka?"

  "Yes." She nodded.

  The girl smiled, then spoke. "Aviana."

  The physician chuckled before reverting to her normal form. "You remember."

  "Ja." She nodded, before turning to Jack. "Hello, my brother."

  "Johanna." Jack clenched his fist, his eyebrows furrowed. "Can you feel? Do you have desires? What about dreams?"

  The girl blinked, before gasping. Her hand shot to her mouth before looking down at her wrist. Tears welled up as another revelation rose up. "Ja… I can! But…" She covered her face. "Entschuldigung, Jack, Luka. I tried to… to."

  "It's fine!" Jack shouted, then grabbed her in an embrace. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you are here, alive and you actually have the desire to live."

  Johanna continued crying. "Danke… but."

  "Please." the terra warrior started tearing up. "Don't spiral. Please."

  Luka turned around and moved to a different area of the lab to give them space. She continued to cry while the boy hugged her tight, remembering this was real. They remained in that position for five minutes before releasing each other. Johanna wiped the tears from her face.

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  "How long?"

  "It's October."

  She gasped. "That long? Oh no!"

  "What?!"

  She furrowed her brows. "I missed the Hamster Wheel tour."

  The boy groaned. "Yeah, they finished today."

  The older woman smiled sheepishly. "I do enjoy their music." She suddenly straightened up. "Wait, what about the Masked Piper? Did you stop him?"

  "Ja." He nodded. "We stopped him. He's gone."

  She frowned. "You had to kill him… correct?"

  "No… he died a different way." The boy crossed his arms. "It's a long story. The others were involved too."

  "Lina and Blair helped you?"

  "No, Blair was in a different situation. More Radiant were chosen."

  She smiled brightly. "Wunderbar, Jack. I'm happy you made more friends."

  "More like teammates."

  She sighed, pouting at him. "Don't build yourself a wall, my little brother."

  "Ja." He sighed. "They're nice. They might be outside right now… and there are more Guardian members than Luka, Selen-ja and Jin."

  "Oh, maybe I can meet them now."

  "I would prefer you to rest." Luka spoke up from across the room. "Visitors should be limited to three at a time."

  Jack nodded. "Lina, Blair and… Jake if they are available. If not, the others can come."

  The bird woman nodded and left the room.

  Johanna turned to her brother. "And what about… our parents? I know they believed I needed to move on from my 'depression'.

  "They believe you are in an institution somewhere. They never visited." He scoffed. "We do have a plan for that scenario, but we never used it."

  "Hmm." She sighed, disappointment shown on her face. "To think I looked up to them." She closed her eyes. "I need to work hard on pursuing a job." She perked up. "And school?"

  "Online," The terra warrior shrugged. "He and I have an agreement. It's better that way."

  The older sister shook her head. "That man."

  "What's done is done." The terra warrior crossed his arms. "It would be pointless to try and rebuild a relationship with them."

  "If they felt the same about me, I already made up my mind. I'm done with them."

  "Hm." He nodded, "We both arrived at the same conclusion."

  "Johanna!"

  Lina and Jake approached them, the plant warrior beaming with excitement.

  "Lina." The older sibling happily responded as the flora warrior rushed forward and embraced the older woman. "You're doing well."

  "Aye." Lina looked Johanna in the eyes. Her smile widened. "Yer lookin' more lively, none of that dead-eyed stare."

  Johanna nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Jake. "Are you one of the Radiant?"

  "Yes, ma'am. I'm Jake Ishida, the Fire Radiant."

  The older sister shook her head. "You're polite, but please don't call me ma'am or frau or miss. You can call me Johanna. I won't mind."

  The boy nodded. "Alright. Johanna."

  "Good, I assume you have tales of your adventures, right?."

  "Do you really want to hear them?" the terra warrior raised an eyebrow.

  "I do. Especially how you stopped the Masked Piper. I'll be here for a time until Luka lets me leave."

  The flora warrior turned to the fire warrior. "You start."

  "Me?"

  "Aye. Your adventures lead to ours."

  The boy scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don't want to make it too long. I met Pilot after I moved to Parkerville…"

  -An hour later-

  Jake and Lina said their goodbyes as they left the lab. Leaving the two alone. Johanna exhaled softly, turning to the boy. "Three villains... and you may encounter more in Galvania. I thought the Masked Piper was awful, but the others are not as sympathetic."

  The terra warrior closed his eyes. "Ja, he may have suffered tragedy, but his grief consumed him." He slightly opened them. "I doubt his wife would want to be revived after learning of his actions."

  She nodded. "Did you fear you wouldn't escape the mirror world?"

  Jack frowned. "Yes." He lowered his head. "I feared you would react negatively if you found out."

  "I would have, but that scenario never came." She sighed. "I will worry about you when you engage in battles. I want you to understand I'll always be rooting for you."

  Jack nodded. He perked up at hearing a door opened. He looked over, sensing who it was. Once he sensed three presences he turned to her."

  "We have company."

  Appearing before them were Blair, Amy, Tanya, and Jin. The shadow warrior excitedly rushed up to the older woman. "Johanna! Lina told us you're normal again, that's wonderful!"

  "Blair," responded the elder Vincent. "You're more forward than I last saw you."

  "Y-yeah!" Blair responded, blushing. "I'm trying to i-improve."

  "I'm glad for you." She turned to look at Jin. "Hi, Jin."

  The blonde knight knelt to her. "I apologize for not thwarting the Masked Piper sooner. Every minute he walked was another moment you were suffering!"

  "It's alright." Johanna nodded to him. "It's not your fault."

  "Splendid!" Jin dramatically shed tears. "Your forgiveness is boundless!"

  The terra warrior sighed. "Jin."

  Johanna looked toward the light and ice warriors. "You're both Radiant, correct?"

  "Yes." Amy happily waved. "I'm Amy Angelo, Radiant of Light."

  "Tanya Winfield." The ice warrior humbly nodded. "Radiant of Ice. How are you feeling?"

  "I feel better, but still tired. Thank you for asking." She glanced at Jack. "I hope Jack didn't give you a negative first impression."

  "Johanna." groaned the terra warrior.

  Tanya smirked. "Mr. Vincent is just shy. He's mellowing out over time. Beneath his hardened shell is a kind gentleman."

  "Oh!" Amy analyzed the boy's embarrassed face. Her expression turned to a bright smile. "I see it!"

  Jack scoffed and glared. "Enough, I don't need you all to analyze me,"

  "My apologies." Tanya replied.

  "How long would you need to stay?" questioned the shadow warrior.

  "Luka wants to observe me for the next five days. That will give me the time to plan my next steps. I lost months of my life because of that foolish man."

  The light warrior nodded. "You can still catch up despite missing parts of your life." Her face brightened. "Jack, isn't there something else you can do besides staying here? You can use the Training Room to be on the moon!"

  "What relevance would being on the moon accomplish?"

  "You get to feel what it's like being on the moon. You can lay on the ground, have inspiration while observing Earth or another planet."

  "She wants you all to do an activity besides confining yourself to bed." Tanya placed a hand on her hip. "Not performing an activity when there is an opportunity is not in her mindset."

  The terra warrior nodded. "Noted, but it can't be strenuous."

  Blair perked up. "I do have a deck of cards." She frowned. "But… c-currently I am technically mid-flight. Retrieving anything from my luggage is a problem."

  "Jack told me you're moving to America." She tilted her head. "But you said midflight… oh your Dummy Doll is on the plane."

  "Yes," the shadow warrior nodded. "I feel bad about it, but I w-wanted to be here and not stuck on a plane for hours. I'll return as soon as we move in."

  "I probably would've done the same thing." spoke the light warrior. "Riding a plane is fine, but sitting there for hours can be boring. Sometimes the entertainment is not good."

  "Teleporting is an applicable option." added the ice warrior. "More serviceable than other conventional vehicles."

  "I think I can agree on that." Johanna smiled. "I hope you have a good experience, Blair."

  Amy nodded. "She will, with us! Sam knows a guy at that school, and we have a plan to convince her uncle to transfer to our school. We just need to nudge ourselves somewhere into her life organically so her uncle won't be suspicious." She winked and comically held a thumbs up. "Then we can convince him to transfer Blair to our school. Mission Accomplished!"

  "Ryu developed a complicated plan to convince her uncle." Tanya sighed. "It was very unrealistic. You'll understand when you meet him."

  "He's eccentric," said Jack. "You'll meet him soon."

  "Sounds wonderful. I'm interested in getting acquainted with your friends and mentors." Johanna mused. "Tanya, Amy, is it true you fought a beetle?"

  "That was a tough bug." said the light warrior. "After telling the others to find the Piper, we got ready to face it."

  Three hours had passed. During that time, Johanna had met the rest of the team. Even Pilot said a few words, wishing well before leaving. She saw warmth in all of them, each with differing temperaments. After things calmed down and everyone went to do their own thing, he remained by her side until she carefully stood on her feet and began walking, albeit wobbly due to being in her unconscious state. Currently, he stared at her conversing with Luka. She would need to remain in the Hub for a few days for observation.

  Relieved as he was for her recovery, he couldn't shake the worry about potential side effects. So far, the people who have recovered are functioning well, but experience taught him to always be ready. From his parents divorce, his time in a gang, and now his duty as a Radiant, all had ingrained in him the same lesson; be ready and don't falter.

  If his sister succumbed, he would do everything in his power to help her, even if Guardian told him there was nothing that could be done.

  "Jack."

  His thoughts were snapped out when Johanna stood before him, concern displayed on her face. He sighed as he met her gaze.

  "What did Luka say?"

  "I can stay in the Hub while applying for a job and housing."

  He shrugged. "I tend to sleep here a few days a week while my clone stays at the apartment."

  She frowned. "Father should never have isolated you from his life. You don't deserve that. You were once a sweet boy." She started shedding tears. "You had to grow up too fast."

  "It's fine."

  "It shouldn't have been, Jack." She cupped his cheek. "Being a Radiant, I will worry about your future conflicts, but everyone around you is good-natured. Please try to participate in their fun times during Non-Radiant affairs."

  Solemnly, the Terra Radiant nodded, feeling a bit of weight in her words. "Of course."

  "Good, let's become the family we need."

  "Right." He nodded.