Lying down on her stomach, Selphie idly kicked her legs while sifting through a book completely dedicated to the subject of para-magic. Months had passed since she last used her blue ribbon and it seemed to have lost its power completely. She hoped that the heavy leather bound textbook in front of her had the answers.

Ballari yawned as she walked into Selphie's darkened quarters and joined her on the bed. "Ay Sefie! Any luck with the book Zell got us? He did tell me that such books are impossible to get if you're not in military school."

Selphie turned the pages to a specific chapter and tapped on the title. "None yet, but I'm sure this section has exactly what I need! Next time Mr. Dincht visits, please give him my thanks!" Selphie made a strained smile and pretended to continue reading. And thanks for still caring about me. As Selphie was about to begin reading an introduction to stocked magic, her last lamp candle blew out. "Oh no, that was my last one!"

"I do hope you haven't forgotten that you've used up all my candles, too! We can get some candles from the stockroom or somesuch tomorrow."

"But I can't stop now, Ba! I'm so close! Oh, I know! Rycharde could lend me some. He was starting the nightly grounds check about a half hour ago, so he should still be awake. I'll be right back." Selphie walked into a table and bumped her knee. "Ow!"

Ballari laid back and yawned again. "Well… do be careful running about in the dark!"

Covered in a robe and a soft pair of slippers, Selphie quietly ran down the hall to the butler's wing. She turned a corner to arrive at Rycharde's quarters and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Impatient, she knocked harder, causing the door to swing inwards. "Ry…charde…?" Selphie quietly called for him as she cautiously stepped into the silent room. Seems he isn't here.

She had never gone into Rycharde's quarters before and was unsurprised to find a foreign coat of arms mounted on the wall, as well as various pieces of Balambian décor. If not for the simplicity in design, the luxuriousness of the room was almost on the same level as hers. I knew it! That mean old coot was more than just loaded!

On the way to one of the inner rooms was a mount holding a slender rapier and its silver blade seemed to reflect a blue-green hue. The sword's beautifully swept hilt caught her eye. How gorgeous. Selphie cocked her head to the side to examine the weapon. Intricate metalwork that was meant to protect the bearer's hand seemed to be bent into the shape of clam shells or sea horses depending on her angle of view. A Centran inscription was etched across the metal but she couldn't understand anything, save for one phrase in the centre. Vocor Joyeuse.

Shrugging, Selphie walked towards an undecorated stone wall where several candles rested below it. Bending down, she blew a handful of them out before pocketing them. As she raised herself back up, her robe brushed against the wall, causing it to flicker for only a moment. Her jaw dropped as she heard barely audible ticking noises, like the sound of hundreds of ants marching across her field of view. Curious, she steadily moved closer to the white wall and gingerly touched it.

Like a pebble being thrown into water, the illusion of the stone wall rippled away into a perfectly blank canvas, like paper. Selphie fell backwards and her eyes widened as she stared up at the spectacle in front of her. Slight ticking sounds came and went as various images and words in a grayish ink appeared then disappeared, dancing in front of her eyes. Eventually, everything stopped moving and what was left was a picturesque frame with a blinking box inside it.

Balamb Garden Network

Login: Masamune
Password: ********

Without thinking, Selphie crawled back onto her feet and tapped on the blinking box underneath the words.

Welcome, Instructor Auron.

Who is Auron? Selphie could barely take in the information that flittered across what seemed like a large newspaper coming to life. Hardly anything made sense to her; she could only understand the boxes denoting messages and a cancelled class schedule. She gulped before tapping at various boxes, until she inadvertently opened an old message.

From: Auron
To: DivineJustice
Subject: Re: Y-30077810
Said hello to your big sister and gave her a card. She left quite the mess.

Huh? As Selphie tried to explore other parts of the device, the echo of a door slamming shut down the hall reminded her of where she was. Oh no! She frantically scratched at various parts of the wall, willing the images to go away, but all it did was cause several more words to pop up and flicker on top of each other. Everything on the screen seemed to indicate that this Auron was an instructor who just went on vacation.

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, she leant her head against the wall in defeat and slammed her right fist into it. As if in response to her desperation, the ticking sounds came back in full force and the inky image swirled inwards on itself, flipping endlessly until it was a blank slate once more. Selphie stood back and watched as the image of a white stone wall slowly resurfaced. She waved her hand across the illusion and it flickered just as it did before, but this time she made sure to not touch it.

Phew. Selphie wiped a nervous sweat off her brow and patted the candles in her pocket. She pulled her robe closed before running out of Rycharde's quarters and back to her room. Ba won't believe what I just saw…

Rinoa pursed her lips as she walked up to another street sign. Hasberry Place? She couldn't recognize any of the avenues. With all the shops closed and sidewalks deserted, the North end of Deling took on a less than pleasant nature. She decided to cross a fancily decorated bridge that she was sure would lead to Rue Saint Montersou. Well, it should lead me there. Eventually.

It didn't help that her mind was still fixated on her painful teenage years since seeing Edward again. I'm Rinoa Leonhart now. I'm going to be a Witch. All of that is in the past. I'm…grown up now. Yet for some reason, Edward's playful teasing had stung her far more deeply than she would like to admit. She knew very well that she was still a Heartilly, and that neither a new name nor legalities would ever change that. The feelings of loneliness and embarrassment that she had shut away for years threatened to become more vivid with each passing moment.

Rinoa held her head high as she crossed the small, well-kept bridge. Just focus on getting back to the Atelier. She distracted herself by admiring how the bridge was lined with overflowing flower boxes and black metal benches. It was as though everything was placed just so that it would frame the spectacular view of the lighted gates to the Inner City, further down the river. Unfortunately, through her weak eyes the lights in the distance looked like bright halos that shifted with every step she took.

Heartilly…

A tight knot formed in Rinoa's stomach. Unsure of whether she heard something, she casually turned around and saw that nobody was there. Just then, she realized that the flower boxes and stalls were filled with nothing but blue roses.

"How—," Rinoa's voice caught in her throat. She tried to say something but choked on her own breath. The heavy scent of blue roses filled her senses and an inexplicable fear washed over her. Her heart began to race and a small sob escaped her lips as her body went stiff. Before the panic of a nightmare becoming reality was able to fully take over, she willed her legs to move. Covering her mouth, she crossed the rest of the bridge in a blindingly fast run.

Rinoa didn't know where she was going or how, she just knew she had to get away. As she ran, forgotten memories of her youth continued to be dredged up from the far reaches of her mind.

Age is just a number…

Squall's eyes cracked open and he slowly became aware of his body being pulled deeper and deeper into a navy abyss. He couldn't hear anything, save for the hollow sound of being pulled through water.

Below him, thousands of faint lights outlining dozens of tall structures loomed in the distance. His eyes eventually trailed up his left arm and onto the dark hand grasping onto it. For such a slender hand, it pulled with a strength that matched his.

The owner of the hand looked back at him and cursed. She made a wide swooping motion with her free arm before touching her earring.

"I pray you are still good at keeping secrets."

Despite being underwater, her Centran voice carried through to his ears.

He tried to muster a reply but a searing pain shot through his forehead, causing him to cough out the last of the air that was still in his lungs. The pain, unmistakably caused by Magic, threatened to force him back into an unconscious state. He stubbornly resisted until a heavy wave of nausea from the changing pressure overcame him.

He allowed his mind to drift as several dark-skinned people swimming towards him and his companion materialized into view. He felt a sense of wonder and realization with his last thought.

So this is the real Centra.

"Urrp..!"

Rinoa leant her body over metal rails and heaved into the dark river below. She ignored the sound of disgusted murmurs and harried footsteps behind her. She didn't care who saw her, she just wanted her stomach to stop lurching. Meanwhile, her mind was reeling. It was as though the dreams and visions she recently experienced refused to fade away. Staring down at her moonlit reflection, she reviewed her thoughts while trying to take deep breaths.

Who was that woman in the mirror? Was it because of those roses? And that woman in the water… I know I've seen her face before…

Distracted, her left foot slipped on the wet cobblestones and caused her to lose the delicate balance she had been keeping up for the past few minutes. She gasped as her body tipped over the rails and she instinctively began to manipulate the air around her… until two gloved hands deftly caught her sides and pulled her back down to safety.

"Rinoa? Are you alright?" A young man with a pleasing voice held her steady by the shoulders as his dark gray eyes searched into hers for an answer.

Edward. Rinoa felt color blooming in her cheeks upon hearing him speak. Shrugging out of his grip, she quickly turned away and attempted to look casual as she walked towards a bench. The young man followed her, confused. Sitting down, Rinoa blotted her lips with a napkin and cautiously eyed him as he took a seat beside her.

"Is there no end to your need to ruin my life?" Rinoa finally spoke. She lifted the sides of her skirts in a mock curtsy and tilted her head. "Your Highness…. is it, now?"

"Ruin your life! I just saved it!" Edward gave the woman an incredulous look.

"I had everything under control. I was about to…" Rinoa paused, realizing what she was about to say. "I mean… one good deed will never undo the atrocities you put me through ten years ago, Your Highness."

"You still remember that?" Edward shook his head and placed a stray lock of platinum hair behind his right ear. He remembered teasing her but couldn't understand how that ruined her life.

"Of course I do, Your Highness. Do you remember my class' Graduation Ball at the palace courts? You ruined my dress… and my chance to meet the Queen." Rinoa was tempted to imagine frying the man with lightning where he sat but he seemed genuinely confused.

Furrowing his brows, Edward looked towards the ground. After a few moments deep in thought, he began to recall what happened at that masquerade ball. "I apologize for ruining your dress …"

Rinoa scoffed and shook her head.

"…but in my defense I was dared by a tawny Witch to do it. She said, '10,000 gil says you won't trip that girl into the fountains.' Before I knew it, all my friends had begun to place bets. I had to do it for our honor."

"Honor? Gambling with a Witch? You expect me to believe all this!" Rinoa couldn't help herself as she dropped the formalities. She felt her emotions flying out of control until she realized something in what he said. "Did you say… 'tawny'?"

Edward slowly nodded. "Yes, I remember how her clothing just barely covered her skin. I thought her to be Centran, but her face seemed Shumi. In any case, I had little choice in the matter. There was a huge man with her, and…"

Rinoa's mind drifted back to when she read the strange letter at the hospital, then further back to when she came face to face with a Witch inside the Chateau. That woman? It can't be… Whilst listening to Edward's story, Rinoa began to remember her own. Sitting back, she squinted as her eyes tried to make out the constellations between passing clouds for an answer.