Hello, everyone! Here I am on this Friday with an update that's a little longer than usual. I wanted to add in a part at the end that sets up the rest of the story, but you guys have probably figured out that this part of Ceres isn't just going to be happy-go-lucky exploring and sightseeing. Something always goes wrong. :D


Review Responses:

Shimo no ko: Yep, I was waiting to explain her issues for a long time and the opportunity finally came up. It's true; Ana's quite a perfectionist and always expects more out of herself. That in itself isn't a bad thing (I'm not a perfectionist, but I pretty much always view my actions on a scale from pitiful to mediocre and that's worked out fine for me), but the way that she beats herself up is a problem. It's funny that you ask, because Teddy's in this chapter. :) I don't think he'll be in any others, though. See you!

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, I hinted that she had some pretty serious issues, but I left a lot of the details blank until now. Her backstory is one of the few things that wasn't ever really adjusted from my original perception of it when planning out this story. And nah, this chapter's another Ninten PoV. It's not like anyone else is really doing anything. So yeah, he'll face Morgan in this chapter. :) And hey, it was more than ten chapters past when I asked for you to reveal the Claus = Masked Man thing to your characters. Besides, it's a little different because that lack of communication between Lucas and Claus in Rebuild in Reborn limited character interaction in growth, while Paula's fear of Ness is more of a side detail. I'll try to keep the characters occupied to the level where Paula's secrets don't feel like they're slowing the story down. :)

A Fan: Web browser crash... ouch. We've all been there. :( Nah, Ana's not insane because she's not delusional and doesn't experience hallucinations. I mean, all of her arguments make a lot of sense. It's not just that she uses language in fancy ways; she has some pretty legit arguments. There are quite a lot of people who do believe in the "only the consequences matter, not the intent/effort." An essay by one of those people that I read in school got me so annoyed that I attributed his views to Morgan and Ana here. But yeah, not super healthy behavior. Yeah, the "noblewoman" Pippi's referring to is Ana. Ninten and Ana were really close as kids so Pippi was a little resentful of that, imagining elitist romance stuff when none was really happening. It's Morgan at Ninten's house. Remember when Ninten killed his great-uncle back at the end of the first fic? Yeah, Morgan is his daughter. Diana's the ex-cultist psion archer person who now works for good. Does that ring any bells? And yeah, thanks for reviewing! :)

crabbyTomato: Hey, don't stress it. It actually reminded me that I have to get this chapter out soon because I'm having company over. Yeah, I was looking back on Ninten's conversation with Ana and was like "Okay... that's 3k words of standing in one place and talking." That would never fly in an actual young adult book haha. Especially one about war/politics. Yeah, Ana's not setting herself up for a great future, and even she knows it. It can be difficult to give my characters a lot of problems like that since I always give them way more perspective than most people would have in their situation... although I still manage to do it for like every character. Speaking of which... Ninten. Yeah, bulimia is really awful... we learned about it in health class because it's so common now. Since there's a lot less privacy in the modern world, it's harder to feel secure, leading to... unhealthy opinions of one's self and consequent actions.

Heh, I've never lived in a small town so I wouldn't know from experience, but I guessed that it would be a safe bet for an installment of a department store to be a big news. :) So many fantasy novels start off with the protag in a small town that I have somewhat of an idea how things work. Especially in a less modern society like this one. I had no idea about the Pippi thing. Yep, you'll see what Morgan's goal is in Podunk, and you might want to keep track of it. I wouldn't be surprised if her objective in Podunk comes into play later... ;) Oh yeah, it was just a coincidence. Ana has no way of tracking Morgan's movements. And again, I don't mind late reviews. :)

Phoesong: Yes, I got it just in time... and I'm not going to use that guest name when addressing you in response. I know, right? Choking to death on paint is not the way I want to go. I'd imagine that it would be slightly better than molten gold, but I wouldn't be fond of either. O.O I think most people agree with you and Ninten. Actually her opinion (and Morgan's) comes from an essay I read from someone who said that only the consequences of an action matter. Her problems are going to be discussed later, but not super deeply. That conversation was already way too long haha. Although it's not like I'm done writing everything, so we'll see how it goes. Yeah, Ana does act quite differently around Ness and I think that in itself is pretty normal. We alter our behavior to match our situation. If I were as messed up as Ana, I would feel bad about showing it to someone like Ness. Uh... uh... not everyone is messed up. Like... er... Poo, maybe? Jeff, sorta? But yeah, most of my characters have serious internal struggles, and often the antagonists do more than the protags (I actually feel really bad for Minerva in this fic). Yeah, thanks for reviewing and see you later! :) I'll review your chapter when I can.


I do not know what purpose these nightmares of mine serve.

It is rare for me to sleep through the night uninterrupted. It amazes me how powerless I am when faced with my own mind. With psionics, I can slay my foes, summon armies to enact my will, and manipulate those around me to act as I desire. Yet nothing that I can do keeps the nightmares away.

They come in different forms. Morgan smiling as she rips my heart out of my chest. Diana shaking her head sadly as she skewers me with an arrow. Megan storming into my room and bringing the whole psyching building down after figuring out what I have done.

But the one that I fear the most is of Aphrodite. An army of skeletons standing on a sea of snow, looking at me as the snow engulfs me like quicksand. Myself in an Aphroditian village, running and screaming as everything that I know and love disappears in an instant.

In these dreams, I can sense another entity from outside. I can see it out of the corner of my eye, but it fades when I try to get a look at it. Still, I know its game.

It watches.

It waits.


Ninten raised his hand to knock on his door. At the last second, he hesitated.

"Nervous?" Paula asked.

Ninten nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Wow, not even a long-winded response," Paula said. "Now I know that you're really serious. Who is this woman, anyway? And why did you kill her father?"

Ninten took a minute to give Paula a rushed recap of his relationship with Morgan.

"Hmm," Paula said. "I can see why she hates you, then. But I also don't blame for what happened." She kissed his cheek and blushed. "I know that you'll make the right choices."

"Just like I did when I killed Boras?" Ninten asked. "No, it's good that I am nervous. A little hesitation when fighting him would have saved Morgan a lot of pain." He smiled at Paula. "But thanks."

Ninten knocked on the door, shuffling his feet as the seconds passed by. Who would meet him at the door? Would his family even want to see him again? If only he could speed up time and resolve the suspense.

After what felt like hours, the door opened to reveal Ninten's sister Mimmie. Upon seeing the surprised smile on her face, Ninten couldn't help but smile back.

"Ninten!" she exclaimed. "I thought that it was about time for you to come home. And is that your girlfriend?" Mimmie giggled.

"Actually, yeah," Ninten said. Catching the flash of surprise in Mimmie's eyes, "Guess I'm a romantic after all, huh?"

Ninten introduced Mimmie and Paula to each other. Unlike Pippi, Mimmie bore no ill will against Paula's ladylike appearance.

"Mimmie's twin is named Minnie," Ninten explained to Paula. "Don't ask me why my parents made their names so easy to mix up. They're fraternal, so it's not too hard to tell them apart, but if that's not enough you can always make out Minnie because she looks like she has a stick up her ass."

"Ninten!" Mimmie said, narrowing her eyes.

"You know it's true as much as I do, Mims. Thank you for being so much less unbearable than your twin sister."

"Right, that's the compliment I always wanted," Mimmie said, rolling her eyes. "Not unbearable. How did you ever get a girlfriend?"

"With difficulty," Paula said, covering up a smile with her hand.

"Everyone always has to make fun of me," Ninten said. "Is the world going to stop spinning if you don't point out each one of my weaknesses that you can find?"

"Sorry, bro," Mimmie said. "It's just so entertaining. You try to act like a tough guy, but we can all tell that you're a softie."

"Hmph," Ninten said. "Did a woman who looks like an older version of Minnie visit our house?"

Mimmie's face darkened.

"She's still talking with dad in your room," Mimmie said. "Do you know her?"

"More than I'd like to," Ninten said. "Paula, are you okay if we interrupt their little party?"

"Didn't you say that she might attack you on sight?" Paula asked.

"Um… she probably won't if there are other people around."

"That's not very comforting, bro," Mimmie said.

"I know," Ninten said. "But please. Whatever Morgan's doing, I can promise you that we won't like it and that we'll want to hear about it."

"All right," Paula said. "But don't blame me if she burns your house down."

"Let's… try to avoid that," Mimmie said. "Meaning that you should keep your tongue civil, Ninten. Not everyone recognizes how sweet you are on the inside."

"Yeah, yeah," Ninten said. "Let's go. I don't want to miss her."

Ninten walked into his house and spotted his mother washing the dishes and humming to herself. The aggressive way that she scrubbed the plates contrasted with her lighthearted tune.

"Oh, Ninten!" his mother said. "I didn't know that Mimmie was talking to you." Her face turned stern. "Honestly, boy. Spending four months on Ceres and not even telling us when you'll come back? You shouldn't worry your mother like that."

"I couldn't really contact you," Ninten muttered. "It's not like there are any telecoms here."

"Don't speak that way to your mother," Ninten's mom said, setting a plate down so that she could wag a finger at him. "If I spoke that way to my mother…"

"Yes, yes," Ninten interrupted. "She would spank you. I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of patience today. There's a woman meeting upstairs with dad?"

Ninten's mom paused, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head slightly to indicate disapproval. Ninten struggled not to roll his eyes.

"I don't see you for four months, and you're already short with me? What did they teach you on Ceres?"

"How to be independent," Ninten said, walking past his mother. "How not to let people walk all over me."

Ninten leapt up the stairs to the second floor of his house two at a time, trying to ignore his mother's indignant gasp. After he and Paula went through, he slammed the door to the second floor shut. Ninten released his breath and shook his head.

"Well," Paula said. "You weren't kidding when you said that you hated your parents."

"You probably think that I was unreasonable with her, huh?" Ninten asked.

"I'm not one to judge," Paula said. "Besides, I know how it feels. It's not that she's annoying this one time; it's that you never catch a break from her attitude. You've probably trained yourself to fight back without even knowing it. Oh, is that your other sister?"

Minnie walked out of her room, clinging onto a doll. When she looked at Ninten, her back straightened and she tilted her nose up slightly. A slight yet noticeable message that she considered herself above her brother.

"Hey, Minnie," Ninten said. "Are you sure that doll isn't going to attack you again?"

Minnie stiffened, glaring at Ninten.

"That was real," she said. "It almost killed me."

"A doll?" Paula asked.

"Starmen attacked our village and threw a bunch of stuff around with psychokinesis a few years ago," Ninten explained. "It made the doll appear possessed. It wasn't in any condition to kill someone, mind you."

"You weren't there," Minnie said. "You wouldn't know."

"Ninten," Paula said. "Maybe you could stop antagonizing your sister so we could see Morgan? Just a thought."

"Fine," Ninten said. "And hello, Minnie. It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"I'm telling mom that you made fun of me again."

"Because that's a mature way to deal with the situation," Paula said. "Besides, it doesn't seem like you're friendly to your brother, either."

Psych. Was Paula actually sticking up for him?

"And who are you?" Minnie asked, wrinkling her nose.

"The name's Paula." She flashed a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Nice to meet you. You ready to go to your room, Ninten?"

"Um, yeah. Sure."

Man, Ninten thought. Paula plays the ice queen twice as well as Minnie.

Minnie glared at Ninten and went back into her room, slamming the door shut.

"Thanks for sticking up for me," Ninten said.

"You defended me in front of my parents," Paula said. "The least I could do was face your little sister."

Ninten smiled. He imagined Paula and Minnie of them actually facing off, and he enjoyed the thought more than was probably healthy.

Ninten walked up to the door to his room, rapping on it lightly.

"No hesitation there," Paula noted.

"Trust me," Ninten said. "I hesitated plenty. In my mind." He tapped on his head.

The door swung open, revealing Morgan Lorune. A cloak covered most of her body, but she had the hood down so that the world could see the falsely sweet smile directed at Ninten.

"…Come in," Morgan said, nearly choking on the words.

Ninten moved into his room, leaving his guard up. In a second, he could summon a rapier and stick it through Morgan's smiling face. Paula followed after him, taking a moment to look at Ninten's father. Or, more accurately, to take a look at the cigar in his father's mouth. As soon as Paula entered the room, the door flew shut without anyone touching it.

"Ninten," his father said, taking the cigar out of his mouth to chuckle. "And you even brought a girl! Too bad you couldn't hook up with Tigress, eh?"

"Tigress?" Paula asked.

"Ana. To my dad, the thought of a girl as fierce as Ana was so adorable that he had to make fun of her with that name."

"Ew."

"Morgan," Ninten's father said. "You knew that this would happen?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have come," Morgan said. "The sight of your son makes me want to puke."

Better than making her want to murder someone, I guess, Ninten thought.

"But Ninten," Morgan said in a disturbingly motherlike tone. "I don't think either of us have met your lady friend. Care to introduce us?"

"This is Paula," Ninten said. "She comes from Eagleland. Paula, this is my dad and his cousin Morgan."

"Nice to meet you," Paula said.

"They're really quite the characters, aren't they?" she asked telepathically. "Is your whole family this dysfunctional?"

"I can hear that, dear," Morgan said.

Paula blushed, cupping her hands over her mouth by reflex.

"Hmm?" Ninten's dad asked. "Hear what?"

"Nothing," Morgan said. "It's so nice to meet you, Paula. Especially considering how… polite you were in your introduction."

Paula's face reddened further.

"Heh, never knew that Ninten would be attracted to someone so meek," his dad said. "Normally, Ninten likes girls who can kick his ass. Not that it's hard to find someone who can do that, mind you. The name's Theodore, but call me Teddy. Nice to meet'cha."

He extended his hand.

"You Eagleish shake hands, right? Even with people who you secretly want to kill?"

"Dad!" Ninten said.

"What?" Teddy asked. "It's true. Always so polite, those Eagleish."

Paula hesitantly reached out and shook Teddy's hand. Ninten's dad flashed a toothy grin.

"Well, it looks like the lady is quite offended," he said. "Perhaps we should wrap this up, Morgan."

"Indeed. I wanted to get the information out of you the easy way, but…"

"But what?" Teddy asked. "You're going to torture me?"

"Of course not. Who do you think I am, Minerva Carpainter? I have morals, Theodore. Besides, I would hate to inflict harm on my dear cousin who suffered so much during his time living on the streets of Ellay."

Ninten relished in his father's discomfort upon hearing the last sentence. Maybe Morgan was good for something after all.

"What information are you looking for?" Ninten asked.

"A certain type of Tanetane mushrooms that function as a powerful poison," Teddy said. "For some reason, she thinks that I have some stored away. My days of robbing and assassinating are over."

"You let it slip years ago," Morgan said. "And the universe is glad that you did. My brother Pan gathered some of those mushrooms on Aphrodite and I killed Apollo Carpainter with them. Today, I come with an equally noble purpose."

"Don't trust her, dad," Ninten said. "She'd put an emperor back in charge if she could."

"You don't have to warn me about trust," Teddy said, taking a puff of his cigar. "I'm the most paranoid person in the entire village."

That's… not really something to be proud of, Ninten thought.

"It doesn't matter whether he trusts me or not," Morgan said. "I already figured out where they are."

"What?" Teddy asked, a knife appearing in his hand. "You're lying."

"Ah," Morgan said. "Telepathy is such a useful tool. I wanted you to tell me voluntarily, but I suspected that you would be difficult."

"Cheater," Teddy spat.

"Indeed. But who are you to judge? We both know that you have to cheat to get ahead in life. I'll head right over to that inconspicuous clearing right next to the zoo where those mushrooms are. Have a nice day, Theodore."

Teddy lunged at Morgan.

"Teleport," she said. As she disappeared from sight, "Not even close, cousin."

"Poison," Teddy said, shaking his head. "A woman's weapon indeed. Only someone so weak would resort to such an honorless tool."

Paula raised an eyebrow. Teddy didn't seem to notice.

"We're going to stop her," Teddy said.

"Neither of us can teleport, dad," Ninten said. "By the time that we get there, she'll be gone."

"I didn't ask you!" Teddy stepped forward and yanked Ninten off the ground by his collar. "We. Are. Going. To. Stop. Her. Do you psyching understand?"

Ninten resisted the urge to squirm. How could his father still hoist him up so easily? Ninten looked into his Teddy's eyes and what he saw terrified him. Before he could submit to his father's rule, Ninten felt the area around the front of his collar grow cold. Teddy yelped in pain and dropped Ninten, looking in horror at a chunk of ice attached to the back of his hand. He gave the wall a backhanded slap, shattering the ice with a thud. Ninten wouldn't have expected anything different than brute force from his father.

"What I understand," Paula said. "Is that we are both psions and you are not. Therefore, we outrank you and hold power over you. Pray that it is not your entire arm that I decide to freeze next."

Teddy looked at Paula and sneered, ready to pounce. After a second, he paused. Then he roared his head back and laughed.

"Not bad!" he said. "Not bad at all. Have it your way, Miss Psion. I'll go after my cousin, and you two can choose if you want to tag along."

"I like the sound of that," Paula said. "Well, Ninten? Do you want to help chase down Morgan?"

"I guess so," Ninten said. "It's not like I really have anything better to do."

"That's my boy!" Teddy clapped Ninten on the back harder than Ninten would have liked. "I was wrong about your girl. She can kick your ass ten times over."

Ninten looked over to see Paula's reaction. Ana would have smiled proudly, he knew. To her, strength was a compliment. Power was a compliment.

Perhaps that was why he was so grateful to see Paula roll her eyes at Teddy's statement.


Ninten, Paula, and Teddy made their way over to the zoo north of Podunk. During that time, Teddy "explained" Ninten's behavior to Paula in some of the most infuriating ways possible.

"You see," Teddy told Paula. "Ninten always liked girls who could beat him up and leave him stranded in a ditch."

"Yes, I believe you've said so before," Paula said. "Twice."

"Well, doesn't it make you wonder why?"

"Honestly, not really."

"Right, because you take it for granted that your psionics make you so attractive. The truth is, Ninten's helpless. Insecure. Back as a young boy, he had a huge crush on that one girl… What was her name, Ninten?"

"Ana," Ninten said.

"Right, Ana!" Teddy said, snapping in recognition. "Anyways, this girl liked to show off her strength by beating the living shit out of all the boys."

"Only when we challenged her," Ninten said.

"Ah, that's right." Teddy shook his head and chuckled. "She was one girl, that one. Thought that swinging an axe around would make people forget about her breasts."

"Actually," Paula said, rising up in defense. "I've met Ana before. We're good friends."

"Ah, is that so?" Teddy asked. "It's a small universe, isn't it? Anyways, Ninten was crazy for this girl. Wanted to spend every moment outside of school with her."

"We were friends, dad," Ninten said. "And school with you took ten hours a day. I only had like two or three left to spend on my own."

"Friends," Teddy said with a snort. "Of course. But back to my point, Ninten thought that this girl would protect him. And then she just up and left him. Isn't that the best?" Teddy barked a laugh.

"Hilarious," Paula said, her voice cold and her eyes colder.

"And then after he was weak enough to get captured by his hobbling grandfather…"

"Dad!" Ninten said. "I told you not to talk about that!"

"If Ninten doesn't want to talk about it, you should stop," Paula told Teddy. "Perhaps for your own good."

"See, there it is?" Teddy asked. "My boy is cowering behind your dress and expecting you to do everything for him."

"Actually," Paula said. "Ninten pulled me through some rough times. He defended me, made me feel better, and ultimately loved me. I'd still be like his sister Minnie if he didn't give me strength."

"Huh," Teddy said. "No kidding?"

"I'm dead serious," Paula said. "And we're almost at the zoo, so you may want to keep your mouth shut. Unless you want to let Morgan know where we are?"

"Of course not," Teddy said. "From here, I won't say another word."

Ninten flashed an appreciative smile at Paula. He didn't want to hide behind Paula like Teddy made fun of him for, but his father had conditioned Ninten early on to fear his wrath. And, well, old habits died hard.

Teddy led Ninten and Paula into a clearing right next to the zoo. To Ninten's surprise, Morgan was still there, picking mushrooms as the birds sang overhead. To his greater surprise, a half-dozen starmen stood by her flanks.

"Are those…?" Paula asked.

"Starmen, yeah," Ninten whispered. "If only I had Dynaldas, this would be easy."

Teddy whirled on Ninten, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"You lost Dynaldas?" Teddy asked. "What the psych were you thinking?

"Morgan stole it from me," Ninten said, shaking off his father's grip. "She probably has it right now."

"Actually," Morgan said, looking up from her mushroom patch. "Pan has it right now. I have no use for that little toy knife of yours." She smiled. "Still, it makes taking out these starmen considerably harder, no? Without Empress Mary's soul to infiltrate their systems and send them into a panic, I think you'll find these starmen quite resilient."

"Are you even speaking Eagleish?" Paula asked. "None of what you're saying makes sense."

"Oh, it makes sense. Just not to you. Yes, starmen, that is Emperor George's heir." She pointed at Ninten. "Capture him if you wish. It matters not to me. Teleport!"

"Emperor George's heir?" Paula asked. "Who-"

Ninten leapt out of the way as the starmen fired laser beams at him, summoning a rapier and pointing it at them.

"If we run, they'll chase us," Ninten said. "You ready to fight?"

"Sure as psych," Teddy said, whipping out a knife.

"Careful!" Paula shouted at Teddy. "You don't have a psionic aura to protect you like we do."

"I don't have a psionic aura, so the brutes hardly notice that I'm here," Teddy said. "Now, let's kick some starman ass!"

True to Teddy's word, the starmen focused on Ninten and Paula. Well, pretty much all on Ninten. Teddy ran up and stabbed a starman in the back several times before it noticed his existence. The starman shot a single beam before collapsing to the ground, grazing Teddy's arm.

The remaining five starmen fired at Ninten. He liked to think that he was proficient in predicting and dodging starmen lasers, but Ninten had never had to keep track of five before. And without Dynaldas, he couldn't even rush in and take them out reliably. Still, he lunged forward, stabbing a starman multiple times with his rapier in an attempt to break through the alien's psionic aura. The starman put up a shield using psionics, which took some of the sting out of Ninten's attack. After only a few attacks, Ninten retreated and used Lifeup to keep himself healthy.

The battle continued along the same lines: Ninten darting in and out of combat, using psychic energy to heal himself when his body threatened to collapse. During this time, Paula unleashed a number of psychokinetic powers, from summoning a hailstorm overhead to lacing the ground beneath the starmen's feet with fire. Ninten couldn't tell for sure, but he suspected that Paula was doing more damage to the starmen than Ninten and Teddy combined. Either way, the starmen fell one by one.

Right after Ninten rammed his sword through the fifth starman, finishing it off, he realized numbly that he didn't have any psychic power left. On top of that, his bruised psionic aura wouldn't even stop another beam from the final starman. Ninten yelped as his fears came true and the remaining starman fired a laser at him. Ninten tried to jump away, but the beam caught him straight in the chest. He struggled to stay on his feet, his psionic stall giving him a few more seconds before he would collapse.

Ninten's psionic senses alerted him to a shift in the starman's position; it had teleported right behind him. One of the starman's armlike tentacles wrapped around Ninten's right wrist, leaving him unable to use his sword.

"It is time for you to meet Master Giygas," the starman said telepathically.

No! Ninten thought, struggling to free his sword hand. He's going to teleport me away!

Ninten heard a series of what he assumed were telepathic cries of pain from the starman. The robot-like alien collapsed to the ground, and only then could Ninten see the dozen stab wounds that lined its back. Teddy stood over the starman's corpse, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You've never been strong enough, son," Teddy said. "Not for them."

Ninten fell unconscious.


Ninten jolted awake in his bed. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the familiar walls around him.

"Hey, Ninten," Paula said, her voice reverting back to timid. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah," Ninten said. "Nothing really hurts."

"You were out for a whole day," Paula said. "I'm sorry that I didn't make it over in time to heal you."

"Don't worry about that. It's my fault for being weak."

"Do you really believe that?" Paula asked. "You did an amazing job. Weaving between beams, drawing their attention so that your father and I could strike without having to worry about defense… I don't think anyone could have asked for more."

Ninten smiled. Why did her approval mean so much to him?

"But Emperor George's great-grandson, huh?" Paula asked. "And my parents called you a commoner. Were you planning on telling me anytime soon?"

"Honestly?" Ninten asked. "No. How would you have treated me at first if you knew the truth?"

"Awestruck, maybe," Paula said, frowning in concentration. "Probably even more shy than normal."

"Right. I didn't want you to see me for my title. I wanted you to see me for me. Besides, it shouldn't matter who my great-grandfather is. I'm not personally responsible for anything that he did."

"I suppose that's true." Paula smiled. "It just goes against everything I've ever learned. I think that it's still nice to honor your heritage, so long as you don't let it restrict you."

Ninten coughed. He didn't really agree, but he also didn't care enough to press the point.

"I heard from your father about how the starmen always target you in particular," Paula said, "Because they want to get their slimy tentacles on the 'rightful emperor'. I'm sorry that you went through that."

"It doesn't even bother me at this point," Ninten said. "This is going to sound stupid, but the worst part of it was my dad. How he always pushed me to become stronger so that I could fight them. And when I failed, how he looked at me like a piece of garbage on the streets of Ellay."

"You failed?" Paula asked. "I don't want to be nosy, but how so?"

"I wasn't supposed to become a psion," Ninten said, balling his hands into fists. "Because a non-psion can't rule anything, which would make me useless to the empirists. My current powers are why I'm the 'rightful ruler' instead of my dad. We agreed that I should never go to the awakening meteorite in Onett."

Ninten paused, taking deep breaths.

"And then what?" Paula asked, resting a hand on Ninten's arm.

"Then my granfather Coran showed up."

Paula's eyes widened slightly.

"You mean the leader of the empirists?" she said.

"Well, yeah. Before Morgan killed him."

"Wait, Morgan killed the one of the most feared men in the universe? Like, Morgan as in the same person that nearly killed you yesterday?"

"Yeah," Ninten said with a shrug. "It's a long story,"

"I suppose Coran would be your grandfather, since he was Emperor George's son," Paula said. "Was he as cruel as all of the rumors made him out to be?"

"Yeah." Ninten drew a shaky breath. "Unlike his brother Boras, Coran was bitter down to the bone. He witnessed the fall of the empire as a child, and he never forgave anyone with it. When I turned 13, the normal awakening age, he…" Ninten closed his eyes.

"You don't have to keep going if it's too painful," Paula said.

Ninten opened his eyes, staring intently at his bedsheets.

"No," he said. "You deserve to know why I'm broken. But please, don't tell anyone else about this, all right? I'm trusting you."

"I… of course," Paula said, blushing furiously. "I'm just flattered that you trust me so much already."

"After how you stood up for me? After how much you've grown? I can't find a reason not to trust you."

"Oh, I'm still shy and timid," Paula said. "It's just that when I saw your father hurting you with his words… Well, seeing you in pain was so much more powerful than my shyness."

"Still, I can't thank you enough for that," Ninten said. "And nobody else knows the full details of what I'm about to tell you. Not my dad, not Ann, not Mimmie. Nobody." Ninten took a deep breath. "When Coran came to Podunk, he asked me nicely to go with him to the awakening meteorite in Onett. When I said no, he threatened me. When I tried to run away, he stuffed me into a sac and suffocated me. I spent minutes trying to break free while my lungs screamed at me louder than any person ever could. But of course, it didn't do any good. After screaming, flailing, and bawling for an eternity, I fell unconscious."

"Oh my god," Paula said. "Your own grandfather did this to you?"

"And just out of the blue. Crazy, right? When I woke up in Onett, Coran pinned me to the ground by my throat and told me that if I were to do anything funny, I would go back in the sac. Being a terrified 13 year-old, I didn't have an ounce of resistance left in me. I went to the awakening meteorite, and you know what happened next. After I realized that I could use psionics, I started crying. I knew that after then, the empirists would never leave me alone. The thought of a lifetime spent running from psychopaths and starmen terrified me. It still does, actually."

"I'm so sorry," Paula said. "I had no idea."

"Coran teleported me back to Podunk," Ninten said. "I'm not sure why he even let me go. Maybe there was a shred of mercy left in him after all. But I don't think so. He took me back to Podunk so I would realize that I didn't belong. Coran told my dad about my psychic powers and left. My dad looked angrier than I had ever seen him before in my life. He told me that I should have killed myself."

"What?" Paula asked. "That's a terrible thing to say!"

"But my circumstances could lead to a terrible outcome," Ninten said. "The empirist movement bolstered under the discovery of an heir to the throne who would be around for another 70 or 80 years. Now that I think about it, that's probably why Morgan's brother disappeared after discovering his psionic powers. He didn't want anyone to prop him up as the emperor. So I can see why my dad would have preferred me dead. The empirists probably murdered thousands in my name. Still, I spent every night worrying that my dad would kill me in my sleep."

"Ninten," Paula said. "How did you manage to live like that?"

"Not well. This is going to sound crazy, but I was actually energetic and optimistic before that happened. Friendly, even. Now I'm the polar opposite of all those."

"Ninten…" tears came to Paula's eyes. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Ninten said. "My life is actually heading up. After all, I have a wonderful girlfriend whose dress I can cower behind just like my dad expects me to."

"Ah, stop it," Paula said, blushing furiously. "We both know that you're the stronger one here. After you went through all of that and you can still joke about your dad like this, I think you deserve that title."

Right then, Ninten heard someone rapping on his door.

"Who is it?" Ninten asked.

"It's… Ana. May I come in?"

Paula shot a glance at Ninten. After their encounter in Peaceful Rest Valley, neither one of them knew what to expect from the group's unofficial leader.

"Sure," Ninten said. "You'll find that my room hasn't changed much."

Ana opened the door and walked in, wearing a nervous smile.

"You weren't kidding about your room, huh?" she asked. "Aw, you look so cute in those pictures with your little league team."

"Oh, I didn't even see those!" Paula said. "Oh my, you have the biggest grin out of anyone in the picture. It's hard to imagine you smiling like that now."

"Yeah, what happened?" Ana teased.

Ninten sighed. After he had just explained his sob story to Paula, Ana's remark hit him harder than it should have.

"Still hiding yourself, I see," Ninten said.

"You're still annoyed about that?" Ana asked. "I'm sorry for teleporting you two over here without your permission. Not a well thought out decision on my part."

"Ann," Ninten said. "We can help you. Please, just let us in."

"Sorry," Ana said. "I should really work these problems out by myself."

"You might want to worry less about what you should do and worry more about what would help you the most," Ninten said.

"We can talk about this later, all right?" Ana said. "Are you two ready to head back to Onett?"

"Sure, after I say goodbye to Mimmie," Ninten said.

"And not the rest of your family?" Ana asked. "Why does that not surprise me? Before we go, there are a couple things that you should probably know."

"About you?" Paula asked.

"Can we please drop that already?" Ana asked, rolling her eyes. "No. First, Claus has a message for Ninten. He wants me to teleport both him and you to Winters so that you can head over to Dr. Andonuts' lab."

"Dr. Andonuts?" Paula said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Like… the inventor? Did I miss something while you were away on Vulcan?"

"Yeah, kind of," Ninten said. "Is it about Dynaldas and Amourus?"

"Right," Ana said. "The knives of power and love. Dr. Andonuts has both of them, and Claus wants to get them out of his hands. He's worried that Dr. Andonuts will find some way to unlock their stored psionic power… which they apparently have a lot of."

"I suppose that would be smart," Ninten said. "So I'm surprised that Claus came up with the idea."

Ana smiled and Paula snorted. Ninten wasn't sure which reaction he enjoyed more.

"He also told me to inform you that he got hold of a third knife of the same sort: Phonus, the knife of music."

"Music?" Paula asked. "Seems odd."

"That's just what Claus says," Ana said. "Onto the second point, there are reports of starmen gathering in Dalaam. Have either of you heard about this?"

Ninten and Paula shook their heads.

"Well, it probably means that they're planning an invasion," Ana said. "Unlike us, Starmen can only teleport short distances, so we can see where they're about to strike. I talked to Ness, and he wants to go to Dalaam and help defend it."

"That doesn't sound like a relaxing part of this whole 'vacation' plan," Ninten said.

"Would we really be happy if we knew that starmen were killing innocents in Dalaam while we drank margaritas in Summers?"

"The non-alcoholic ones, I hope," Ninten said.

"Whatever," Ana said, rolling her eyes. "This is Ness that we're talking about. He chased after a serial killer out of moral obligation. Do you think that he would be happy sitting by on the other side of the world?"

"Ness did what?" Paula said.

"It's a long story," Ninten said. "I see your point, Ann, and I think that your morals push you forward too. And in the end, I guess it's your decision."

"So I would go to Dalaam with you and Ninten would go to Winters?" Paula asked.

"You could probably come with Claus and me if you wanted," Ninten said. "Although I don't know. Girls might scare Claus away."

"It's okay," Paula said. "I'd just hold you two back if I came to Winters. Trucking through snow is not really my thing. I'll go with Ana and Ness to Dalaam."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ninten asked.

"You don't have to," Paula said. "Claus probably needs you more than we do."

"And you're okay if we don't see each other for a while?" Ninten asked.

"I can tell that you're sad to leave me," Paula said. "That's all I need. It's enough to know that you care. I know that you don't need as much reassurance as I do, but… I'll miss you too."

Paula bent down and kissed Ninten on the lips, leaving him in a state of slight elation.

"Sounds good, then," Ana said. "I'll meet you two outside, all right? For now, I'll leave you with some privacy. Take as long to make your teary goodbyes as you need to."

Ana walked out of Ninten's room, closing the door behind her.

"Thanks for understanding, Paula," Ninten said. "I hope that you have fun in Dalaam. I hear that the food over there is really good and not as disgustingly greasy as the stuff that we eat."

"That does sound good," Paula said. "And I hope that you have a good time with Claus, too. I know that you two hated each other when you first met, and now you're basically best friends. I'll never understand people like you."

"Oh, it's simple," Ninten said. "We needed each other on Vulcan. Neither one of us wants to let that go, especially since we share a common cause."

"I wish that I could see people the way that you do," Paula said. "I guess that's just one of the many things that you have over me. Remember, Ninten, I'm proud of you for being such a sweet person despite your past. I'll try not to make fun of you for your tough guy attitude anymore."

"You're proud of me?" Ninten asked. "Who are you, my mom?"

"…But you make it hard not to poke fun at you with comments like those," Paula said. "Really, I am proud of you. It would be so easy to think that the universe is out to get you, but you give back instead of hiding away in a hole. I'll always admire that about you."

Ninten closed his eyes. It had been tempting to stop caring. What had kept him moving forward for all of these years? To this day, he still didn't know. As he opened his eyes and looked at Paula's face, he supposed that it didn't matter.

"Thanks, Paula," Ninten said. "Thanks for everything."