During this time was my most frustrating moments in Fodlan that I can remember. After the high-speed nonsense, fear for myself and lack of control previously I had ground to a sluggish pace to find a way back home. Every day, every minute and every second that passed without me having an epiphany was lost as my old life slipped a little further from me. It became harder to remember faces and places, some of them completely becoming lost to me by the time I finished my first semester at FMA. I discovered hope is an insidious monster that began to take control of my actions the longer I lingered. Possessed by the curse of hope. I would break free from it ...eventually, but the longer you wait the higher the price one must pay. Just like the stories I once told Ingrid, the villains never win in the end.

Finishing up my first semester at the academy went smoothly as far as academic pursuits were concerned. Top marks in all my classes and the staff seemed exceedingly impressed with my efforts and understandings of magic as concepts unraveled themselves easily to myself. Even Cornelia gave me praise as I would brainstorm with her over tea on what would be next for the magical world.

I had quickly built up a reputation of one of the brighter minds in the magical field, but with my near-constant study of the subject, I wasn't just interested in it. I had become obsessed with what made the world tick the way it did. A logical and tempered educational approach of a 21st-century student-guided my methodology as I worked harder and smarter than most people. I took breaks when I needed to and relaxed, something Annette has yet to figure out, but for 12 hours a day, I read everything relevant to my goals. Insatiable would probably be best to describe my attitude.

As for fulfilling my duty to Count Galatea, I had developed a hypothesis on how to save his crops and land, and by some of the unconventional means thought; crestology. Crestology is linked to blood, and more specifically DNA, in that it can give us passive abilities aside from using hero's relics and bolstering one's combat prowess. Luckily, I had the answer to the Count's problems within me all along, as my crest of Sothal held the ability of pure power incarnate.

I first mistook this ability as a healing factor, but with all of my magic being supercharged and with a bit of insight from Cornelia, I managed to pin it down as simply a power magnifier. Sothal would confirm this later in a dream only once I had all the pieces of information naturally.

Speaking of Sothal, he has been rather quiet during my time in Fhirdiad leaving me to my devices to research and offering small half-answers when I would question him. Though, his attitude is what worries me as it feels as if I'm speaking to a monster in hibernation. Lying dormant and waiting. And I can't figure out what the being is waiting for, just that I can almost taste the smugness when I dive into my subconscious. It has gone from annoying to downright frustrating so I avoid conversation with Sothal whenever I can spare it. Him wanting me to get home still makes no sense to me, and it confuses me still to the point I've given myself a migraine trying to interrogate the ghost to no avail.

Currently, I'm traveling back to the Galatea estate as the 6 month semester has ended and won't start up again for a month. It's late summer as I travel in the private carriage sent by Leif Galatea, and the land looks more forlorn now that it isn't covered by snow to hide the pathetic state it has been in. Rolling plains of dead grass as far as the eye can see with decrepit trees that dot the landscape are all I can see during the few days travel it takes to get to Galatea. Hopefully, my experiment with my blood goes well as I imagine the Count is drowning in anxiety with the state of his land.

Arriving up the winding path to the estate it looked as immaculate as I last saw it. Shining windows, clean cobblestone pathways, and a delicately curated front garden lined the front of the mansion. I peer outside the window of the carriage to see that Ingrid appears to be riding her horse out in the training field.

I exit the carriage with my travel sack hung over my right shoulder and look to see the doors of the house open a few moments later with Harald walking down the steps in his tidy butler uniform.

"Greetings Master Capetillo. The Count will be glad to hear that you have returned. Allow me to take your bag," Harald declares as he approaches briskly. I hand him my bag and reply, "I'm glad to be back Harald. How are things?"

A grim look overtakes Harald's weathered face briefly before he regains his composure and replies, "Things are fine here. Lady Ingrid has been doing well considering the year's past tragedies. The land itself requires help though, as you well know."

"Indeed. That's why I'm here. I have potential news for the Count."

Leading me into the house Harald looks over his shoulder to shoot me a curious look, "Is that so? Well, let me lead you to him. I'm sure he will be happy to have any news."

Harald sets a very quick pace as he leads me upstairs to the reading room on the 3rd floor to which I'm led into a room where I see Leif seated in a chair in front of an empty fireplace sipping from a goblet of wine. He looks like he has lost weight by the way his face looks a bit sunken, the way his glamorous robes hang off him a bit more than they used to, and his poor posture in the chair.

"Sir, Master Capetillo has returned."

Leif immediately sets down his goblet on the nearby side table and hastily clambers to his feet. Looking at him fully I can tell that he is slightly intoxicated and sufficiently malnourished by the yellow surrounding his irises.

"Santos! Welcome back, please come in. You may take your leave Harald," Count Galatea rambles out as Harald bows to his master and departs, closing the door behind him. I look to the Count who has come over to me and pulls me into an awkward hug.

"Ah, it looks like you are doing well! Sturdy! Ha!"

I force a bit of a smile out and reply, "Well the capital has nice accommodations. Thanks to you might I add. The extra work doing seminars on the weekend has helped my financial standing," I finish while pulling out a hefty coin purse for the Count. My lectures turned out to be quite a hit with many of the students and staff which raked me in quite a sizable stipend after about a month of obscurity.

The Count's eyes bulge for a brief second at the pouch before uttering, " I can't. That is yours."

"Bullshit. Take this coin and take care of yourself. Doctor's orders. You've given me the opportunity so let me return the favor," I demand back at Leif who simply shakes his head and pushes the pouch back into my chest replying, "I can't. It's unbecoming of a lord to take handouts from his subordinates."

"Then take it from me as a friend. Unless you'd rather take it as a prescription," I offer with a smile to which Leif contemplates for a moment and then smiles as his shaky hand takes the pouch of coin and whispers, "Thank you, friend."

"It's about 400 gold. I know that isn't much for someone of your standing, but it's surplus to me. Keep it for food or use it for my tuition. Either way, I feel like I'm repaying you," I explain as I stretch a bit since my back is feeling a bit stiff from the carriage ride still.

"Very well. Any other news from the capital?"

"Hardly. From what I understand is that Lord Regent Rufus is a bit more busy chasing tail than attending meetings. Other than that, I have some experiments to run on the soil here. No promises yet, but I'm optimistic."

A sigh of relief washes over Leif, "Oh good. I'm glad to see that your studies hadn't overshadowed my lands strife. But, we will only be here for this evening. We are taking a trip to visit my friend Rodrigue. He is the lord of Fraldarius. It'll be since the capital after Duscar that some of us lord will be seeing each other again."

"And I take it you want me to attend?" I apprehensively ask as I'd rather be doing experiments than be fraternizing with more nobility.

"Of course. You are my family's official mage, and it's high time my colleagues learn a bit about you. From my inquiries with the academy, you are far more talented than the rank and file. And that 'prescription' you gave me solidifies that," Leif explains as he pats my shoulder.

"Alright, it's not like I can say no I suppose," I concede to which Leif laughs, "Don't be so dreary. Fraldarius is only a few days away. We will be back here in about 10 days. Plenty of time for experiments and the like."

I nod at the Count's sentiment of travel before I change topics and ask, "How is Ingrid doing?"

"Quite well all things considered. You managed to help her get out of that funk she was in. Although I can't say I've heard of the stories she says you regaled her with."

I shrug, "Old tales from back home. Just some inspiration for a younger generation."

"Perhaps. She is my pride and joy, so to see her riding again and smiling is worth it. So thanks again. Other than that, I think she is excited to see her friends again. You included. Did you already say hello to her?"

"No, Harald had me come here first."

Leif immediately shoes me away and insists, "Then get a move on! She should be done riding soon. It'll be a good surprise. Besides, I doubt she'd forgive me easily if I hid you away haha!"

I quickly bow and take my leave from the reading room to seek out Ingrid to check up on her. With only a few letters exchanged in the months I'd been gone I'm curious to see how the kid is doing.

Leaning against the backside of the stables taking in the crisp cool afternoon air I can hear Ingrid inside talking with the stable master putting away equipment. I check my Mexican flag colored robes as they are a tad dirty from the travel and I idly play with a fireball to pass the time and continue to work on my magic control. Having magic has become my primary source of entertainment considering my mind is still partially adjusted to my old world. Considering how long it has been it feels strange to think about it, now that I've been here in this reality for over 2 years now?

I'm drawn from my thoughts as I see Ingrid walk past the stables in her leather riding gear with the crest of Daphnel embroidered on her back. In the 6 months I've been gone she has grown a bit taller, her bright blonde hair has grown out a bit more, and she looks to be more of a teenager than a pre-teen child than before. I manage to walk behind her trying to sneak up on her to give a little surprise but she stops and whips out a large knife from her thigh and turns on me in an attack position.

Seeing her sloppy form I have time to react and cast a precise wind spell to disarm Ingrid, sending the dagger flying across the front lawn. Her eyes go wide with worry at the quick spell and then she looks at me with a great big grin.

"Now, is that any way to greet someone th-" I begin to jokingly lecture, but Ingrid cuts me off as she dives into my chest for a hug and mumbles out from my robes, "Welcome back! We missed you!"

I step back and push Ingrid back a bit to get a better look at her who seems ecstatic to see me, which genuinely warms my heart. She smiles back at me before panic quickly sets on her face as she exclaims, "Wait! My dagger!"

Ingrid darts across the front lawn to gather her weapon which she places back in her sheath before returning in front of me and asks, "Father said you'd be coming soon, but not when. How was academy?"

"It was fine. Filled with work and study, but I'm glad to have a break from it all."

"Good to hear, Santos. How long are you back?"

"For the month until the next semester starts. But until then I have experiments and trials to run in the meantime. Plus it seems I'll be traveling with your family to some events tomorrow…"

Ingrid's eyes go wide with glee, "You're coming with us to Fraldarius?! That's great news!"

I suppress a chuckle at the girl's excitement and reply, "Yep. I'll be there by your father's side to look pretty for the other nobility. Don't worry, I won't try and steal your thunder. It's not like I can compete with your cuteness anyways."

Ingrid's face becomes flush with embarrassment and a bit red as she stammers, "I-it's n-not like that's, uh, well…-" I cut off the distressed teen and reassure, "I'm just joking around. I'm sure things will be smooth and you can introduce me to your friends when your father doesn't have me talking with the other lords."

Ingrid takes a few deep breaths to steel herself, "Yes. That'd be good. I'd like to do that. Plus you'll meet our future king, Prince Dimitri. He's about my age and a good friend of mine since we were little."

"Sounds like fun. Now, let's head in and get packed upright? We got a long morning ahead and I'm interested to see what's for dinner tonight."

Ingrid nods and replies, "Good suggestion. Let's go in. Plus, I want to hear more stories from you. I've missed them. Any idea for one tonight?"

I chuckle a bit at her endearing tone making her seem much younger than she actually is and reply, "Sure, I got one for tonight. After dinner, you'll learn about La Llorona."

"Is that a knight?" Ingrid curious asks as we approach the large double doors to the front of the estate and I shake my head, "No, it's a different part of my culture. No chivalry, it's more on the side of horror. A cautionary tale."

Ingrid nervously looks at me asking, "So...it's scary? Like ghosts?"

"Mhmmm. But don't worry, it's just a story. Besides, variety is good. It's not all about slaying dragons and gallant knights after all. You'll find life is more complex and different lessons come from different stories."

After organizing my relatively untouched room for some horticulture experiments when I return from the meet and greet in Fraldarius territory, packing up my meager belongings, and riding with Count Galatea and Ingrid was relatively light-hearted. We joked and shared what we had done in the past half a year apart, which for me was relatively easy since I just recounted my daily schedule and some of the antics Amelia and I would get into at the bar with some of the other staff proctors. I felt relaxed and dare say it; happy.

Fraldarius territory compared to Galatea is much more heavily wooded and a bit colder since its nearing the northern border of the kingdom. Apparently, according to Leif the area is well known for fox and deer hunting and they make a great deal of their wealth from pelts, clothing and other tanning trades. Also, the area acts as a sort of boot camp for many burgeoning knights in the kingdom, so as we approached the large Fraldarius family estate hidden deep within the woods many different obstacle courses could be seen on the sides of the road. A bit similar to what a military boot camp would look like on Earth but much more medieval.

As the Galatea carriage is riding up to the roundabout in front of the manor Leif leans over and tells me, "Santos, you'll be by my side. We will make introductions and then you'll be left to your devices until dinner. Harald packed some proper robes of a court mage for you."

I nod to my superior, "Sounds good. I trust Harald's fashion sense considering how sharp he looks all the time."

"Indeed. He's helped me since I was a boy and has yet to let me down. Now, let's be on our way. Don't want to keep Rodrigue waiting."

The three of us depart from the main carriage and make our way across the large dirt pathway to the very rustic and woodsman like log mansion. The structure gives off a very heavy frontier vibe that also exudes wealth in excess. I look to see Ingrid has already said a quick goodbye to her father to go and seek out her friends as she runs to the left side of the manor and into a large garden area. The Count and I enter into the lofty three-story mansion that seems to be entirely made of some kind of cedar or mahogany.

Two maids immediately bow to the two of us as we enter the building and the older matronly one pipes up, "I'll fetch Master Fraldarius. Margrave Gautier is also here as well, Count Galatea.

"Excellent. Lead on, Beatrice," Commands Count Galatea as we are led through the brightly lit manor. Many sconces and taxidermied animal heads line the walls of the place as we are led down a large hallway to a giant foyer.

Inside the foyer, I see a few well-dressed men and women with a few servants scattered around serving drinks and food from the looks of it. Count Galatea in his element announces, "Greetings everyone. Sorry if I am tardy, it's hard not to get lost in the majesty of the wilderness out here."

"Of course, we all know you, it wasn't because you slept in again, Count," A dark long haired pale man in a light blue and black suit replies with a smile. The room is quiet for a brief second before both men erupt into laughter and embrace each other into a warm welcoming hug.

"So you going to tell me how the hunts went Rodrigue?"

"Only after you have some appetizers, my friend, looks like you're a bit lighter than usual."

Count Galatea pats his belly replying, "Potatoes and good wine is the secret!"

Both men have another chuckle briefly before a short red-haired man in luxurious furs asks in a gruff tone, "And what guest did you bring today Leif?"

Breaking away from Rodrigue, Count Galatea addresses the bulky, mustached redhead, "Ah, Margrave Gautier. You look in good health as always. This over here is my personal mage, Dr. Santos Capetillo. He hails from Almyra."

Receiving a glance from Leif encouraging me to speak I reply, "It is an honor to be here and meet all of you."

I bow to all the people in the room and notice Rodrigue come over to shake my hand and declare, "Welcome to my home. I'm sure this is quite different than what you are accustomed to, but I hope you enjoy the hospitality."

"Thank you Lord Fraldarius," I reply with a smile. Just as I'm about to settle into a chair around the common table with the other lords and ladies a servant enters the room hastily, and a bit out of breath the woman huffs out, "There has 'gasp' been an injury on the training grounds."

"Who is it?" Rodrigue inquires in a very serious tone to which the maid replies, "It's Felix. He and Prince Dimitri were sparring again. I don't know the extent of the injury just that the Prince sent me to find help."

Rodrigue seems like he is trying to formulate what to say, but Leif interjects, "Allow me, Rodrigue. I can send Santos down to the yard to investigate. He is a skilled doctor and mage, more than any I've met before."

Rodrigue looks to his comrade and nods before looking at me asking, "Do you think you can handle the situation?"

"I can assess the damage and I'm quite confident in my medical and healing capabilities," I calmly reply in my most professional tone and receive a hand motion from Rodrigue to dismiss me and a pat on the back from Count Galatea.

I chase after the maid through the house to the backyard into another small building that reminds me of an arena-like gymnasium. The sawdust and dirt ground is perfectly cultivated inside the building as we pass a small entrance hallway with several suits of armor on stands and weapons on display. We enter the main training ground to see several kids and a few other staff circled around a dark-haired boy who has a striking resemblance to Rodrigue, with a face contorted in pain as he is favoring his left arm heavily.

Around him, I notice Ingrid is there changed into leather combat gear and beside her is a red-haired boy who has a look of boredom on his face. Across from them is a shaggy blonde-haired boy in a well-tailored outfit with a larger dark-skinned kid who looks like he is made of stone from his unmoving impassive expression. I can see wooden practice swords scattered across the arena and what looks like an older red-haired gentleman in combat plate hovering over the dark-haired boy tending to his wound.

"I brought help, This man is a doctor!" The maid shouts as she ushers me through the small crowd to directly in front of the teenager in pain.

I crouch down to his level and ask him, "Tell me where does it hurt."

"My wrist. I heard something snap," The kid mumbles to me as he looks away from my eyes.

I focus on using Heal on his wrist and channel a decent amount of mana into the spell. After a moment of glowing around my hand and his wrist, I stop the spell and investigate the damage. As I reach for his wrist he pulls his arm away from me and I restrain myself from rolling my eyes at his childish reaction and state, "Let me see your wrist. I need to see if it needs further attention."

He begrudgingly nods and lets me feel his wrist to assess more damage. I feel that the bones have mended back together and the swelling has decreased but the discoloration is still present. Finally having a diagnosis I look to the boy and say, "Seems my spell healed the major damage, but you're going to be sore for a few days and twisting motions will hurt for a week or so. I advise getting this bundled up and avoid swordplay for at least a week to have it properly heal."

The kid brushes me off and stands up confidently saying, "Thanks, but I'm fine. I'll just use my other hand."

"Maybe we should take a break Felix…it was a pretty nasty hit," The blonde-haired boy tentatively voices out to which Felix shoots him a dirty glare and mutters, "Grab your sword, Dimitri. We need to finish our duel."

The older swordsman speaks up now to the young Felix, "I agree with the doctor and Prince Dimitri. You should rest and take a break."

Felix continues to protest as he grabs one of the wooden swords on the ground and argues with the older man I learn is named Gilbert and the blonde Dimitri. After about 15 seconds of pointless banter that Ingrid and the other kid I quickly learn from Felix's protests name is Sylvain I close my eyes and interject, "Hey, let's calm down. Could we not get into another fight?"

Seemingly no one hears my plea through the loud talking and arguing and I sigh heavily. Having enough of the pointless debate amongst teenagers I focus on another spell in my repertoire, once again targeted at Felix, but with a very different effect in mind.

"No, I'm fine! I won't lose the duel just because of my wrist, it was-" Felix rants until suddenly stopping mid-sentence and passing out. Gilbert manages to catch his body before it slams into the arena floor and everybody looks quite confused and shocked.

I nonchalantly look around and offhandedly comment, "He must have overworked himself and passed out. Stress can do that especially if the body has been in shock and if there was a loss of blood."

"Very well. I'll take Felix up to his room where he can recover in peace," Gilbert declares as he carries Felix bridal style out of the arena with the two other maids in tow.

With the drama gone from the now very quiet arena, Sylvain muses, " So...want to wrap up training for today? I think I've had enough excitement."

"Not yet. I haven't got to spar yet, and it's been ages since I've competed against any of you," Ingrid interjects while throwing a dirty look in Sylvain's direction.

"I'll sit out and watch. I think I've had enough excitement and I wouldn't want to hurt anyone again like with Felix," Comments Dimitri as he and his tall retainer head towards the sideline to watch.

"You and me Sylvain, go get a sword. I'm certain I can get the better of you this time. I've been training a lot."

"Fine, have it your way, Ingrid. You going to stick around, Doctor?"

"Yeah, I figure I can heal anybody up that might get injured again," I reply to Sylvain and Ingrid who acknowledge my answer. I head to the sidelines as the teens begin to square off against each other. I walk over towards Dimitri and his tall friend to which Dimitri stands in front of me and deeply bows while rambling, "I'd like to thank you very much for helping Felix. I know he won't show his appreciation, but I do know he is thankful for your timely intervention. As crown prince, I, Dimitri Blayddyd would like to thank you on his behalf."

"It's my job to patch people up, so don't think too hard about it. Just happy to help."

"It was strange how Felix suddenly passed out," The large teen next to Dimitri comments while locking his eyes onto mine, and Dimitri brings up his hand to his chin whilst thinking out loud, "That was strange Dedue. You sure it was from stress?"

"Someone was getting stressed out, that's for sure. I just moved the issue along," I deadpan comment as I focus my eyes to the sparring match taking place in the middle of the arena.

I hear a small chuckle from Dimitri as he replies, "Huh, guess that's one way to administer bedrest. I presume that's not typical medical practice?"

"I'm not your typical kind of doctor. Considering I've traveled around a lot and that I'm under contract with the Galatea family, I don't think I'm a usual case."

"With your resume and knowledge, would you consider working with the royal family once your contract is up? Considering from what I've heard in brief conversations with Rodrigue, Count Galatea has been quite proud of his new mage. The Kingdom needs capable people helping out."

I consider Dimitri's well-crafted ploy but shake my head, "An interesting offer, but I'm afraid I can't commit to something like that. I'm usually pretty independent, and besides, I remember the royal family already has a court mage in Cornelia, correct your highness?"

Dimitri takes a second to compose himself as it seems he didn't anticipate my refusal and counters, "That is true...but I'm sure a physician and mage of your talents could fit somewhere in the big picture, regardless of others positions. Something new could open up."

"Maybe, but let's not be too hasty to make plans. Our futures are murky at best in these times. Let's not get carried away," I warn the eager prince who solemnly nods and quietly replies, "Of course. Let's watch the match instead? It seems Sylvain's slacking is catching up with him."

I smile to the prince and nod and the three of us watch the rest of the spar in silence. Watching the two teens clash with each other my mind drifts to my future experiments. The goal to heal Galatea's land through the crazy plan of magically infused blood. Something that would get me an instant stamp of malpractice and potentially label me a looney back on Earth, but here it's real. I watch the backs of the two students of warfare, each embroidered with the crest of their family. The crests that flow through certain individual's bloodlines and grant them power by the goddess. The power that even stretches beyond conventional magic. The kind of power that even the most powerful mages and politicians strived to possess and control. Like me right now. Like Sevihn before more.

My posture becomes rigid and I feel sweat begin to bead on my palms as an epiphany had struck me. Magic was only a small means to the greater answer of how I would get home, but it relied on crests. Sevihn had used Sothal's ancient blood to power a ritual but it was incomplete since so many died and I nearly died myself.

"...But with the power of the goddess combined…" I whisper to myself as my eyes are locked on the crest symbols emblazoned on the backs of Sylvain and Ingrid. I had cracked the puzzle. Two parts of a greater whole. The Beginning and The End would become one. I have the idea and the ingredients to make the magic happen, just now it needs direction. A catalyst to impart my will on. A compass to lead my way home.

"You okay doctor? You're sweating. Did you exert yourself too much earlier when healing Felix?" I hear Dimitri ask beside me in a genuine tone of curiosity.

I look over to him with a wide smile on my face showing a bit of teeth, "No, I'm fine. The sparring is just exciting. Watching people move gives me ideas."

Dimitri nods and returns his attention to the spar that's winding down, but across from Dimitri, I notice Dedue stare at me for a moment longer silently with an unreadable expression before returning his attention to the match that Ingrid has managed to take the victory in.

"I win! Take that Sylvain!" Ingrid cheers as she tosses her blade to the ground and throws her arms up. Dimitri approaches and he congratulates her while scolding Sylvain for not taking training seriously, though Sylvain doesn't seem too bothered by the comments.

Ingrid runs up to me and exclaims, "What did you think Santos? I borrowed a few moves that you described in your stories. Like Lancelot."

With my mind elsewhere with racing thoughts on how to conduct the perfect portal to see what I had longed for I dismissively reply, "Yes, quite good. With skills like that, I'd be surprised if you didn't find your own Excalibur in the future."

"Well I mean there is Luin, the Galatea hero's relic. I have the crest to wield it, so maybe that is a bit like pulling a sword from the stone, right Santos?"

I pause to consider what Ingrid had just implied to me unknowingly. A catalyst like a hero's relic would be perfect. It literally comes from legend directly from the goddess. It's all lining up for me, thanks in part to my deeper understanding of crestology at the academy and then being surrounded by a bunch of nobles with crests. I'm so close to my goal, I can almost smell the warm Arizona air on my skin again.

I look to Ingrid with an endearing look and ask, "Say, Ingrid, when we return would you be interested in helping me with my experiments? Your father and I have been talking about fixing the lands, and I could use another pair of hands," I gesture with my one arm to my lacking left side.

Ingrid's face lights up as she exclaims, "Of course Santos! Just let me know and I'll be ready to help you!"

"Good. It may seem a bit strange, but that's what experimenting is all about. Just like training new techniques," I reassure her as I give a high five and motion for her to return to her friends.

Ingrid giddily skips back to the center of the arena to talk more with Dimitri and Sylvain about their duel as I take a seat on the ground and look up at the torches on the walls lighting up the domed arena. I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes to take in the smell of sweat and sawdust.

"It won't be long now. I'm coming home," I remark to myself as I smile at the ceiling.

A/N: It's late! I apologize sincerely! With holidays here and having to scrap nearly 2,000 words as this was a challenging chapter to write, I fell behind on my self-imposed schedule. Grr. But A day late isn't too bad, right?

Some other things I'd like to cover is some milestones here with now over 100 alerts and 50 favorites and 13k views, I have to say that I didn't expect such interest when trying to write up my first dedicated attempt at a story, so I'm thankful for the feedback and attention, and hopefully, you've enjoyed it for what its worth. This ride has only begun as we are about to enter the meat of the story really soon. So strap in :) and as always if you want to leave some feedback or just yell words at me I'll reply to your review.

Review Response:

VGBlackwing: Because that might actually happen. Also, her character is very controlling and likes to have something over others. Politics at its core.

Next Chapter: 12/28-12/29

Have a great day and enjoy the holidays!

edited: 12/29/19