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I remembered sitting by a lone tree, its branches creaking under the sway of a gentle breeze.

I remembered the sea of endless colors, its visage stretching beyond the boundary.

I remembered the world as it once was, silver towers that threatened to break through the heavens.

As it once was.

To me, this was my world now. An oasis where reality and fantasy were indistinguishable. Of dreamy perennials endless in their horizon. Boundless in their bounty.

"It's called an Aster."

A gentle and sudden voice had me look up, breaking through the shell of my thoughts. A little girl not so much older than myself greeted me with a warm smile.

"The flower in your hand," she pointed, "is called an Aster."

Ah, yes. She was my sister now. A stranger up until a few days ago.

I looked from the field of flowers around me to the bloom in my hand.

Thessia had always been big, but all I knew then were the moments I lived a life like any little girl. The aircars that whizzed high in the sky, a gentle hand that pulled me along down the street, and a warmth, waiting for me at home.

The beauty here was unlike anything I've known, but for all its colors, it lacked the familiar spark I had once known. The diverse fields of flowers so meticulously crafted were familiar, however. With the guidance and care I found myself yearning for. The Naraius lands were just that, a garden unlike any in Thessia.

And for good reason. Did you know that ecologists and botanists all across the world protested the mixture of both alien and native fauna? It was for a good reason, obviously, as the impact of alien lifeforms could impact the environment of the planet in unforeseen ways.

And yet, the Naraius family did so with defiance.

A defiance that I later came to appreciate as I grew older. And one exemplified by how the gardens thrived under weathered scrutiny.

From their existence gave rise to the genera unforeseen anywhere in the galaxy… to the very bloom held delicately in my hands.

Ever so gently, I brought it closer before me. And like a fan, twirled when I rubbed the stem with my thumb across the edge of my index finger.

Bright and yellow was its center—a stigma—as it's called.

"An Aster…" I repeated, naive reverence naked for all to see.

And as I stared, I was drawn further in—caught in its rapture. Memories of broken promises and tears crept into my vision.

But the purple, so magnificent, so powerful… washed it all away.

All that was left was a future. My future.

Defiance yet to be written, and a future held so delicately in the palm of my hands.

Archer was annoyed.

Despite all that he's seen in his life—afterlife, whatever—there were times when even someone like him could be amazed.

And being in the Citadel happened to be one of those times. Like something torn from the sci-fi movies of his youth.

He rarely, if ever, had a chance to explore interests outside his line of work, but in this one rare instance, he finally had a chance to do just that. A drastic change from the static thoughts he constantly held. Amusingly, he was surprised that he retained the ability to feel such wonder in the first place.

As fascinating as the alien sitting across from him was, he just wanted to leave.

"Shirou Emiya."

Piercing was his steel eyes when he looked up from his musings. Endless black were those of its speaker. Young—impulsive even—but tempered. Despite its alien nature, his own ancient eyes had seen much throughout the ages.

He let out a silent sigh.

"Archer. Just Archer is fine."

Amusingly, he thought he saw a flicker of annoyance in its—his eyes, but then again, it was his first time seeing an actual alien—a salarian, he corrected, such as this one.

"Well, Just Archer, you may call me Nolal."

He smirked at the unexpected humor. Despite his luck, he was eternally grateful that they could communicate. However the hell that worked.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Let's start from the beginning."

Just Archer nodded.

"What were you doing so late out this night?"

Hm, what was he doing? Everything happened so quickly. Even to someone like him. For some reason, he lacked the ability to use his spiritual form. And the stream of knowledge that was usually imparted to him before a summoning just wasn't there.

The authorities here are surprisingly fast.

This wasn't the worst interro—questioning room he's ever been in at least. But then again, the last time he was detained was when he was actually alive.

If only he could use Eye of the Mind here. Too bad there was no sense of danger. Yet.

But no use lamenting over things.

From his short existence here there was a surprising amount of resemblance to his old world.

Sure the people may be different, but from the few humans he's seen there had to be commonalities he could exploit.

"I was out for a walk."

Or he could try making it up as he goes and see where that takes him. If all else fails, he could just leave. Weird summoning as it was, he doubted that anything here could actually hurt him. Though, he'd rather not test that possibility just yet.

"Out for a walk," Nolal deadpanned. "At this hour and dressed like that?"

Oh, right.

"It's a necessity for my line of work. And besides, I'm new here," he shrugged, keeping his tone casual. "I'm still adjusting to the hours so I thought a late-night walk would help."

Half of what he said was technically true. From what he could tell from his host's expression, if he could read it correctly, there's no form of future tech present that could distinguish him from dishonesty. Otherwise, they would have known that he wasn't exactly… human.

But that isn't to say that the person across from him took everything he's said at face value.

Archer was a fish out of the water, even with the scant information he was given.

While he couldn't exactly compare alien behavior with the humans from his time, logically, they seem to follow some sort of protocol.

And the sequence of events unfolding came to a logical conclusion.

The prestigious-looking tower. The rapid response of authorities. The heavy guard on the way here. The type of questions he was asked.

And from those very questions he concluded that the person he saved wasn't exactly your ordinary citizen.

To get involved with someone like that while lacking crucial information was dangerous. The knowledge and wisdom he could have drawn on were mostly dependent on human behavior, while most everyone he's seen so far was, well, not exactly human.

And he was pretty sure he was summoned by her.

At least, she was a her, right? He couldn't tell with aliens, but it seemed so obvious with the blue ones.

A bit of a supposition, but the feeling in his gut agreed. For now, Archer has his goal.

Nolal was annoyed.

Annoyed that everyone else who could have been here was either busy or unavailable.

Annoyed that he was taken away from actual important things he was working on.

But most of all, annoyed that the human sitting right in front of him wasn't exactly normal.

Call it 'inductive reasoning,' because, from the evidence so far and his nonchalant attitude, he was certainly not normal.

A walk, huh?

But abnormal or not, he had to look at this with reason and logic anyways.

At the time, this Archer had every chance to do whatever nefarious things with the Councilor then. Instead, he simply handed her over. As he was told by his colleagues before they brought him in, Archer was calm, even with all the guns pointed at him. Not like someone caught in the act of doing something illegal.

But it was all too suspicious.

Perhaps that was why they brought him in here instead of calling in the usual detectives. A simple analyst made to interro—question—the subject already confirmed that his superiors knew of his talents, especially on human behavior.

How annoying.

Maybe he could get something before news broke out to the public. And Councilor Tevos had her fair share of admirers. Dealing with angry asari wasn't exactly fun.

Pft, not his problem to deal with.

Still, he did promise Pallin to do this.

He eyed the human sitting in front of him.

Neutral brows. Slightly parted lips. Shoulders lax. Chest marginally forward. Denotes confidence. Supremely so.

"If I may, what exactly do you do?" he asked.

Archer frowned. Interesting.

"Private contracting."

"Private contracting?" he repeated.

The man nodded.

Cases that involved high-profile figures like Councilors always denoted a certain level of scrutiny.

Nolal knew what he did for a living, of course. Besides, his outfit certainly did give out the impression of a soldier, even with all that bright red. Oddly enough, there were no kinetic barriers or outgoing communication devices detected. But his torso was encased in some sort of body armor.

The man was earthborn, never having been to the Citadel before. A freelancer that worked on legal, private security in Alliance territory. Background check fits so far; if a little scarce in actual info on the nature of his jobs.

His choice of career did trigger a red flag though. As well as the location of where they found him. For a freelance mercenary to be strolling around in the Silver City, someone like him wouldn't have been—shouldn't have been—let in in the first place. And why come to the Citadel now if all of his business was usually conducted in Alliance space?

Too coincidental. His clothing. His demeanor. His location. His job. His involvement. And strange enough, his lack of an omni-tool.

The timing was just too coincidental.

And none of that even explained how he did the things he did.

"I see," the salarian mumbled, eyeing the human. He brought up his arm and activated his omni-tool, typing in a couple of commands.

"Mr. Archer. I do find it remarkable that without biotics or a hardsuit that you were able to catch someone falling from the sixteenth story and come off uninjured as you look."

An orange haptic screen popped into existence in front of the man.

"I never knew humans were so physically capable."

Shown before him in high-definition were dents on the walkway, discovered shortly by C-Sec analysts.

"That sidewalk was made from a metal matrix hybrid composite with the ability to support over eight metric tons of weight. A fully armored krogan army could hop up and down that street without so much as causing a scratch."

Archer's expression remained unchanged, his grey eyes went over the display before looking back up. Whatever he expected the human to say was wiped away as he had the audacity to smirk at him.

"Perhaps I'm just stronger than I look."

He wanted to snort out a response. Unexpected and yet, unsurprised from the little he's seen of the human.

For however long Nolal indulged in his own 'hobby,' the unexpected was something of the norm.

However, it was never sitting in front of him like this. It was the little things that he noticed that were off, but knowing where to look allowed him to see it in plain sight.

And all it took was less than five minutes.

Logic and reason. Those were the tenets of every modern sapient species, but to his kind especially, they might as well be sacred script.

But when faced with the extraordinary, would it be enough?

He fell. From the top of that tower. Boot and knee marks match footwear and physic.

But no equipment or biotics? Unless part of some secret System's Alliance super-soldier program, then that is simply…

Archer wasn't a suspect. Not officially. And whether he knew it or not, C-Sec couldn't hold him longer than 24 hours without the appropriate permissions.

It was his job to locate patterns but the patterns don't exactly make sense.

Humans. So strange.

"No matter how one looks at it, what you did just wasn't possible. Not without biotics or some specially designed hardsuit."

And you clearly weren't trying to terminate or abduct the Councilor, so then—

"Archer…
Emiya Shirou…

"Who are you?"
What are you?

But before the man could respond, the doors slid open revealing a very annoyed asari in all-black marching right in.

She didn't even deign to give him a glance, her only focus was on the human who merely greeted her with a raised eyebrow.

"Up," her voice stern.

Not anyone recognizably important or from the station. No, wait…

He eyed her upper sleeve.

Dammit.

The salarian got up before the human did, having already understood the situation.

"A pleasure, Just Archer. It seems like your friends from high places have need of you."

He walked past the asari and even by his gaping colleagues in the hallway as if they weren't even there. It was out of his hands now.

Sorry, Executor. If Tevos's own came then not even you could override that given authority.

Nolal sat back down in his little corner of the station's work area, a tidy desk with not much to showcase in terms of personal decor.

But there was one thing he had. A reminder of his purpose here.

He buried a hand into his pocket, his thumb rubbing the polished metal he carried with him everywhere he went.

If logic and reason wouldn't give him the answers he wanted, then perhaps faith could point him to the right answers.

This isn't over, Shirou Emiya.

I still remembered the pitter-patter of my footsteps walking down that hallway next to the loggia.

They were always immaculate in their presentation, the hallways, I mean. The chirping melodies of the birds added to the scene, filling the air with their voice.

And the servants, ever so considerate, gave me a wide berth whenever they walked past me, barely an acknowledgment to my presence. How respectful.

I felt my head hang a little lower.

But it was to be, the origins of my birth a hanging fruit for all those who knew even a little of me.

Everything about that day was so crystal clear to me. Unlike the skies, cloudy as they were then. Mother and sister were gone for the day and I had the estate all to my own.

In hindsight, it was a perfect moment, all things considered.

That was where I found myself, as if in a single moment, a blindfold over my eyes with my hands and feet bounded.

I remembered struggling, yelling out, only to hear my own muffled voice.

How did this happen, a rational part of me wondered in my stupor.

Someone came stomping in, their steps filled with impatience and anger.

"Shut the fuck up!" to what I assumed was an asari.

I tried, I truly did. Fear came lancing down my spine at her words. But the kick to my gut told me that I didn't try hard enough. Not with the sniffles coming out.

I felt like throwing up, but I couldn't, even if I wanted to. So confused and scared as I was, I didn't want to be here. Alone in the dark, I mean.

Mo—She… had always said to keep my chin up, to smile even in the darkest of times. Because to smile even when it hurts… is strength.

A lesson my dazed little mind clung to in those dark hours.

Tears came, as expected, but I kept myself quiet. Quiet as the hours—then the days—went on. When my captors came and fed me. When I relieved myself under their supervision. Because I knew then, that despite the darkness that was all around me, I had to keep my chin up and smile.

I would be strong.

After Azalea's little stunt at C-Sec Headquarters, the walk to the aircar went uninterrupted, despite all the angry looks from the turians she walked by. Archer agreed to accompany her after a brief introduction. The ride was going smoothly too. Thankfully, there was a lack of traffic this early in the morning.

Claim the wins, however small, a voice rang in her head.

In the brief time humans have lived in the Citadel, Azalea had never seen a human dressed like him before.

He was slightly taller than the average male of his kind. White 'hair,' as they call it, that's partially slicked back. Tan skin with eyes so grey they matched the color of unpolished steel. And those muscles; corded and tight, as seen through his black armor.

Is this a vain thing? she wondered, eyeing the abs. Then again, she was an asari. A race with a reputation for being vain at times.

The human gave off an air of a warrior of some sort. Almost like those of the Sohei, or a Justicar.

The red certainly fits with the latter.

"Is everything alright?" the human asked in the backseat.

Azalea would have jumped from her musings if it wasn't for her discipline.

No. No, it is not.

"For now," she managed to sound out.

She really didn't want to think about it.

Azalea felt an odd tension in the air as silence settled in. Even when she didn't want too, she couldn't help but think back. Of what she said. Of what she saw. Of what had happened.

"Do you think anyone would really care… if I just vanished?"

Her breathing became heavy, holding back the torrent of emotions.

Here she was, thoughts drifting of the human she had just picked up while Lady Tevos lay comatose.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Toxicology came out clean and there were no discernable physical marks.

So then why?

The healers are doing everything they can, but it isn't honestly much. What can chirurgeons heal when there's nothing to heal?

She had to be patient. She had to learn how to. But this… this is maddening.

Why, Lady Tevos, why won't you wake up?

"Hey, HEY! Watch out!"

Azalea quickly looked up and jerked the steering wheel before smashing into oncoming traffic, the alarm of the aircar going silent.

The commando activated the auto-pilot, her heart beating like a drum as she leaned back.

"I… I apologize," she breathed out.

Get it together, Azalea. Lady Tevos would be disgusted with your lack of control.

She was sure of it, but after the last couple of weeks, she was unsure what she would think now.

The commando rubbed her shoulder, finding the gesture oddly soothing.

"You must be really close to her," his voice soft.

She didn't answer him at first, bringing her head down.

"I would like to think so."

The matron shook her head, collecting herself.

"I apologize for the display, Ser Emiya," bringing in more force into her tone. "Please, bear with me a moment longer. I only ask that you keep your questions to yourself for now. And please don't worry. We're not C-Sec. I won't hold you without due cause once this is over."

She could feel his eyes staring at the back of her crest, analyzing her words.

"The name is Archer and you can drop the Ser. But other than that, I understand."

"Thank you," she said, finding herself surprised when she released a held breath.

Undoing the autopilot, the rest of the trip went without another word or incident, Azalea keeping her focus on the drive.

She knew it wouldn't be long now before the press catches wind of the situation and chaos ensues. With the Citadel still recovering, the death of the Naraius Matriarch, and now this, she could already feel the stress piling on just thinking about it.

Perhaps she should send an apology and note of thanks to Lady Nassana later today.

At least, she was glad that C-Sec was still willing to forward current information on the investigation so far. Even with the stunt she pulled taking Archer away from them.

Normally, she wouldn't care how zealous C-Sec could sometimes be, but if Archer really wished harm to Lady Tevos, there was nothing anyone could have done to stop him.

She shook her head. Relying on someone else's intentions was a grave and naive security flaw.

But that doesn't change the fact that she owed him. She didn't care how he did it, she was just glad that there was someone there to catch her.

When I couldn't.

The matron brought the aircar in slowly to the parking area and the two stepped out.

In the middle of the Silver City was Lis'irha T'pejin Memorial Hospital. A place of healing exclusively dedicated to the Citadel's most wealthy and powerful.

With the investigation ongoing and the situation as it is, she made sure it was a virtual fortress.

As evident by the two fully armored and armed guards that came to greet her.

"Thank the Goddess, we were trying to contact you and feared the worst when you weren't responding."

Quickly she looked down at her omni-tool to see several priority messages blinking at the corner of the small display.

"Oh."

"Anyways, now that you're here you have to come up quickly!"

"What's happened?" Azalea's asked, her voice serious. "Did something go wrong?"

"Not exactly," she said, almost as if to bite her lower lip. "But someone from Thessia is here. A Valyer from the Arkadium."

The commando widened her eyes before suddenly taking off, leaving everyone behind in a state of shock.

The elevators were too slow.

In her thoughts, there was only one way up. The doors slid open, and there she stopped—at the base of the stairs.

Azalea Rais looked up. It's too bad there wasn't an opening at the center.

The commando crouched down into a sprinter's stance and closed her eyes.

The world around her ceased to be, and at that moment, all she felt was the trickle of power flow through her. From her head, from her heart, from the tips of her fingers, a soft, blue aura encompassed her body like a second skin.

Willing the energy down to her feet, the energy pooled beneath her form.

It was in that instance, when eyes suddenly opened, that the world moved.

Like a bullet she shot forward, reorienting herself in mid-air thanks to the properties of element zero, and planted her feet on the wall like something out of a movie.

Up and up she went, repeating her flash steps in a zig-zag pattern until she reached the floor she was at.

The 17th. And coincidentally, it was the same number of seconds needed to reach it.

A brief flash of her master appeared in her mind. Too slow, she would have said.

Just like the sliding doors. Too damn slow to open up.

But as soon as they did she blurred once more through the hallway in a single flash step, blinking through nurses and doctors standing her way.

A Valyer. Here. Her thoughts raced.

Things were in motion too quickly. It hadn't even been a full day since the incident.

Azalea was politically savvy enough to know that sending a Valyer outside of asari space was monumental. Sending a Justicar is terrifying enough, but a Valyer could mean a number of things. Some potentially worst.

With them, it's especially important with whom they sent as well.

The commando stopped just short of Lady Tevos's room, the placed guards surprised at her sudden appearance.

"M-ma'am!"

Azalea straightened herself up, settling her thoughts and the beat of her heart.

"Report."

The two looked at each other before the one closest to her answered.

"All she gave us was a confirmation of her status as someone from the Arkadium and a name. Nothing else."

"Her name?"

The guard nodded.

"Lady Rika T'lain, Valyer of the Wandering Blade."

"Ah, hello there."

Her voice was melodious, like those from the consort. A type of voice that was almost engineered to lower your guard.

She wore a shapely lakrasheen, a traditional dress from the southern areas of Thessia, and even in the darkness of the room, the commando could tell there was more to the dress than it seemed.

Just like the unusually long warp blade at her waist. How she got that through customs was anyone's guess.

"Am I to believe that you are the one called, 'Azalea Rais,' her ladyship's captain of the guard?" she asked.

"I am. You must be Lady Rika T'lain," Azalea returned, a wisp of mist coming out. She tried hard to keep her voice from sounding guarded.

The Valyer turned to her, a veil covering her upper face, but a smile that felt oddly endearing greeted her.

Azalea's eyes widened at its familiarity.

"I had felt the flow of the Art streaming through the hallways. I am glad that the inheritance of power still resides within you."

Her words added to her shock.

So that's who she is.

She drew upon the teachings of Siara to calm her heart.

"I thank you for your praise, Messere Rika," offering a slight bow. "Though I am not averse to your presence, I am curious at the nature of your visit."

"Ah, yes," she turned away from the commando and to the occupant laying in the bed. The EKG's steady beep gently filled the air.

"I was sent by the High Matriarchs to make an assessment of the situation."

"I… I could only assume. And may I ask what this 'assessment' and 'situation' entails?" Azalea cautiously asked.

"Whether or not Tevos Naraius is fit to continue her duty as Counselor for the Republics."

She took a step forward, "But my Lady, it hasn't even been a full day. Surely you could withhold your assessment until she awakens?"

"It's not what you think, Serah Rais," softly shaking her head. "There had been unfortunate discoveries regarding House Naraius with past financial dealings made illegal by both Council and Republic law. It's unfortunate that when I came to make my inquires that I find her in such a state."

She held back her words, afraid of saying the wrong thing. It's true that she knew some of Tevos's dealings back when she was a member of the board, as well as that incident, but she tended to look away. If only for her own peace of mind.

Still…

"My lady, what would they have done if they found her guilty of these suspicions?" she carefully asked.

"That is not for me to decide. I was only requested to escort her back to Thessia if she were found wanting."

"But she's the Councilor! She isn't beholden to regular laws of the Republic unless there was an issued subpoena. And that's only if there's a majority vote by the Chamber of Matriarchs!"

Rika T'lain's eyes never left the slumbering Councilor, taking a moment to answer the Captain's outburst.

"There was a vote held two days ago," she gently stated. "It was made after the death of the Naraius High Matriarch. Paperwork and dealings were made aware to the Chamber by none other than Selica Naraius and in a unanimous vote, Councilor Tevos Naraius was to be brought forth to the Matriarchs for judgment."

Azalea almost felt herself fall to her knees. It was bad enough to have recently been informed by the High Matriarch's death, but to hear that none other than her Lady's own sister took this action against her?

"After the presented evidence," seemingly unaware of Azalea's turmoil, "There were demands to send in the Justicars. It was House Beyfor that help mediate the outrage and requested the Arkadium to instead send one of their own. And thus, I was sent."

"The… Beyfors?" Azalea asked, dumbfounded. "Why would they mediate on the matter?"

"I know not why. The intricacies of such a decision elude me, even in the face of the family's… discontent with one another."

The matron took a silent, deep breath. Even if Lady Tevos would never awaken again, they would strip her of every honor, position, and reference of her across Council space. The Chamber of Matriarchs could be vindictive that way if it's as bad as she thinks it is.

"What will you do now, Messere Rika?"

"It's unfortunate, but I was asked to bring her in. A transfer to a more suitable establishment in Thessia where she will be observed and further assessed."

Azalea knew she had to stop it. At the moment, Thessia was the most dangerous place Lady Tevos could be at the moment.

The betrayal of Lady Selica Naraius, the unanimous vote of the High Matriarchs, using a Valyer as a messenger/escort, of this Rika T'lain, the timing of it all. It's rife with the stench of political maneuvering. One she was hopeless to even begin to understand.

Under their care, there's no telling what they would do to her.

Lady Tevos had to wake up now more than ever. As Councilor and declared High Matriarch of the Naraius family by inheritance, only she could find a way out of this predicament.

She knew what she had to do. In the art of war, redirecting the floodwaters is sometimes held as the wisest decision.

She had to buy time.

"Messere Rika, I have no qualms with a transfer to Thessia. I only ask, as captain of her guard, that she remains until the chirurgeons finish their own tests."

She had to buy time and find a way to wake her.

The Valyer turned to her finally, unseen eyes assessing the captain. She saw her frustration. She saw her panic. Even under the veil and in the darkness of this room, she saw it all.

Azalea Rais, you are just like how your mother had described you.

"I am sorry, Serah Rais. Right before your presence was felt, I was sent a message to transfer her to an already arranged ship at the docks. It is now out of my hands."

And just like that, the decision was already made.

The Valyer felt a dash of sympathy watching the matron freeze. Her eyes were drawn to the emblem on her upper sleeve.

It must have been hard. Hard to feel powerless when the one to whom you were sworn to protect was taken away. I know not how she earned your loyalty, Azalea Rais, but it was wasted. Wasted on someone like her.

Even the Valyer knew this was a power grab in the making. Though she lacked the privy of the information discussed by the Matriarchs that day, she knew enough about Tevos Naraius that it disgusted her.

The question is, then, were the events leading up to the Councilor's current state an opportunity taken, or orchestrated?

Either way, the sins of the past had finally made themselves known.

Her breaths were soft and gentle. Many would even say 'weak.' She was shorter than the average person. It may have contributed to those kinds of first impressions.

Perhaps, that was why…

To be strong. To grab hold of destiny.

It was never said in so plain words, but the meaning and poise were felt all the same. In every action, in every word.

Tevos Naraius was not one to back down.

Yet here she lay. The EKG the sole indicator of her life holding on.

It felt like forever since they had spoken.

"Hmm, this is bad."

Azalea jumped in surprise.

The heavy footsteps of Archer carried him to the side of Lady Tevos. The human leaned down with a finger tucked under his chin, assessing the comatose patient.

"How did you come in he—!?"

"I waited for you to finish your conversation," he interrupted.

The commando stomped forward, "That doesn't answer my—"

The human held out a hand to stop her, unmoved from his position.

He blew air but mist shot out instead, and for some reason, he found that fascinating.

Now that she thought of it, it is unusually cold in here.

"You need her to wake up, right?" he asked, "And the doctors have no idea how."

His words stopped her from taking another step. But just for a moment. The stress of the day was already threatening to blow up and she needed to prepare for when Messere Rika would return.

"I can help her."

Azalea felt her heart stop at those words. No. No, don't get your hopes up. He's no healer. His background would have revealed that.

But she found herself curious, nonetheless.

Perhaps. Maybe.

"How…?"

But instead of answering—he stood.

In all her life, she had witnessed everything from gang warfare to high-level company dealings that decided the fate of nations. She had learned that the words 'strength' and 'power' were often used interchangeably, but linguistically, in any known language in the galaxy—there was a difference.

There are those who wield a fountain of one but lacked the other. An imbalance that could be sensed by anyone, if not put into words.

But what of those that wielded both?

Lady Rika T'lain was a Valyer. One of the 10 Sword Saints from the Arkadium, the martial school of war, and perhaps one of the most lethal combatants in all of asari, if not known, space.

She was but one that wielded both in spades.

This human…

His eyes glowed under the darkness of the room, like that of burnished steel. And they were directed right at her.

He need not ask, but he did so anyway. Because under those eyes, in the presence of his power—she knew that he... could do anything.

Strength was the ability to endure.

A resilience to pressure that could withstand the tribulations of the world.

It was defiance made manifest. A defiance that even someone like her could wield.

I am Tevos Naraius.

And I would be strong. Even when the tears threatened to breakthrough. Even under the sharp and dull pain of their beatings.

I would be strong.

"This little bitch is pretty tough, ain't she?" a kidnapper said.

"Fuck, you have no idea what kind of family took you in, do you? Of course not. You're just a little girl caught up in one of their schemes."

I felt the cracks of my lips bleed as my eyes met hers.

"You're tougher than most, I'll give you that. Not just anyone could keep sane after a few weeks of going through the shit you went through.

"But listen here, " the kidnapper said, leaning in close. "No one lasts forever. So you better hope that your new mommy pays up for your release."

Life had recently been a rush of turmoil. And even then, thoughts of that flower appeared in my mind.

Perhaps it was all the built of stress that got to me. Maybe it was the scarce amount of food and water they gave—but I reached out for that flower.

A delusion born from all this trauma.

Mom, I'm… I'm sorry, I thought with a sad smile. I wish… I wish I was strong enough.

I did not know why he appeared that day.

But for the first time, fate had answered my plea.

A rough and weary hand caught mine.

His appearance was unlike anything I've seen. An alien that was so close to looking like any asari but just wasn't. Yet, I was not afraid. Not afraid of this man dressed in crimson red, with pants of onyx black, and hair of snow-white.

"Do you trust me?" he would ask.

With half-studded eyes, I gently nodded.

And the room was bathed in golden light.

†

Author's Note—

The reviews have been stellar! To those who took the time to write a review, thank you. It's been over a year since the first chapter, and again, I thank you for your patience. I promise I'll get the next chapter out earlier than that.