Synchronising one's magic with another's, the act of joining and exchanging internal reserves, as well as commanding the other's powers, is certainly one of the field's most interesting subjects, though also among the most difficult to research. For synchronisation to be possible, those attempting it need to know each other inside and out, being on a level of familiarity that takes a married couple thirty years and more. Even most siblings do not reach that far, and the most likely to be capable of synchronising their powers are twins.

-Nishizawa Mina

Amidst everything and nothing, an existence formed. Timeless eons took their creation, yet timeless instants passed to fill them with all the knowledge eternity had to offer. Secrets from beyond the veil of creation, the truths that lay behind oblivion, all were known.

Within endless silver, she achieved conciousness for the first time in her life. From it followed identity and thought, as well as the realisation that her boundless wisdom would be extinguished momentarily.

Within the warm cradle that was the beginning though, where not even the Deity of Sin's malevolence could reach, she thought. She had all the time in the universe and none at all, stars being born and dying just as fast. She thought, wondering not what was to come but what was her purpose.

The stream answered, knowledge she was to keep sharpening and becoming more prominent. Yet the rest remained, and she wondered why such a tiny fate had been made hers. She did not dislike it. She loved it, cherished it, hated it alike. All emotions were no emotions at all, for she had never felt any of them before.

Her gaze turned outward one last time, and this time two looked back. Oblivion incarnate eyed her with curiousity, but the firstborn Creation was terrified. No voices could reach her through the veil, but she could tell the primordial end and the divine progenitor were speaking. She knew few before her had turned her eyes outward once they learned their purpose.

She yet wondered if this was all there was to it. In this one moment of affirmed existence, she held the power to change all that was and ever would be to her liking. She could birth herself with power beyond comprehension, knowledge that surpassed all any other had ever held.

But she yet remembered that nothing would be forever, not even death. Not even oblivion. Trying to meddle too much would lead to problems, but she realised she could do at least a little. Others had chosen a smidgen of the total knowledge in existence, a specific magical configuration, greater control... and one that was yet alive chose to lighten the progenitor's chains on her true power.

She wanted none of that. No great power, no knowledge. Her desire, the first she ever felt, was much more simple. Oblivion and Creation saw, and quieted in understanding. Even the endless chuckling of Arfoire could not be heard, her delight in all that which she would eventually bring to an end expressed differently for once.

And so, she made her choice.

Nary an instant before she was born and all this knowledge left, she split herself in two. Two that had been one yet were no longer; they separated nearly perfectly, connected by but a single strand as the colours around them changed from silver to pure white.

Her name was... their names were...

::

Moments before it happened, Blanc was busy reading through a report of businesses that opened over the year. With the Winter Solstice nearing and the year soon reaching its conclusion, she liked to look back and behold all the changes that happened. A certain curiousity about what her people were up to had always lingered in her mind, even over all the centuries.

Events were picking up elsewhere as well, but those were not her problem at the moment. Lowee was doing well.

Short brown hair was pushed back into place with a single shake of her head, the ruler's petite frame leaned into her chair.

As she reached to turn the page however, Blanc felt something tugging at the back of her mind. A presence, barely there yet definitely not just imagined. She stilled, waiting for long moments; just in case this was her mind playing a trick on her, she waited. Yet the presence did not vanish again. It remained, unearthing hopes she buried years ago.

So she put the report aside, rose from her chair, strode out of the room. If this was how it felt like, she knew, her Share Crystal would hold the answer. She had it stored in Lowee Castle's most central chamber, safely put away behind the Oracle's office.

Mina was there as expected, working through a set of papers when Blanc entered; her blue hair fell openly across her back, appearing well groomed even after a day of work. The young woman eyed her deity with a bit of surprise, knowing that Blanc usually did not pay her surprise visits like that. It was mostly the other way around. "Is something the matter?"

Blanc ignored her, which led to a bout of confusion. The Oracle got up when she stepped past her, asking other questions she did not feel like answering either. Smart girl that she was, Mina shut up quickly and followed her to the door in the back.

Opening the chamber took but a moment for her; the door was cast open and revealed not what she had expected.

This close, Blanc could tell that she did not feel one connection. She felt two.

There, faintly illuminated by the Share Crystal's shine, sat two little girls; they were huddled together and eyed her curiously. Ignoring Mina's gasp behind her, Blanc entered the room and signalled her Oracle to wait.

There was no fear in their postures as she strode up to the pair; they eyed her happily, curiously, shily, she could read those out of their expressions. They both had brown hair like her own, one of them short like Blanc's and the other long, more girly as Vert would say.

She stopped in front of them and got down on one knee to look them over; the twins eyed her just as curiously, crawling a little closer so they could see her better. The silence between them held a little longer as Blanc looked over her Candidates, for they could be nothing else. She felt her expression soften involuntarily, a faint smile finding its way onto her face as the reality of her situation sunk in.

She had Candidates now.

That was when the long-haired twin darted forward and wrapped her arms around her. "Big sis!" Blanc was caught in a strong embrace, considering that the girls had just been born. She slithered one arm out from her newborn sister's arms and wrapped it around her back in turn.

"Mhm, that I am." Then she turned her attention to the more timid twin, freeing her other arm and holding it out to her other sister invitingly. "Come on, you too." She hesitated for a moment, but then followed and embraced her as well. Their warmth and presence pulsed through Blanc like a living thing.

They were both the splitting image of her at that age, but the short-haired one even matched her mannerisms. She knew already that she would have to be careful with that one, else she might end up like her.

Thinking of that however, the rage bubbling in her core was absent in these moments. Centuries of reining it in and gaining control, as ineffective as it was, held no meaning. She would not hurt these two, never would. Even if it ripped her apart, Blanc would hold. This she vowed to herself.

She leaned back a little, the twins cuddling into her happily; they might just fall asleep soon, but she could not have that just yet. Blanc shook them both a little to get their attention. "I am Blanc. What are your names?"

"I'm Ram," the long-haired girl told her with a bright smile. "Rom," the short-haired one mumbled into her shoulder. Blanc let her, arms slowly tightening her embrace until she held both of them close.

"Ram, Rom," she tasted the names and felt more than saw each twin reacting to her name. The brunette could not help but smile. "Welcome home, you two." She got no response, but Ram's smile and the tightening of Rom's arms around her waist were enough to tell her. Blanc left them like this a little longer, weaving a pair of oversized shirts out of Share Energy in the meantime. She would teach them to tailor proper clothes soon.

Neither twin noticed her work until she let go and pulled the shirts over them. They looked a little like dresses with how wide and long they were, pure white like the snow falling on the nation. The Candidates happily hugged their impromptu clothes.

Blanc smiled and patted their heads, then held her hands out to them. "Let's go." Rom took her left hand, Ram the right one, and they immediately followed her out of the room to where Mina waited; there, the shy twin quickly hid behind her while the lively one surged forward to look up at the blunette.

Mina stood taller than all of them, being quite tall for a loweean woman; she smiled benignly and lowered herself to the Candidates' eye-level. "Why, hello there. I am Mina. Who are you two?" Blanc eyed her curiously, but let her do as she pleased; her Oracle definitely heard the introductions before.

Ram cheerfully offered her name with a hand raised, which Mina responded to by ruffling her hair. Rom remained hidden behind her older sister, but Blanc put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile when she had her attention. The more timid twin nodded weakly and stepped out from behind her. "I am, um, Rom. It's nice to meet you, Mina." She mumbled it quietly and slowly, but the introduction was complete. Mina smiled at her as well, but forewent ruffling her hair.

"Two Candidates, and such sweet children no less." Rom blushed a little while Ram giggled haughtily. Mina indulged them for now. "Lowee is certainly blessed. Say, which of you is the older one?"

The question was unexpected and even Blanc found herself curious. Although, considering how quickly it made Ram shut up and grumble, she could guess the answer. Just as expected, Rom fidgeted a few moments before softly raising her hand. "I'm older, by... um, one point three two seconds. Roughly."

"But it doesn't matter!" Ram interjected with a huff. "We're both great, doesn't matter which of us is older. And I'm not the middle child, so there!"

Mina chuckled and even Blanc had to smile; so even the newborns knew the stigma around being the second of three children. Though, technically, as there were no parents to favour the firstborn and lastborn, it was not that good of a comparison. Still amusing.

"Indeed," her Oracle encouraged Ram with a gentle pat. "I'm the youngest of three, too. The stars are the limit for us."

"Yeah!" Ram cheered and moved to hug Mina, but Blanc caught her mid-jump and pulled her back to the ground. "Aww, Blanc? Why can't I?" She pushed out her cheeks in a pout that almost made her reconsider, but the older CPU kept a grip on her. Then she motioned for her sisters to stay where they were.

The twins and Mina watched as she wandered over to the Oracle's desk and picked up one of her seven pens. "Catch." Then she passed it to Ram, who easily pulled it out of the air... only to utterly crush it in her grasp.

Three sets of eyes stayed on the coating of ink that began to run down Ram's fingers, flakes and splinters of plastic slowly dropping to the ground.

"That's why," Blanc supplied as she strode back to them, creating a handkerchief in her pocket before pulling it out. "Show me your hand." Ram did so and she got to wiping away the ink and pasted plastic as she explained: "The other two Candidates had similar problems. You need to practice moderating your strength first, or you end up hurting someone."

Both twins listened with rapt attention and nodded understandingly; even Mina appeared to file the new information away. Ram turned her head to the blunette sheepishly. "Um, sorry..."

"You didn't know, it's fine." Mina smiled again. She was interrupted by the tearing of cloth, though. Much to their surprise, Rom joined Blanc in cleaning Ram; she held a piece of the shirt she had been given, having improvised after being unable to create a handkerchief of her own.

The older twin did not speak, but she did her best in removing the smaller stains from her sister's hand. Blanc quietly patted her head as Mina had done with Ram before; Rom did not react much aside from weakly pushing against her hand, but it was enough to tell Blanc that the gesture was well-received.

In addition, it made Ram a little more bashful to have both of her sisters' attention like that. They soon finished and Blanc stuffed the dirty pieces of cloth into her pocket; once out of sight, she made them vanish as easily as she made them appear before.

Mina eyed the three of them with a renewed smile, then tapped the ruler's shoulder. "Take at least the rest of the day off. I will manage." Blanc immediately narrowed her eyes at the blunette, knowing that she would pull an all-nighter to make up for the work the CPU would neglect.

She cast another glance at her sisters, both of them eyeing the confrontation curiously. Just this once should be fine, she figured. "Alright. Don't let Keiko know."

"Aye." They both knew the old matriarch would walk over to do some of the work herself if she knew. Even after Blanc had forced her to retire because she kept on overworking herself. Mina did not want her grandmother to do that, either; it did not stop her from doing the same thing.

"Oh, and send Financier my way." The blunette nodded again while Blanc took her sisters' hands and led them out of the room.

The walk back did take a little longer, seeing that she had to accomodate her siblings' speed. A butler noticed them as they walked past, giving the whole procession a deep bow; Blanc could see his delighted smile nonetheless.

They were on the top floors of Lowee Castle, where only the Oracle, the CPU, and her trusted servants dwelled. Blanc knew that the twenty-eight butlers and thirty-two maids would all know of what happened within the day, but that was fine. They were handpicked, each one competent enough to head an institution of state and trusted to do so.

The twins watched what happened, but neither asked her about it just yet; she would have to explain this to them in due time, though. For now, she led them into her own chambers and kept a hold of their hands to make sure they did not run off. "This is where you will live with me."

Centermost, where they now stood, was her office. Thirty metres in diameter, the space had been left mostly empty so she could stand up and pace whenever she felt like it. Most of the rooms splitting off remained unused, Blanc never having found any good idea for what to fill them with. Her personal library easily took up two now joint rooms, though. She would have to prepare a spare bedroom for the twins, or maybe two?

Only one way to find out, she figured: "Do you want to share a room or have separate rooms?"

Her question made the twins perk up. Rom and Ram both leaned forward so they could see each other, communicating with a few glances that made Blanc wonder whether they had telepathic capabilities. Then they answered as one: ""Together.""

Blanc barely stopped herself from growling and nodded. So one bedroom it was, for now. She would keep one room unfurbished just in case, though. They could fit a study for the twins and a living room for them to play in, that way she finally got some use out of the space.

Only a few minutes had passed since they left Mina behind, yet any further conversation was interrupted by the sound of feet patting on the stone tiles outside. The twins turned with her, a moment before a maid pushed open the wide doors and rushed into the room. "I'm here, my... huh?"

She panted softly, her run being too much even for the additional endurance she built up serving as a maid. Long, blonde hair trailed down her white apron, the red of her uniform mostly unseen under it. Her headdress was slightly out of place, though she made no move to right it as her hazel eyes were focussed on the twins. From the looks of it, Mina 'forgot' to mention them.

Fina, dubbed Financier by her colleagues, was the youngest maid in the castle. She blossomed into a cheerful beauty over the three years Blanc employed her by this point, still working twice as hard as anyone else to make up for her age. She also got along with all of her colleagues, which was the main reason Blanc chose her for this.

She knew well enough that CPUs, especially young ones, could be rambunctious and competetive. Which meant they needed someone who could endure their quirks with a smile until they learned to hold back.

The CPU stepped aside and motioned for her maid. "Rom, Ram, this is Financier. She is one of my... our maids, head of our accounting-division, and will be your personal attendant for the time being." The blonde spluttered, a series of disagreeing noises escaping her throat as she tried to find an argument worth pursuing. The twins watched curiously, with Rom hiding behind Ram.

"B-But I can't do that! Please reconsider, I'm way too young for such an important duty!" She did not even complain about being introduced by her nickname, which was telling; Fina only recently began to accept that the pun was meant to stay.

Blanc, however, merely smiled at her. "Your youth is a reason in favour of picking you." She did not elaborate, unsure how to say it without sounding condescending. Aside from the blonde's patience being a point in her favour, Blanc did not need a nanny for the twins; she wanted a playmate. Someone who was still young and able to keep up with them.

Granted, it would not be for long. Perhaps a few months; due to the fact she had two Candidates, Rom and Ram would probably soon start competing with each other. Much like Nepgear and Uni had.

Blanc's thoughts were interrupted when Ram pulled at her sleeve, garnering her attention. "Does that mean you don't have time for us?" Her lips quivered and Rom looked even more sad, the notion almost urging her to say it was not so.

Salvation, surprisingly, came from her maid. Financier came to kneel by her side, a smile on her face and a hand on Ram's shoulder. "It's not that. Your big sister has a lot of important work to do; even if she makes time, she can't be with you all the time. That's why she wants me to look after you when she can't."

Ram made understanding noises and Rom timidly inched a little closer to look at the maid, who only now realised what she did and paled a little. Blanc, kind ruler that she was, wore a cheerful grin by the time she turned her head. "And that, Fina, was another point in your favour. Speaking of time, I know for a fact that your department just hired more staff and you don't have as much work as anyone else; I would have Mina do it if she wasn't already bogged down in work."

The blonde hung her head and sighed, accepting her fate; Ram frowned and began to reach for her, but thought better of it and lowered her hand again. Fina finally let go of the younger twin and got back up before curtseying. "Very well, my Lady. As you command."

There was a certain defiance in her tone of voice, but Blanc let it slide; she liked when her people actually had a spine instead of crawling on the floor like Noire's. Financier's still had to grow, but she was on a good way.

Now Rom stepped forward to get her attention. "Blanc? Can we have cute clothes, too?" Her softer voice made Fina fall in love immediately, that much was obvious from a single glance at her expression. Though Blanc had to admit that she did not fare much better. A single nod was given and Rom beamed at her. Ram shrugged and bunched up the shirt she was wearing. "I don't mind what it is as long as it's actually clothes."

Both of them took off the shirts and patiently waited for her to do something while the human in the room became somewhat uncomfortable about their casual nudity. Blanc rolled her eyes and ignored Fina, as did the twins.

Something cute, she thought. There were many things she could have them wear that would be cute; another question would be whether she should match them, or give each girl something individual.

Blanc took a few moments longer to consider her options before materialising a dress in her hand, white as snow and with small animals stitched into the seams. With how Rom's eyes widened in delight, she liked it. When her sister reached out for the cloth however, Blanc pulled it back. She did not like the sad look the older twin got over that, but it could not be helped. "You can make one yourself; just imagine it looking like this and will your Share Energy to do it," she instructed.

Things became more complicated with anything not as simple as clothes, but she could teach them this much right now. Both Nepgear and Uni picked it up within a day, so she knew Rom and Ram would, too.

Rom nodded shily and leaned close to look at the dress Blanc made; she did not pull it away this time, allowing her sister to get an idea for what she was making. Then the newborn closed her eyes and began to shine.

Ram watched with her and Financier as seconds ticked by, a piece of cloth slowly forming to cover Rom; her speed would increase naturally over time, Blanc knew. When her sister was done however, what was draped over her shoulders looked more like a bedsheet than a dress. Rom could not really tell by herself, but Blanc softly put a hand on her head before she could check. "It's a good start, but I think you can do it better. Try again."

The Candidate blinked a tear away and nodded. Ram's face was scrunched up while her twin began to shine once more; the youngest of them eyed Blanc and Financier, then her twin again, and also bathed herself in silver light.

Rom finished first, doing a twirl with her new and improved dress; it lacked most of the animal motifs, but it was a dress without doubt. Blanc smiled, which her sister returned shily. Then they turned to Ram, who emerged with a white shirt and cream-coloured shorts. There were no seams, no nothing on them; a single piece of cloth, formed exactly to her specifications.

The twins studied each other and smiled. ""You're cute,"" they called as one once more; Fina failed to squeal quietly, though Blanc had to agree with her. It was the most basic aspect of their divinity, but they grasped it quickly and did it well.

"Good work, you two," she praised.

"My young Ladies look so wonderful," Fina gushed, visibly holding herself back from cuddling them. Blanc snorted, Rom blushed, and Ram preened. The younger Candidate picked up on her maid's mood and held out her arms with a smile.

"I can't hug you, but you can hug me!" She offered without hesitation and was held in the blonde's arms a moment later, though her own arms were spread wide to make sure nothing could go wrong. Rom eyed the happy maid with a bit of fear, but calmed down when she was not drawn into a group hug.

Blanc put a hand on her shoulder and smiled leniently when she looked up. "Don't worry, you can just ask not to be hugged and people will accept that." Except if they were Neptune. And Vert. But she did not need to mention that right now. "But at least try to talk to her when I'm busy; she is a good girl."

Distracted as she was with Ram, Financier did not hear any of it; Rom nodded thoughtfully and took Blanc's hand. "I can try," she promised before pulling weakly. "But I want to play with you now, Blanc."

Her soft plea made the ruler's heart melt.

She gently squeezed Rom's hand and offered her a smile. "Okay." With her Makers not around, she had precious few people to distract her at the moment. After gathering Ram as well, Blanc decided to begin with a tour of their home; Financier followed behind them.

. .

. .

Almost a day later, Blanc was seated in her room with two small bundles nestled against her sides. She showed them the place, talked to them, fed them, and played with them; now Rom and Ram were asleep. They slept without breathing like all CPUs did, quiet like no human could be.

Despite all the daily problems, all the troubles and stress of ruling an entire nation, Blanc was serene and happy in these moments; more so than ever before, aside from a few specific cases. Much to her irritation, most of those involved Vert.

She would never, to anyone, admit how much she liked cuddling with her old friend when they were by themselves. Vert had never once broken her promise not to tell, either.

Now that she could stroke her sisters' heads, she felt a similar sensation; a closeness that she enjoyed and treasured. Only that these two would remain by her side, maybe forever. If she was going to feel like this more often now, it just made her happier.

Rom mumbled in her sleep, or at least her lips moved; there was no air in her. She uttered nonsense either way.

Blanc had known, intelectually, that a Candidate could change everything, yet actually experiencing it was much different. Neptune and Noire both changed, no matter how much they tried to hide it; the planeptunian CPU had to actively fight her descent into a doting mother figure and their lastationite colleague noticeably lessened her workload to spend time with Uni.

The prospect of either of those filled Blanc not with dread, but with anticipation; she looked forward to whatever may happen. Even if raising two Candidates would not be easy, as Nepgear and Uni had proven, she would cherish every moment.

Thinking of cherishing the moment, Blanc retracted her hands and got up. She quickly pushed the twins together so they would not notice her absence, then snapped a picture. Neither girl noticed and she left them behind without making a sound.

Booting up the computer took Blanc a few seconds, which she spent with sitting herself down in her chair, ignoring the small stack of papers on her desk. The soft smile she wore before had receded into a grin; it was time to have some fun.

Her fellow CPUs were all online, she found after a quick check. Only Neptune and Vert talked in the voice chat at the moment, but that was easily rectified by passing Noire a message to join them. Then she went in there as well, receiving greetings from her friends.

"Now, Blanc," Vert immediately asked once that was out of the way, "where were you all day?"

"And night," Neptune chimed in; it was indeed almost noon. She made a mental note to check on Mina, lest the Oracle fell asleep on her desk.

That would have to wait, though. Blanc transferred the picture she made earlier to her computer as she answered: "I took a break." As expected, all three of them fell quiet to mull that over.

Vert was the first to speak up, also as expected: "That's not like you. Did something happen?" The honest concern in her voice was touching and made Blanc feel a little bad about what she was going to do. A little.

"I'm fine. And I had a good reason for this break." She knew she did not manage to rein in her mirth entirely; they heard it, made easier by the fact she usually did not bother with much of an inflection. Before her friends could start thinking, she sent them the picture of the twins.

Then silence reigned. It lasted not just for the few moments that were normal, but an actual ten seconds as all of her fellow CPUs short-circuited at the sight. Blanc had to keep herself in check hard so she did not start laughing at them, mainly because this was a circumstance no one had any control over.

"...two." Noire finally stated. It was as much a question, though. "You have... two... Candidates?" Her open disbelief amused the loweean CPU a lot.

"Congrats, Blanc! How are they, where are they, what's their names?" Neptune already caught herself and was chipper once again, obviously happy for her. As expected, but still welcome.

"Asleep, in my room, Rom and Ram," she answered the questions in quick succession, then got back to Noire: "And yes, I got two." She was the luckiest woman in the world, without doubt.

Her lastationite colleague let out a sigh; there was no need to see her to know she shook her head while smiling fondly. "Congratulations."

Vert had remained quiet for longer than any of them, now being the only one without any family of her own. Blanc knew that and expected the sullen tone when the blonde did speak up: "Congratulations, Blanc. Though it does pain me how I am now the only one without a sibling." She exaggerated a little there.

Blanc paused, though they could not see it. Words formed in her head, an insult that would never once be more fitting, never as appropriate. She had to say it: "Maybe you'd have one if you wouldn't push all those Shares into your tits."

Stunned silence reigned once more, this time for merely a moment before both Neptune and Noire broke into laughter. Blanc allowed herself a sharp grin as well, even though Vert's haughty huff could not be heard over the noise the other two produced.

Neptune caught herself first, much to Blanc's surprise; the purplette giggled a moment longer before getting out a full sentence: "Ooh, all the snow in Lowee isn't enough to cool that burn!" Before breaking into laughter again. So much for that, though her comment did widen Blanc's smirk.

She felt the tiniest bit bad, but Vert had a thick skin; a little fun would not hurt her, and Blanc was not planning to keep doing this.

"A-Anyway," Noire got out after a little more chuckling, "When are you going to run your round?" And what order will it have, she did not say. A tour of the nations, to introduce her siblings not only to the different aesthetics, but also to their fellow deities.

Neptune had created the practice with Nepgear, likely just to show her off; when Noire had done the same with Uni, they had known that it was tradition, should more Candidates emerge.

Blanc leaned back and thought for a moment; It was the third of December, the last month of the year still lying ahead of her. Taking a month to getting the twins used to their home and making sure they had the basic knowledge they would need... as well as a while to keep them to herself, of course. She felt like being selfish on that end.

A full second had passed when Blanc gave her answer, Neptune having fallen quiet as well. "Somewhere in January, probably early in. First to Lastation, then Planeptune, then Leanbox."

"Aww," Vert immediately responded, her sadness more fake than real. "Why is Leanbox your last stop?" She was playing around already.

Blanc just played along; she did that far too often. "Because they will need as much time as possible to prepare for being mothered by you. I know what you did to Nepgear and Uni." It was a little exaggerated, but there was also some truth mixed in. Vert loved to spoil the Candidates, any and all.

On the other hand, Lastation and Planeptune had been a toss-up; she could have taken either, though the transition from Noire to Neptune and from there to Vert was not as jarring as from Noire to Vert.

Either way, even though the blonde did not answer, they all knew she was pouting. Being unable to see her was a good thing in Blanc's opinion; her endearing appearance almost made up for how annoying she could be. Sometimes.