AN: This chapter is also a break/setup. Next few chapters promise to have a lot of developments, so look forward to it!

Also, for future reference. Whenever I say class, I usually mean the group of people that are in your grade that you have the same classes with. Like Runewarden Class. Schools will mean Storm, Life, Ice, etc. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, elements, or borrowed plot ideas from any source I acquire them from, specifically KingsIsle. I merely own any original characters I create.

"Blah" = talking

"Blah" = thoughts, writing, sound effects, or flashbacks

"BLAH"= Yelling

EXSEED

Thirteenth Pip: Silence

"Oww!"

Aria Nightingale's shrill cry climbed up the high ceilings of the room, echoing around before fading from existence. She soon settled back down, and the ornate comb in Victoria's hand returned to her hair after picking out the stray strands, intent on making the Theurgist presentable.

"Just…just hold still." The blonde began to console, amidst more vocal manifestations of discomfort. "It'll be over in a few seconds." Aria conceded with a lackluster sigh, and gave up resisting, knowing this was already a lost cause.

The two girls continued the rituals, straightening Aria's hair into something fit for their night on the town, giving her light touches of makeup where needed, and adjusting the details of the scarlet haired girl's evening dress; a gown the wearer made sure to show her discomfort for. Victoria ignored it though. After all the effort it took to get the blind girl's appearance decent, she was going to wear it. The blonde adopted her own outfit—a simple crimson cotton dress with a white shawl draped over her shoulders. Her favorite part of her admittedly plain ensemble, though, had to be the sparkling red shoes masking her feet. Courtesy of the good will of Dorothy Gale from Sunchaser class. Victoria made a note to buy a pair herself one day.

With her approval for both her and Aria's appearance—being blind made you strangely disinterested in that stuff—the two left the room, moving into the hallway and pedaling down the grand staircase into the Ashthorn Manor's main hall. Complete with polished marble tile floors, walls littered with picture frames, and a gilded chandelier the size of Victoria's closet. The place always amazed her every time she came here, but mostly how Malorn Ashthorn never seemed to brag about his family's wealth and influence. Never once in the many years she and Ty had known him.

Ty Stormwhisper himself, along with Tala Mythhammer and Fate Evergreen, stood at the bottom of the staircase, the latter of the three staring mystified in Victoria's direction as she descended. All three sported typical staples of the Marleybonian wardrobe. Blazers in different dark shades, polished shoes, ties. Fortunate enough that Malorn was close enough to their own sizes.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Victoria asked as her shoe touched down on the last step.

"Yeah." Ty responded, already turning towards the door. "Now let's go. It starts in half an hour."

The group of five moved through the long courtyard, past its freshly trimmed grass and spewing fountains, into a black wheeled carriage on the other side of the gate. Who they presumed was the driver cracked open the door and they filed in one by one, girls and guys on opposite sides, before the man returned to the front. With a crack of the reins and the startled call of the coffee-brown chestnut pony, they were off.

It'd been a normal day like any other this morning. Except for when Malorn Ashthorn stepped into Victoria, Tala, and Fate's homeroom bearing a certain gift for each of the three. A ticket to a performance at the Fireglobe Theater; saying he had three extras he didn't want to go to waste. He left just as quickly, leaving the trio to a slew of jealous stares and piercing questions by the majority of their classmates. Only the timely interjection of Mr. Runewarden bought them peace, but even he had his curious side.

Word soon spread like wildfire around first year, as with all other happenings of any above-mediocre importance. It wasn't particularly uncommon for first years to be friends with upperclassmen. But to be invited to a performance by the most well-known Journeyman Wizard in Wizard City, much less Ravenwood, tended to get you attention.

Their carriage wheels sputtered over the cobblestone streets, street lamps flickering on as the late afternoon descended into the evening. Streets were clear enough at this time to provide little interference for their travels. To pass the time and break the comfortable silence that wasn't all that comfortable to her, Victoria decided to strike up conversation. "So how do you know Malorn, Aria?"

"Oh, well he's in my class." In retrospect, Victoria didn't know why she didn't realize that sooner, but the Life students follow up eased her self-conceived mistake. "Also, my sister is a part of the staff, so I get tickets to whatever I want usually."

"I didn't know that Malorn was a musician." Fate remarked.

"Same with me." Tala admitted, shrugging. "I didn't even know he was rich."

"The Ashthorn's are one of those rich noble families. Of course for all that wealth, they never gave us food whenever we asked." Ty's tone became more disinterested, leaning back in his seat and staring up towards the ceiling. As if reminiscing. "He's always been practicing, ever since we were young. He really loves to play."

Tala wasn't surprised to learn that he didn't know of them. His and Remus's home back in Cyclops Lane wasn't in the most upscale of neighborhoods, enough that he'd associate with any of the wealthier citizens in their city.

The remaining twenty minutes to their destination passed by rather quickly, if only for the lingering sense of urgency speeding up their discernment of time. By the time Fate peeked out the carriage window again, the landscape was turning strangely…red. The stonework, buildings, even the leaves of bushes held a crimson, fiery tint to them. The cracks between stones strangely reminiscent of magma veins flowing charred rock. Even on his first visit, it was clear as day that this was Firecat Alley.

A growing elven population accompanied their journey deeper into the heart of the neighborhood, to where they came close to outnumbering every other race of being combined. Humans weren't shy either, coming in close second, especially dense around the group's intended destination.

The Fireglobe Theater was quite the marvel up close, and grew more impressive as the carriage discharged them and they stepped into the main hall. Burgundy-hued draperies cascaded down along the walls from the rims of the high domed ceiling, canvassed in a mural of dancing flames. All manner of well-dressed individuals crowded the space, sipping on wine gleaned from sanctioned vineyards and passed around on trays by butlers. The numerous sets of doors into the auditorium were already open when they arrived, and patrons were trickling in, eager to experience the night's main event.

Victoria grabbed Aria's wrist—the girl had to be so confused with all this commotion—and the group found a helpful attended that scanned their tickets and led them to the right seats. All were surprised to have received a balcony of all things, complete with just enough chairs for their group. The attendant double checked with each of them, and left to retrieve beverages upon request.

The curtain rose within a few minutes, and the tumultuous crowd below descended into complete silence as everything went dark. The director, encased in his own ray of stage light, tapped his wand against his stand, and then his arms were gesturing, altering every moment.

More stage lights began to flicker on, one by one, illuminating the orchestra members as their instruments weaved into the tune. Then, it suddenly cut off. Seconds passed in anticipation, and without warning every light turned back on in unison, the instruments bursting into a fantastical symphony and eliciting quite the many cheers.

The entire scene was breathtaking. Multicolored, spectral figures came into being, dancing on rhythm with the performance and acting out the emotions of the piece with their movements. None of the group had ever seen anything like this before. It was truly a treat for the wealthy and influential to enjoy.

Then, suddenly, Fate's face registered an epiphany, and he glanced over to Aria who sat on his left. She was missing out on the show. To his surprise and subsequent gladness, though, her eyes were shut, simply taking in the peaks and troughs of the music. She didn't seem at all displeased or hindered by her blindness. Seeing the subtle smile on her face prompted him to try her method, and he found it much easier to enjoy the music without his sight than with.

The orchestra danced through the remainder of their tunes with precision. Sweeping symphonies, mincing minuets; some pieces even borrowing traditional sounds of other worlds' cultures. It was a magical journey for them, for everyone, and at the end each musician was allowed a bow set to thunderous applause before the curtain fell with the lights.

"I think Malorn is up next." Tala claimed in a whisper after a few minutes, squinting through the dark at his playbill.

The boy's prediction came true ten minutes later, for as the curtain rose, nothing was left on stage save for a single grand piano. Solid black, polished to such perfection that one would mistake it for fine porcelain. Again, the auditorium misplaced its voice when a teenage boy, hair as dark as the night but with grayish accents, approached the instrument and but didn't sit down on the bench just yet. Even from their distance, Ty and Victoria immediately recognize him, his body draped in an expensive Marleybonian tuxedo complete with coattails.

Everyone's heads turns with Malorn's to the back of the stage, and the spotlight focuses on a single figure stepping out onto the stage. The room remained quiet for her, as if frozen in time by her beauty. Scarlet red hair that cascades down her back, a black sleeveless dress that concealed her feet, piercing green eyes that rival Fate's and Aria's.

Malorn passed her a glance and a knowing smirk as she crossed him to the front center of the stage, and she returned with a nod/smile combination. He took his seat as she assumed a gentle standing position, and much of the audience slid forwards on their chairs in anticipation as the delicate notes of a piano broke the stillness.

Her singing is heart-stopping, getting widened eyes out of even Ty, who really only came to support Malorn and free food afterwards. Her voice echoed of a chamber designed without need for vocal enhancers, enrapturing, affecting. Perfect poise, without need of any movement. Her voice was enough to capture every person. It was at this point that Victoria realized. The orchestra was brilliant, but this…this was the reason the house was filled to capacity.

And then, another thought came to her. Red hair, green eyes, face similar in structure to…

As if on cue, Aria whispered to no one in particular without provocation, loud enough for Victoria and Fate to hear. "That's my sister. Prima Nightingale."

"She's…magnificent." Victoria remarked, glancing back and forth between them. Fate heard her, but was too caught up in the performance for it to register.

"Yeah." Aria's eyes were closed again, just listening to her sibling. "She got the voice and the acting talent in the family, so I learned an instrument instead."

The two sat in silence again, allowing Prima to finish the piece, who in turn let the uncomfortably lengthy applause die down before beginning her next song. In time, Victoria worked up the courage to ask "Does she…is…is she blind too?"

The blonde felt she upset her, for Aria's face looked noticeably more distressed. The blonde was confused though when the girl answered "No". She found her answer seconds later. "Though she is gravely ill." Aria's eyes remained focused on her sister, attempting to mask the pain in her voice with neutrality. "She hides it very well during performances, but I can see it."

The attendant entered the balcony, refilled everyone's beverages, and departed with a bow. Victoria glanced between the two sisters throughout the man's visit, noticing the look on Aria's face. A mixture of deep sorrow and pride, two near conflicting emotions. This caused a spark of realization in the blonde's mind. "Is that why you decided to become a Theurgist?"

A nod and a smile. "I've heard the cure for her disease is…complicated. Doctors can't seem to find what's wrong with her." She focused on her sibling once again as the woman finished the song. "Still, I want to find a way to help her."

Aria managed to finish before the auditorium exploded into a standing ovation, and they watched as numerous roses launched from the front most rows onto the stage, Prima giggling and doing her best to catch them. Malorn rose from his chair, grabbed her hand, and together the duo performed a series of bows to increasing applause.

Victoria watched them with a sense of gladness, clapping as much as she could. Her talk with Aria, though, made her wonder. The Theurgist had such a noble reason for choosing her school of magic. A concrete goal, really. And as she recalled how quickly the semester's end was coming upon them, Victoria couldn't help but ponder what magical discipline she was going to follow. Or conversely, which one would choose her.

—o—o—o—o—

Merle Ambrose surveyed the space around him with a cursory glance.

All around him stood a number of Wizard City Guardsmen, one or two wizards amongst their ranks, strewn about over the grassy carpet of the Exseed's chamber. Most didn't actually know what purpose the chamber had served. It was highly classified information after all. At least for the moment, while assassins were still at large.

While he couldn't be completely sure who to trust.

The person-sized Crystal that occupied the center pedestal in the room had been long cleared out after the infiltration by the three children, causing the room to be a bit dimmer since his last visit. Still, the plethora of emerald leaves high up in the dome ceiling gave enough illumination to see, even being in the innermost portions of the Grandfather Tree. The towering treant stood pinned against the wall, eyes shut and lifeless, limbs covered in thin moss, as if it'd never moved before. All noticed it, but assumed it a design of some kind, and returned to their investigation.

Which for now seemed to come up short. "Sorry Headmaster. We've scoured this place from top to bottom. Not a single shred or trace."

The old wizard gave a melancholic sigh, then nodded. But just as he was about to call it off, a figure came zooming in from the room's entrance, beating wings alerting the investigation team to his presence. He slowed haphazardly to barely catch his claws on the staff head clutched in Ambrose's hand.

"Merle." Gamma proclaimed somewhat out of breath, his voice carrying throughout the room. "The team in the treetops says they found something. They've got a reading. Says there are faint traces of portal magic up there."

The man's eyes widened, then suddenly narrowed. "What kind of portal, Gamma?" The owl seemed to pause for a moment, then his voice was cautious and careful.

"It was…a corridor. Witches."

Ambrose didn't move at that. Didn't show surprise. Didn't twitch. But the owl felt the slightest twinge of magical energy burst from him, indiscernible to anyone at a greater distance than he was. At some length he gave the bird a nod and rounded on the personnel behind him, one of the few wizards brought along. A boy with tan skin bordering on light brown and a mop of faded golden hair concealed by a wide brim wizard hat. A deep mauve uniform encompassed him, padded leather hidden under cloth in most every place.

"Rendezvous with the team in the branches. If we are not too late, we may still be able to trace its exit point." Ambrose turned back and began towards the room's entryway. "Do not engage under any circumstance if you find something. I want reconnaissance only until we learn what we're dealing with."

Artur Gryphonbane nodded. "Yes, Headmaster."

—o—o—o—o—

It took the five some time after the performance to finally catch up with Malorn and Prima. Masses of attendees and whatever adoring fans could sneak in overwhelmed them as they took to greet as many as they could in the lobby. Eventually, the staff was forced to usher the majority out, leaving the group a window to speak with them, courtesy of the pair vouching for them to the guards.

"I'm very pleased you could make it." As Victoria envisioned, Prima's speaking voice was very eloquent and soft. "Was it to your liking?"

They all nodded vehemently as Aria stepped up to hug her, a playfully sinister grin on her face. "It was beautiful as always, but you missed that high C near the end."

"Oh no I just hit the wrong key there." Malorn admitted with a chuckle. "I've been a little off lately for some reason."

"I still thought it was good either wa—"

Fate stopped suddenly, eyes going wide and moving continuously, never stopping. Everyone began to look at him strangely as his vision settled on a figure at the other side of the lobby steadily approaching their position.

A girl an inch taller than Aria and around the same age caught the boy's attention. Cropped, solid white hair stopped above her shoulders, and the light blue shade of her irises resembled a coat of ice more than anything else. Both made stark contrasts against the dark color of her skin, as did the ivory evening dress which ended below her knees.

Journeyman Thaumaturge: Freya Shadowsong

The temperature around them seemed to drop a few degrees upon her arrival, but no one brought it up. Her hands clasped the stem of a rose, picked of all its thorns, and placed it in the hands of Prima, who thanked her.

"Glad to see you made it." Malorn remarked with a smile before turning to the others. "Everyone, this is Freya from my class."

The group exchanged greetings, which she returned silently with nods until Aria stepped up to her. "Ah you must be the transfer student from Grizzleheim. It's good to finally meet you."

"Likewise." She spoke. Victoria and Tala were put off by how…empty her voice sounded. It wasn't obvious by any means, but the feeling was there. "I'm glad I was able to find time to attend. It was a marvelous experience." Prima thanked her again, and the girl soon excused herself from their small huddle, wishing them safety in returning home for the night.

All watched her exit the door, but musings of her remained in Tala, Victoria, and especially Fate as they and Ty climbed back into the carriage later and set off for the respective homes. No one said anything for a majority of the trip, simply letting the cool night air to pour in through the carriage window and wash away the stuffy feeling left from the theater.

Ty fell asleep soon enough after the group dropped Aria off at the gates of Unicorn Way, saying she'd learned the way from there good enough to walk it blind, which got a laugh out of them. Silence soon reigned over the carriage again, as it did in the now empty streets. Each was absorbed in their own thoughts. Victoria and Tala couldn't quite seem to put a credible reason on their intuition, or even what had set them off about her in the first place.

But Fate could. He didn't share it, though. Not a single word about it as the carriage let Tala off at the Cyclops Lane entrance or when he and Victoria finally returned to their apartment, the carriage zooming off with Ty to let him go at the Ravenwood dorms. Not as they performed their nightly rituals, wished each other a good night, or climbed into their respective beds.

Not as he lay awake in his bed, eyes towards the ceiling. He didn't share the feeling he'd received from her.

The same feeling as the assailant who attacked him and Ty. The same feeling from the Unicorn Way intruders too.

He didn't share it, though. Not one word.