"..."

"..."

"..."

Morgan, Emma, and Celine all stared at each other in complete silence. Neither party had anticipated seeing the other at this late hour, and amidst the quiet sounds of the night, the air between all three of them grew tense. Which one of them would be the first to break the silence?

Emma's expression grew pained. This wasn't how she had wanted things to go.

But just as she was about to open her mouth to explain…

"Uh, WOW! I must still be dreaming!" Morgan spouted hurriedly, her arms waving uncontrollably. "I could've sworn I just heard Celine talk. Like, there's no way that could happen, right? What's she doing here anyway?"

"M-Morgan…"

"So, um, yeah! I think I'm just going back to bed. G'night!"

Morgan closed the door in a huff and immediately went to retrieve her orbments. With her Enigma in one hand and her ARCUS in the other, she dove under the covers and assumed a sleeping position, turning her back against the entrance to the terrace. Her mind was still trying to process what she had just witnessed. She was no stranger to talking animals; back in her world, there were entire races that could turn into animals at will. But seeing them here of all places gave her a blast from the past that she was not prepared for. And somehow, Emma had already known that Celine could talk. When did that happen? What other secrets was Emma keeping mum about from the rest of Class VII?

But even amidst the revelation of the talking cat(!), there was that one comment Celine said that stuck out in her head.

"How does a girl with no memories know how magic works?"

That could only mean one thing: magic DID exist in Erebonia. It wasn't just some fairy tale or parlor trick, and Morgan was not the only one who could use it. She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to feel relieved that there were others like her or fearful about what these other mages could do. Orbal arts took at least a short while to get ready and Ignis helped to shorten that duration greatly, but it was only a stand-in for the real thing. If only she had a proper tome on hand…

As the tumultuous storm in her mind continued to fester, Morgan heard the door creak open once more. She held her breath as Emma's footsteps drew closer...and then she released when she heard the rustling of bed sheets. Maybe there was nothing to worry about after all?

Morgan discarded those thoughts and opted to remain vigilant. She tried as best she could to subtly turn her head over to sneak a glance at Emma's bed. To her dismay, Emma was staring at her intently, still wearing her glasses.

In response, Morgan buried her face into her sheets and tried to snore loudly. "Zzzzz…"

*jingle*

The unmistakable ringing of a bell came from Morgan's bedside, followed by a voice that chided, "You know you're not convincing anyone, right?"

Of course the cat came inside.

"Well, it was worth a shot." Morgan clenched her orbments tightly. This was it, wasn't it? This was where they were going to subdue her. With Emma firmly behind her and a talking cat(!) in front of her, Morgan knew that her options were limited. "Just…make it painless, okay?"

"Make what painless?" the cat asked.

"Didn't you say you were gonna, you know, subdue me? Well, go on! Now's your chance! See if I care!"

Morgan was half-expecting the two of them to spring into action right then and there. Maybe she could throw off her bed sheets as a distraction so she could bolt to the door? Where would she go from there? For the amount of time they spent getting familiar with the layout of Legram, the students only got a basic tour of the mansion in which they were staying. The boys were sleeping in the guest room next to them, while Laura was in her own room down the hallway. Should she opt for pragmatism or public decency?

The longer Morgan continued to formulate her plan of escape, however, the clearer it became that nothing was even happening. Opening her eyes to scan the room confirmed that both Emma and Celine had yet to act; in fact, they stayed where they were and had only looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"I think she might have misunderstood us…"

"Understatement of the week, I suppose."

Morgan could only respond with a "Heh?"

"Why don't we just start from the beginning?" There was a small rustling from Emma's bed. "Celine, you come over here too. And make sure you keep quiet."

"Fiiine…"

Celine unapologetically leapt onto Morgan's bed and walked all over her covered frame to get to the other side. Morgan let out an annoyed grunt as she removed the bed covers, set her orbments onto the nightstand, and turned around to face Emma and Celine.

Now that she was looking at them face-to-face, Morgan was taken aback at how...different Emma seemed at this moment, which was odd considering that she had done nothing to change her appearance. Maybe the presence of a certain talking cat(!) sitting next to her had something to do with that.

Now that she thought about it, Celine had brought up the topic of magic directly to Emma, hadn't she? Wouldn't that mean…

"So the cat can talk."

Not the best way she could have started that conversation, Morgan had to admit.

"The cat has a name, you know," Celine hissed.

"Be nice, Celine…" Emma reprimanded the cat. "To clear things up, Celine is her actual name. The whole story about her being a stray from another city was just a cover-up so she could accompany me to Thors."

"So she IS your pet!"

"Shh!" Emma held a finger to her lips. Her eyes momentarily darted towards the door to their guest room, then to the wall next to them. No commotion from outside or the boys' room so far. "Technically, Celine isn't my pet. She's actually my familiar."

"Your...familiar?" Morgan inquired.

"Emma, you know the rules-"

"She heard you speak, Celine. Not to mention, if she heard the part about us subduing her, then it's safe to say that she probably overheard our entire conversation. I'm not sure we can cover this up anymore."

"Guess you're right… "

Emma looked at Morgan in the eyes. "Morgan, I have never told anyone at school about this, but the truth is...I come from a clan of witches."

"Witches…" Morgan murmured.

She remembered reading about them when she was a child. Female mages who wielded offensive black and dark magic in addition to the ability to warp from one place to another. That was all the confirmation that Morgan needed.

"So all those strange arts you used before… They weren't actually arts."

"That's right. That was my own magic." Emma held out both her hands. "Lux lunae."

A white glowing ball of light began to shine from Emma's palms, illuminating the dark room. "What we consider magic is deeply rooted in the spiritual aspects of the world. Some are more attuned to it than others. Septium and quartzes also draw from the surrounding environment, so it really isn't all that different when you think about it. Hence, I am able to use my magic in conjunction with regular orbal arts."

Emma separated her hands, dispelling the light and leaving the room dark once more. "But you already know how that works."

Morgan nodded. Emma was referring to how magic was compatible in a sense with orbal technology. Morgan had never disclosed that discovery to anyone after she had come across it accidentally, mostly because she was, or THOUGHT she was, the only person capable of using authentic magic.

"So what's a witch like you doing at a military academy?" she asked.

"We'll be the ones asking the questions, thank you very much," Celine replied curtly.

"We witches have many responsibilities," Emma continued. "Many of the problems found on the surface can be traced back to the inexplicable, lurking in the shadows. That's where we come in. It is for that reason that some of us volunteer to go outside the village. We call them wandering witches."

"Wandering witches…"

"Are you that surprised that we exist?" Celine remarked.

"Well, um, yes?" Morgan started twitching her legs out of nervousness. "You don't exactly hear a lot about witches these days."

Celine glanced up at Emma and muttered, "It looks like our initial hypothesis may have been incorrect after all…"

"Your…hypothesis?"

"We originally thought that you had come into contact with a wandering witch at some point," the cat explained. "Teaching magic to others outside the clan is forbidden, as you might expect, but someone with magical affinity such as yourself would warrant enough of an exception to be taught some self-defense. That would explain the secrecy. If that weren't the case, then the only other option would be that you learned it illegally from a witch that deserted the clan."

"Witches can do that?" Morgan blurted out.

"More questions…" Celine hissed. "Yes, of course they can. Though in recent memory, there has only been one of particular note."

Morgan noticed that Emma started to grimace at the mention of the deserter witch. As curious as she was, she dared not to pose another question while Celine was in the room.

"Which brings us to another question…" Celine continued, her voice starting to raise. "If you didn't learn it from a witch, then WHO did you learn magic from?"

Morgan gulped. This was her make-or-break moment. Either she could worm her way out with a lie (and fail miserably), or she could tell the truth outright. Neither option felt very appealing, if Morgan was being honest.

In the end, she decided to go with the latter of the two options. "...My father. In addition to being a tactician, he was also an accomplished mage."

"Your father was a wizard?"

"Not in the least. Well, compared to some others, that is." Morgan straightened her posture. "Where I come from, magic was more mainstream. Knowing how magic worked was as essential to combat as swinging a sword. The people who used magic were collectively referred to as 'mages'. There were also different kinds of magic, and depending on which kind you practiced, you could be promoted to different classes like sorcerers and sages…"

"Wait. Hold up." Celine pointed a paw at Morgan. "You said you came from Heimdallr."

"Yes. That's correct."

"But last we checked, most of Heimdallr aren't even aware that magic exists."

"Yes. That's also correct."

"Then if that's the case…" The cat narrowed her eyes. "Where did you really come from?"

"Celine, I told you before that she doesn't know-"

"The Halidom of Ylisse, located on the continent of Ylisse."

Both witch and familiar stared at her wide-eyed.

And how could they not? After all, it was a place that didn't exist in Zemuria.

"Morgan…" Emma began to speak. "Do you… Are your memories…?"

"My father wrote that name in his book of tactics," she said truthfully. "He was the grandmaster of that country. The thing is, you won't be able to find it on any map today. I know it sounds hard to believe, but that's where I come from."

"Sounds like another false lead, if you ask me…" Celine growled.

"But it doesn't look like she's lying, though." Emma looked much more accepting than her familiar.

How these two ever agreed to become each other's master and familiar, Morgan didn't know. At the very least, Morgan could now understand why Emma was able to become friends with Fie right from the outset. The former jaeger had a tendency to act very cat-like at times.

"This is going nowhere. We've already heard what we needed to hear, so we might as well just table this discussion." Celine leapt off of the bed and stared up at Morgan. "At any rate, now you know who we really are. It goes without saying, but we've got our eyes on you. If you try to tell anyone else about what you saw here tonight, we'll subdue you for real. With that out of the way, I'm going back outside."

"You're not going to sleep inside?"

"No one else knows that Celine is here with us right now," said Emma. "It's probably for the best that she keeps out of sight, especially since everyone in Class VII knows her."

"And besides, the moon is especially bright tonight. There are some things that humans just won't understand…"

Emma walked Celine over to the door leading to the terrace and opened it. Once the talking cat(!) was outside, she closed the door gently and walked back over to Morgan.

"Try not to be too bothered by Celine. She's just being mindful about my mission."

"I'm guessing you're not going to tell me what that is."

Emma looked down. "I'm sorry, Morgan. As much as I would like to tell you everything, there are some things that must be kept secret from those who aren't part of the clan. That goes for everyone else in Class VII as well. You must think that I'm a hypocrite, being our class president when I'm not even being completely honest with all of you…"

"You don't need to apologize. I mean, yeah, I'm pretty surprised that you can use magic and Celine can talk, but that's got nothing to do with being the class president. Don't let that guilt weigh you down." Morgan then added in a lower voice, "Believe me, I know what it feels like to keep secrets from everyone else."

"Morgan…"

"When people see things that they don't understand, they either become scared and run away, or they try to take it for themselves. Looking at it that way, equivocating about your magic makes sense pragmatically. But that can only get you so far in forging true friendships with others. Remember what Prince Olivert told us?"

"Yes. The obstacles we face will shape how Erebonia will be moving forward. 'Arise, O youth, and become the foundation of the world.'"

Morgan nodded. "That's right. But in order to do that, we need to learn more about each other to build up trust. Sooner or later, you're going to have to reveal who you really are to everyone else. That's how it was for me, Jusis, Fie, Alisa, and now Rean…"

"I...I know that." Emma breathed steadily. "And I'll tell everyone when the time comes. Actually, I'm fairly certain that some have already deduced that my arts aren't at all what they seem; they simply haven't approached me yet."

"Well, that's all the more important to clear things up sooner than later. If you don't tell them now, there's a chance that something else will. And between you and me? I'd rather do it on my own terms."

"I suppose you're right." Emma briefly glanced behind her to see if Celine was still around before turning back and locking eyes with Morgan. "Still, I don't want you to feel pressured by all of this newfound information. Celine and I will still expect you to keep our true natures a secret from everyone else, but let me reassure you that we're on your side. If there's anything I can do to prove it to you, I can-"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I believe you."

Emma blinked. "Y-You do?"

"The two of you revealed yourselves to me for a reason. You're putting yourselves on the line. That's why I'm going to honor that by giving you my trust. Besides, with Celine watching me, I gotta make sure I get back on her good side."

Emma showed a weak smile. Overall, she looked more at ease than she did a few minutes ago. "You know, it's odd. I never thought that I would one day be talking about magic freely with someone else like this. I thought that I'd just be alone with Celine."

"Well, you're not alone anymore." Morgan reached over and cradled Emma's hands in hers. "You're my friend, Emma. And knowing that there are others like me out there who know about magic… It's lifted a weight from my shoulders."

"Morgan…" Emma's smile grew wider, clearly touched by her classmate's assurance. "Thank you. This makes me feel relieved as well. It looks like your curse hasn't taken away what makes you you."

Morgan frowned, confused by the statement that Emma had just made. "My...what?"

The smile promptly faded from Emma's face. "You haven't noticed?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"This is concerning. To think that even you had no idea…" Emma removed her hands from Morgan's grasp and became serious again. "How should I put this… Morgan, have you ever wondered why you cannot seem to make anything edible? Or why tools in your hands always seem to be closer to breaking after you use them?"

"Not…really? I said it before; it just sort of happens. You sure you're not just overthinking things?"

Emma shook her head solemnly. "One of the things my magic training has allowed me to do is see things that others normally cannot. Shifts in magical energy, the appearance of the higher elements, even the presence of curses. Over the past month, I've noticed something...off about you. Whenever you become angered, and even sometimes when you're not, there's some sort of red aura that begins emanating from your body. If I were to describe it, it's almost like a red fog that ensnares anyone who tries to come close to you and prevents them from escaping.

"I first noticed it during the practical exam two months ago, when you confronted the students from Class I. It also flared up when you confronted C last month. And most recently, it appeared during your duel with that student from the Arseid school. When you performed your last attack, it was almost like there were red trails following your sword as you swung it."

Emma leaned in a little closer. "Have you truly not noticed anything all those times?"

"I told you, I don't know…"

Morgan stopped mid-sentence. Thinking back on those previous experiences, she had, in fact, noticed something. But it wasn't anything that she saw; rather, it was what she HEARD. A phantasmal fit of high-pitched laughter that would echo in her ears.

'It couldn't be… That was…!'

"Morgan, this is extremely important," Emma continued. "Did you ever come into contact with anything abnormal that could have caused this? Any sort of creature or artifact?"

"No. I didn't." Morgan shook her head. "I was dealing with this long before I came to Thors. I just thought it was just something I had to deal with. I never considered that I was actually cursed."

"So, then…"

"Although, now that you mention creatures, there was that time I accidentally inhaled some miasma from the Scalyptera…"

"You inhaled miasma?!" Emma raised her voice significantly.

"Shh!" Now it was Morgan's turn to shush her friend. Afterwards, she described her group's encounter with the Scalyptera during their field study to Bryonia Island. All the while, Emma maintained her serious expression, which Morgan felt was a stark departure from how the class president usually acted. Was this how Emma truly was on the inside?

"...I see," the bespectacled girl said. "It doesn't appear that it had any effect on your health; if it did, we would have noticed it months ago. Still, miasma is dangerous, especially when emitted from monsters. The fact that you came out of it mostly unaffected is, quite frankly, unexplainable. But then again, I suppose I should continue to expect this much from you moving forward…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Emma cracked a small smile. "Oh, I wasn't trying to mock you or anything. At any rate, we should continue to monitor you closely just to make sure nothing else flares up in the future. As for your curse…" She then frowned. "Unfortunately, while I've studied up on how to detect basic curses and hexes, I haven't seen anything like yours. Once we get back from our field study, I'll write a letter to my grandmother. She probably wouldn't find my revealing of my true nature very pleasing, but if I can explain about your circumstances, I'm sure she can find something."

"You don't need to go that far for something like this…" Morgan insisted.

"Curses are dangerous when left unfettered, no matter how harmless they may seem at first. Consider this my way of honoring the trust you placed in me." Emma took off her glasses and placed them on the nightstand next to her bed. "I promise, I'm going to find a way to rid you of that curse."

Morgan could feel the honesty in Emma's voice. Even though Class VII's class president was now revealed to be a girl of many secrets, her sincerity was the same as it ever was. If Morgan's trust in Emma was solidified before, it certainly was now.

Also, Morgan just realized that this was the first time she had ever seen Emma without her glasses on. Perhaps it was due to the rarity of the occasion, but there was something dazzling about the way she looked with her eyes unobstructed by her lens, to an almost hypnotic extent. She thought that it was a shame Emma didn't take her glasses off more often. Not that she wasn't attractive before, but the glasses made her look a lot more bookish and unseemly than her appearance would normally indicate, like a photograph altered by a filter. But then again, considering that she was trying to keep her identity as a witch a secret in the first place, maybe that was intentional.

Emma then coughed, snapping Morgan back into reality. "Um, anyways! I think we should probably get back to bed now. We've got a long day ahead of us, after all!"

"R-Right!" Morgan had completely forgotten. "Good night!"

"Good night!"

Morgan pulled the covers over her body and closed her eyes, feeling a lot better now than she did when she woke up. It was an unexpected encounter, but it overall was a welcome surprise.

Unfortunately, even with her uplifted feelings, sleep did not come so easily for her. Then again, that was usually the case if she woke up after having a nightmare. So, she let her thoughts wander, pondering on the nature of magic in Erebonia and how it differed from Ylisse. For starters, there appeared to be a separate language dedicated to casting magic, if Emma's incantation was of any indication. Morgan remembered having to do her fair share of studying to be able to cast magic in her childhood, but so long as she had a tome or a magic weapon, all she had to do was pour her magical energy into it and most of the work would be done for her. The fact that Emma was able to conjure up her magic without a tome or a staff, Morgan reckoned, was proof of how hard she must have studied in the past. And the result? She was able to cast spells on her own.

If only there was a way for her to do that, too…

"Hey, Emma? Are you still awake?"

"What is it, Morgan?" Emma promptly responded.

"You said that witches can't teach others magic. But what about someone who already knows magic? Can a witch still give advice if they're not part of the clan?"

"That's a good question…" Emma paused to think for a moment. "I would like to think that Grandmother has put countermeasures in place to prevent such loopholes from being abused, though."

"…Does that still count for magic that wasn't taught by witches?"

Morgan heard a stir from the bed next to her. Emma was now sitting upright. "What are you suggesting?"

"Just some food for thought. Take one of my crafts, for example. You remember Ragna Bind, right?"

"The technique you learned from Matteus Vander?"

"That's the one. I'm sure you noticed it by now, but I'm using my own magical power to make the bind. So even though it started as a martial technique, I technically made it into a magic-based one. I was wondering how I could improve it, and since you know a few things about magic…"

"Hmm…" Emma hummed to herself. "I do know of a spell that binds the target with magic. It's similar to what you're doing with your Ragna Bind currently, except it requires an incantation. A medium through which you can transfer your mana can also make the spell stronger."

"A medium…" Morgan muttered. "You mean like a magic tome?"

"Or a wand. Or even an orbal staff. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn that spell before I came to Thors."

"I see…"

"But since Ragna Bind doesn't need an incantation to begin with, I don't think that has any relevance. I think in your case, you just need to get a better feel for your magic flow so you can increase your output."

"…Do you think you can give me a practical demonstration?"

Emma remained quiet for a short while. Finally, she said, "Maybe just a quick one…"

…

"Rose is not gonna be happy if she finds out about this…"

Celine sighed as she walked across the railing of the terrace. As a witch's familiar, she could detect her master's magic no matter the location, and right now, she felt Emma using the barest minimum possible. Not enough to cast a spell, but still sufficient enough to make her magic visible to the naked eye.

"At least she doesn't appear to be directly affiliated with THEM," she remarked with a slight hiss. "That girl might still be useful as a trump card in case we find her."

Even amidst that chaotic hodgepodge of students the academy calls a class, the girl known as Morgan Daraen was an oddity among oddities. Her background was fairly normal on paper, being one of three members who originated from the empire's capital, but the moment one starts looking deeper, the more apparent it becomes that her nature was anything but. She was accepted by an invitation from none other than an Imperial prince, was an Imperial attendant for a time, had no other living relatives, and somehow has no recollection of her previous life. And yet, she was exceptionally well-versed in combat, with a tactician's mind and skills the likes of which no person this side of Zemuria had ever seen before.

And to top it all off, not only was she aware of the existence of magic, she was routinely using it herself.

...Okay, maybe that last part was giving the girl too much credit. While Celine could detect that she had vast magical reserves, the truth was that after some reassessment, Morgan looked to be a complete novice at magic. Aside from using it to augment her physical capabilities, she wasn't aware of any other way to use magic. She didn't even know any spells, for crying out loud.

But there was something else about her that gave Celine pause. Something that made her feel on edge whenever she was around the girl. A sickly red aura that followed her even when she wasn't looking. It didn't appear natural in the slightest, which implied that this curse, this...anathema was forcibly placed on her. So long as she had that, she would not be able to create anything using ingredients from the land; the only thing she can do is destroy.

Who was it that cursed her? What led to that curse being placed? When and where did she receive it? Why was her curse so very specific about what it could or couldn't affect?

Just who, or what, was Morgan Daraen?

"The Halidom of Ylisse…" Celine recalled. "One doesn't inexplicably come up with a name like that out of thin air. Not unless…" She let out a low growl. "Could she have come from...the Beyond?"

"You two look a bit more tired than usual," Laura remarked as Morgan and Emma arrived at the breakfast table.

"Ahaha! Do we?" Morgan looked at Emma and grinned. "We sorta…talked a lot last night."

"Y-Yeah!" Emma affirmed. "Just a little too much girls' talk."

Laura gave a small huff directed at the two of them. "And you didn't think of inviting me?"

Morgan and Emma scrambled to apologize to Laura, and it took the swordswoman a few moments to realize that her attempt at sarcasm didn't get across very well. "I was merely speaking in jest! Don't think too hard about it."

"We can still take you up on that suggestion, though!" said Emma. "Maybe tonight after we finish writing our reports?"

"Ooh! How about we all sleep over in Laura's room! That way, she won't get lonely!"

Standing by the side of the table, Klaus took out a handkerchief and began dabbing it around his eyes. "Oh, to think I would see the day where the young lady would joke with her friends…"

The viscount, who was seated at the head of the table, chuckled in agreement. "Indeed. This is truly a momentous occasion. Klaus, would you be willing to share a toast with me in front of Daphne after this?"

"Klaus! Father!" Laura shouted exasperatedly.

The boys filed in not long after, with Gaius in the lead followed by Rean and Crow. For someone who was soundly defeated by the Radiant Blademaster and had a secret of his unveiled, Rean looked surprisingly well-rested. In fact, the first thing he did after greeting everyone was thank the viscount once again for the duel and the advice he gave him the night before. Viscount Arseid took the thanks in stride and even invited him to come spar with him again should the opportunity arise.

Breakfast continued with little problems. Following up on the preceding night's dinner, the main highlight was the sausages made from wild boar meat, which Morgan happily partook in. Even as she sank her teeth into the juicy meat, however, she would occasionally steal a glance at Rean's general direction, almost as if she were unconsciously anticipating when his hair would turn white next. She mentally berated herself for doing that, however rooted in her instincts her behavior was. She had said so herself, had she not? She wasn't going to be afraid of him.

After their morning meal was finished, the students left for the guild house from the mansion. Right as they were walking down the incline connecting their lodgings from the rest of Legram, however, Rean stopped the group momentarily.

"Hey, so… I'm sorry for all the fuss I caused yesterday."

Though Rean had directed his apology to the entire group, Morgan subconsciously felt his gaze linger slightly longer on her. She responded, "Rean, I told you before, didn't I? You don't need to blame yourself."

"I know…" The swordsman rubbed the back of his head. "But still, it was impulsive of me, especially when we're still out on a field study."

Laura stepped forward. "You did what you did out of necessity, correct?"

"...Yeah. Before yesterday, I'd never been able to recognize the truth behind my master's teachings, but crossing swords with your father… It was like I finally realized what he wanted me to understand all those years."

"I see…" Laura nodded her head. "In that case, I won't criticize what you did. I can understand that feeling...struggling forward even in the face of adversity."

"Still, I think you owe us all an explanation," Crow spoke up. "Morgs and I saw it before, but you never said what it was exactly at the time. Think you can give us the rundown now?"

Rean put his hand on his chest. Morgan recognized it as the same spot where his scar was.

"How should I put this… There's something…some beast-like instinct sleeping inside me. And when I completely lose control of myself, it just swallows me up. Transforms me, somehow. I've known about it ever since I was a kid, and all my life, I've lived in fear of it…of that other self."

"It seems a strange burden to bear…" Gaius remarked. "When you unleashed that power, I got the feeling that some kind of power that was locked up inside you came roaring out in one big flash."

"If it makes you that much stronger, why not just be like that all the time?" Crow asked.

Rean chuckled half-heartedly. "I wish it were that simple. Years ago, I first asked my master to teach me the way of the sword in order to suppress that power. I thought that if I could master the art of fighting, I could master my fear and quell those instincts. But that did nothing to solve the underlying problem, and eventually, I ended up having my training discontinued."

"So that's why…" Laura's gaze fell, having remembered the time she dismissed Rean's dedication to his swordsmanship back in Celdic. A long time had passed since then, but now she was regretting having said those words without understanding the full context behind his actions.

"But you said that yesterday's duel helped you to realize something, right?" Morgan remembered.

Rean nodded. "I can deny it up and down, but doing that doesn't change the fact that it's in there, somewhere. And unless I can accept that, I won't be able to reconcile myself with the past, or really think about my future. I mean, that sounds so simple, saying it now, but it took this long for me to realize it."

Morgan understood where Rean was coming from. When she first found out that she couldn't cook, she was disheartened and embarrassed that she couldn't perform such a simple task. However, as Princess's Alfin's newest attendant, she couldn't afford to sit still in one place; thus, she came to accept that it was a part of her so she could focus on improving in other areas.

Upon remembering that, however, she recalled her discussion with Emma earlier that morning. Now, it was difficult for her to feel the same way as she did back then.

The revelation that her ineptitude for cooking was actually the result of a curse had left her...not as shaken up as she initially thought (or at least, not as shaken up compared to any regular human being). Instead, it merely left her conflicted. On the one hand, curses were usually associated with a negative connotation, and it clearly brought her nothing trouble and inconvenience. So, it was only natural that she would want to find a way to get rid of it. But on the other hand, its existence from as far back as she could remember about her life in Erebonia implied that she must have gotten the curse before she was found by the Imperial family. And if that were true, then the only place she could have gotten it from was Ylisse. In other words, this curse was likely one of the few remaining remnants of her home world, the same as her Mark of Naga and her father's book. Could this curse be the key to unlocking more of her memories?

If only there was a way for her to remember how she got cursed in the first place. As far as she knew, she was perfectly fine throughout her childhood right up to the point where she took the certification exams with Cynthia and Severa and became the only one of the trio to be a pegasus knight. The majority of her memories came to a stop there, meaning that it must have occurred some time between then and her arrival in Erebonia.

If anything, it was a new lead to go off of.

Morgan looked at Emma. She couldn't bring herself to tell her, not after the enthusiasm she showed earlier. If she were given the choice to remove her curse, could she really go through with it?

Emma noticed her staring. "Um, is something the matter, Morgan?"

"N-No. It's nothing."

The students continued their trek towards the main hub of Legram. Morgan leaned in closer and whispered, "Is Celine going to be okay on her own?"

"She'll be fine. No one has found her yet."

"How can you tell?"

"Witches and familiars share a direct connection. Think of it like a tether. Through that, we can sense each other's magic and even communicate with each other if we're close enough." Emma lightly held her hand to the side of her head, almost like she was thinking about something. After a moment, she said, "Currently, she's sunbathing on the roof of the mansion."

The thought of Celine lounging around the Arseid mansion without the Radiant Blademaster's knowing made Morgan snort. Clearly, the cat couldn't care less about whose house she was trespassing on. "Sounds pretty handy. It's almost like you have a separate pair of eyes."

"Well, the lives of familiars are usually tied to their masters. If a witch dies, so does her familiar. Celine's a bit of a special case, though; she was created by my grandmother and was later gifted to me."

"Your grandmother sounds pretty powerful."

"She is. And she's also very knowledgeable. I reckon if there's anyone who knows of a way to help you, it's her."

Morgan put on a fake smile. "I see. That's good to hear."

For now, Morgan was content with knowing that there was at least one more thing that had accompanied her to Erebonia. It was an odd feeling. She knew that curses weren't the most ideal thing to have, but it made her feel strangely less lonely than before.

She could only hope that she could find the answers hidden in her memories before it was too late.