Since their confrontation, Tabitha had been flying upon Sylphid constantly to get back to their home in Gallia, hoping the cover of darkness and the UED's current engagements with the Protoss would be enough to not notice them. They knew to fly low, almost against the tree line, and at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, as the anti air defenses were calibrated for much larger and faster or slower targets. There was not much to do on this ride but fret about what could have happened to their mother, and to prevent that from taking over their whole mind, they instead chose to reminisce.

They thought back. Six years ago. They remembered being there, unbeknownst to their uncle, watching his summoning ritual he was performing in secret. All they'd known their uncle for was failing to cast spells, and being a generally angry, bitter man. They watched, that night, at the Gallian royal palace grounds from among bushes nearby, as Joseph, a man with messy, short blue hair and wisps of a growing goatee that had matching blue eyes was scowling with fierce determination, raised his wand and began chanting.

"My familiar, who exists among the universes, who is both powerful and intelligent, and will submit to me," Joseph began as he raised his wand over his head, "I summon you!"

As was typical of Joseph's attempts at spellcasting, a mighty explosion rocked where he stood, sending dust and soot in every direction, from which Tabitha shielded their eyes and did their best to prevent coughing. Once the dust had begun to clear, Tabitha looked over to the spot again, and what they saw caused their eyes to widen with surprise. Before Joseph looked to be a boy. Not much older than Tabitha, at the time known as Charlotte. With raven-black hair and matching eyes. He was wearing some kind of shirt they'd never seen before. It was plain, white, but fascinating to them for its utilitarian, almost peasant-like, design. Adorning his lower half looked to be some kind of loose pants that were striped blue and white.

They saw the boy cough, and try to sit up, whipping his head around at the surroundings and, eventually, at Joseph, who was looking down at him with confusion and irritation. The boy opened his mouth, and what could be called words came from it, but Charlotte could not understand any of them. He sounded scared, and rightfully so. Who wouldn't be if they appeared in a strange place in front of a strange man while wearing what looked like nothing but nightwear?

"It came from over there!" the shouting of approaching guards could be heard, causing both Joseph and the boy to turn their heads to it for a moment before locking eyes on each other once more. Without warning, and still scowling at the boy, Joseph kneeled before him.

"You disgust me. This disgusts me. But, you are the only proof that I am something more than just my brother's shadow," Joseph forcefully grabbed the boy by his face, causing him to give panicked struggles. "I hereby bind you, my familiar. Make me proud and serve me well," Joseph recited as he forced his lips against the boy's, causing Charlotte to barely hold back a horrified gasp. Once their lips had separated, the boy began coughing and spitting on the ground, desperately wiping it as he did. Joseph stood up, wiped his own mouth with a disgusted look on his face, and scowled at the boy.

"What is this?! Who are you?!" One of the guards, who had now made it to Joseph and the new boy he had supposedly summoned and was aiming his rifle at him, shouted at the terrified boy. The boy, in response, was desperately raising his hands and trying his best to say something that sounded submissive and apologetic.

"Relax, Sergeant," Joseph said with a sigh as he walked forward between the rifle and the boy, causing the guard to falter. "This," Joseph gestured to the trembling boy behind him, "is my familiar."

"A familiar, you say?" Charlotte let out the smallest gasp as they heard their father's voice. It was soon followed by seeing their father's form, a man whose head was also adorned with blue hair, though straight, neat, and passed his shoulders in length, push past the guards to better look at the situation.

Joseph scowled at him, but his gaze was met with the same warm, genuine smile that Charlotte knew their father to always give to his overlooked little brother. After a moment, a look of concern grew on Charles' face as he considered the implications of what he had been told.

"Then you have-?" before Charles could finish asking, Joseph nodded to him, causing Charles to furrow his brow.

Before anything else could be said, the boy began to scream in agony, causing everyone to look down at him. The boy was clutching his forehead as a bright light glowed beneath his fingers. It only lasted a few moments, but once it had ceased, the boy was left sitting there, breathing raggedly and sweating profusely as he kept feeling his head and looking at his hands. Charlotte could only barely see, for a second, the glowing runes that were upon the boy's forehead. Everyone looked at this in awe, with Joseph being the first to break the silence.

"Do you understand me?" Joseph said, causing the boy to look up to him with shock. There was a brief moment where it seemed the boy did not know what to do, but, eventually, he nodded, causing a small smirk to manifest on Joseph's face. "Good. And what is your name?"

"S-Saito," the boy replied in a shaky voice. The guards all made various noises to indicate their interest at this, and Charles walked up and clapped his brother affectionately on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, brother! I always knew you had potential!" Charles genuinely congratulated Joseph, who paid his brother no heed. Joseph looked at the runes in a way that felt… knowing, to Charlotte. This seemed further confirmed as Joseph's face now bore what would become his signature smug visage as he chuckled to himself.

"Indeed," Joseph said in a way that was uncharacteristic to anyone around. There was now a confidence about him that none had experienced before, and Charles raised an eyebrow at this. "It seems I am truly destined for greatness." Charles gave his brother a warm smile and nod.

"I always believed in you, brother, and I hope I can help you achieve this greatness," Charles declared with full sincerity. Joseph merely answered his words with a smirk and nod.


Back in the present, Tabitha became aware that they and Sylphid had reached their destination. Tabitha deftly landed their blue and white dragon familiar near the entrance of their estate where their mother had been sequestered and dismounted, their eyes widening with horror at the scene before them. Their family crest was defaced with the impacts of bullets and, hanging from the archway that led into the estate, was a figure that caused Tabitha to drop to their knees in despair.

Too cruel… they thought to themselves as they looked, trembling with grief and rage, at the hanging body of their former loyal servant, Percerin. Tabitha felt, for a moment, as though they were going to burst into tears, but, instead, swallowed their sorrow for that moment and stood up, raising their staff and aiming it at the rope from which Percerin's body dangled. They fired off a cutting blast of wind that severed the rope and, before the late butler could hit the ground, Tabitha summoned a cushioning pocket of air to break the body's fall. They approached the body and took a moment to look it over, being disgusted with what was clearly their uncle's sadistic handiwork.

They did not want to leave him like this. However, as they were incapable of earth magic, they, with regret in their heart, resolved to step around Percerin's body, saying a small apology as they did, and went forth into the small manor before them.

The door was broken away by force, allowing them to walk directly in and see the damages around them. Unlike the last time they were there with Kirche, the place looked as if it had been turned upside down. They felt the urge to run, but, also, knew there would be no point. Whatever had occurred here had already happened long before they arrived. All they could do now was search for clues.

They decided to head directly for their mother's room, carefully avoiding debris with almost every step as they did. For a second, they foolishly let hope enter their heart as they approached the doorway that was now devoid of its primary namesake. They walked directly into the room and scanned it, giving a disappointed sigh as they finished. All that was left was a destroyed mattress, an overturned chair, and a broken table. There was, however, one more thing they saw that caught their eye. A doll, torn and with fluff coming from its neck, had been left there. Tabitha bent down to pick it up, remembering where it had come from.


Years ago, at Tabitha's father's wake, Tabitha found themself unable to stop crying. They had excused themselves from the funeral proper to cry in an empty room, as silently as they could.

Father… why? Why did you have to go on that hunting trip? Tabitha, at the time Charlotte, thought, angrily, as they continued to cry quietly on the bed within this room that they found themselves in. Their crying fit was interrupted, however, by a knock upon the door. Charlotte quickly dried their eyes and did their best to silence themself.

"Um… Charlotte?" a voice came from the other side of the door. A familiar, barely masculine voice that Charlotte had scarcely heard since the night they first heard it. Charlotte chose not to answer. "I'm coming in," the voice stated as the door opened and Charlotte's eyes met with that boy's from the night he was summoned.

"Saito," Charlotte addressed him, breaking their gaze away in shame as they wiped their eyes and sniffled.

"I just wanted to see where you were and…" Saito began as he approached them, "if you were alright."

"How can I be?!" Charlotte shouted at him, scowling as they did, "My father is dead!"

"Of course… how stupid of me," it was now Saito's turn to feel shame as he turned to sit next to them.

Charlotte looked over the boy for a moment. The runes upon his forehead were now not the only modification to his face as two tattoos were added coming from the sides of his eyes that narrowed into fine points at the ends of his cheeks. They knew he didn't choose that, but wondered why their uncle would subject him to it. He was adorned in a strange outfit as well. Something rather revealing with a mesh "covering" his somewhat defined, barely-pubescent chest that seemed to stretch all the way to his hands, ending at the first metatarsals. Much of the flesh of this torso and arms were exposed, revealing scars both fresh and old. He squirmed uncomfortably as he sat next to Charlotte, clearly not liking what he was forced to adorn.

"I'm sorry… about how my uncle is to you," Tabitha said.

"It's not your fault," Saito reassured them with a small smile while still staring down at the floor beneath them. "At least I get to hang out with a cute girl like you!" Saito declared with a false bluster that Charlotte could tell was meant to make them laugh.

"I already told you," Charlotte replied with a giggle, "I'm not a girl."

"Of course, my handsome prince," Saito said dramatically as he turned his head to them and bowed.

"Not that, either," Charlotte giggled once more at his silliness. They both knew that this is how they coped with the strains that had been placed upon them by forces beyond their control.

"I know, Charlotte," Saito said with a warm tone as he gave Charlotte a small smile, "I'm sorry I can't make people respect that."

"I know," Charlotte returned his smile as they took his hand. "At least you do."

A rare moment of pleasant silence was shared between them. Then Saito's face fell.

"Charlotte… I'm…" Saito sounded guilty as he struggled to maintain eye contact with them. Charlotte could sense there was something they needed to know.

"What is it?" Charlotte implored, furrowing their brow at him.

"Joseph," Saito blurted out, giving Charlotte a desperate look. "You know it was Joseph, right? He did this. I overheard him with that 'Cromwell'." Charlotte looked hardly surprised as they narrowed their eyes at him. "I'm sorry… I wish I could stop him. I'm so useless…" Saito lamented as he looked at his hands. Charlotte rubbed his back reassuringly at this.

"One day," Charlotte began, "we'll avenge my father. And be free of my uncle. I promise." Charlotte gave him a fierce look of determination. As they stared at each other, they could both feel their hearts begin pounding and, as their faces drifted closer to each other, they each stopped and turned away from each other sheepishly.

"Oh, that's right," Saito spoke up after a moment of awkward silence. He produced a doll from his pocket, slightly bigger than his hand, of the ragdoll variety, with two button eyes and a roughly sewn smile upon its face. He held it out to Charlotte, who took it with a confused look on their face.

"What's this?" Charlotte asked as they took it, scrutinizing its rough appearance.

"Well, after I first met you I started on it," Saito began with an awkward chuckle, "this was before you told me about all your gender stuff, but it seemed a waste to stop by the time we talked about that."

Charlotte giggled once again as they looked over the doll, finding it charming in its scrappy way. They turned to Saito and gave him a warm smile.

"Maybe they can keep you company… when no one else can." Saito gave another awkward chuckle as he blushed. Charlotte, continuing to smile at him, leaned over and quickly planted a kiss upon his cheek, causing Saito to grow hot with embarrassment.

"Thank you, really," Charlotte said. "What's their name?"

"Tabitha," Saito answered. Charlotte looked down to the doll and waved one of its arms at them.

"Nice to meet you, Tabitha."


As Tabitha, now, in the present, held the doll that was their namesake close to them, they heard a disturbance from behind. Instinctively, they whipped around, brandishing their staff as they did.

"Be mindful where you point that thing," a deep, smooth voice emanating from a shadowy figure in the corner of the room spoke, "someone could get hurt."

The figure stepped forward into the ambient afternoon light that emanated from the floor-to-ceiling windows of this room that had been built to always not have direct sunlight. The figure was adorned in a black vestments and matching leather armor adorned with red jewels. Their face was obscured by a black hood, which they lowered with their gauntlet-laden hands to reveal a pair of red eyes, long, blonde hair, and pointed ears.

Another elf, Tabitha thought to themself as they gripped tighter on their staff, keeping it trained on the towering figure before them.

"Another?" the more masculine-looking elf before Tabitha asked, raising an eyebrow as he did. "And where, pray tell, did you see this other elf?"

"Where's my mother?" Tabitha demanded, ignoring the elf and trying to remember the bit of UED training they received to block out psionic probing attempts by focusing on the situation at hand.

"She's safe… for now," the elf answered in a plain, informative tone. Tabitha breathed the smallest sigh of relief at this. "Joseph is ordering you return to Alhambra."

Tabitha scowled at the elf before them, and waved their staff, sending a wave of ice shards at him. The elf did not flinch as the shards seemed to impact an invisible barrier, freeze, and drop harmlessly to the ground. The elf gave an exasperated sigh as he stepped forward, causing Tabitha to launch another wave of icy projectiles at him. The elf, in response, held up his hand, causing the projectiles to freeze once more. Only this time, some turned back. Tabitha froze as some of the smaller shards struck and sliced at their body, causing them to collapse from the pain. While they were shaking and straining to get up, the elf walked before them and kicked their staff away.

"Call me Vish'dnir," the elf said as he looked down on Tabitha with the same blank expression, raising one of his hands and manifesting a swirling red energy upon it, "It is nice to meet you, Charlotte." Vish'dnir began to aim his palm at the struggling Tabitha below him, but before he could, the window shattered as Sylphid came roaring in. Vish'dnir, raising an eyebrow, turned to the beast and released the energy in his hand at it, causing Sylphid to collapse.

NO! Tabitha thought desperately. It was the last thought they could remember as Vish'dnir quickly did the same to them.

Outside, unbeknownst to anyone within, a figure wrapped in a dark grey robe had watched and overheard these proceedings. Beside them, a fresh mound of dirt of what was unmistakably a grave was made for the late butler of Tabitha's, with small, vibrant flowers now growing out of it. The figure tucked their wand away and hid themself as the elf, with what the figure assumed to be Tabitha in tow in the swirling mass of black and red energy behind him, marched to leave the estate. As she watched the elf leave, she hoped to the Founder that she wouldn't be noticed.