Chapter 102: Hot Springs

Disclaimer:

Hi guys, a nice and chill one here as we continue from where the last chapter finished!

There are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot. Here they are:

Chapter 1-3, 5, 10, 19, 39, 58-59, 61, 81-82, 85, 98, 100-101.

With that said, I hope you enjoy!

Most of the Magic Knights had eventually made it up to the top of the Yultim Volcano after Asta. To the side, sat Yami and Charlotte a few metres away from the rest on an overhead cliff, watching the others.

"We got up here with no problem but I'm surprised that a lot of these Magic Knights made it up here with just a glance at our Mana Skin", Charlotte said.

"Well, these bunch of brats can impress you at times. I knew that mine would find a way up here, so I wasn't worried", Yami replied, puffing out some smoke.

"Even the kid with no magic? He's quite the enigma, isn't he?" She asked.

"Yeah, no idea why he's like that but it doesn't take away from him. He's got the will to succeed, I'll tell you that", the Dark mage stretched before standing up. "What about your two princesses, did you think they had it in them to reach the top?"

"Of course, we go through mana training and having a conscious control over Mana Skin was next on the agenda. It happened a bit early for Sol and Daisy but I'm proud of them", Charlotte smiled.

Yami then jumped down from the cliff and turned his head towards the Briar mage. "Our squads have some good ones, looks like we're not too different from each other after all, huh?"

Charlotte watched as the Black Bull walked away from her. "We're definitely different, but… maybe that's why I feel like…", she thought before putting her hand on her heart.

Mereoleona had her hands on her hips as she examined the ones who reached the top. Slowly, after her fierce, blue eyes had stared deeply into the eyes of everyone, they relaxed and a proud smile grew on her face.

"Haha, all of you made it to the top, I hope you guys had fun!" She laughed, not seeing the pained expressions on most of the mages.

"It wasn't too bad, right?" Lucas elbowed Aiden who was next to him.

"I mean, I was fine with it but you lost the race to me, didn't you?" He snapped back, earning a face-palm from the Dual mage.

Towards the back of the group of mages, Rachel lost the strength in her shaking legs and sat on the ground. She took the curled ends of her long, red hair and put them in between her hands. "Ew, so much sweat!"

Mereoleona glanced at the new Crimson Lion for a moment before turning around. "Now, as a reward, I'll take you to what you worked so hard for!"

She walked ahead through a narrow path and the others followed closely behind. Most of the mages were extremely tired with dirt, sweat, and some blood from a few of their wounds on their clothes. They didn't really believe that the hot springs would be something worthwhile but once they stopped walking, their mouths dropped to the ground.

In front of them was a large crater with a small amount of bubbling water in the middle. Within seconds, that small amount increased tenfold and the space was filled with hot water that looked enticing to everyone considering what they had been through.

"There really is a hot spring here!" Noelle was amazed.

"This is certainly different to the one at the Forgotten Forest, right, Lucas?" Mimosa's eyes were wide, itching to get in.

"Yeah, but a hot spring is a hot spring, I can't wait to get in", Lucas smiled.

"I see that you're all raring to get in. Well, take your damn clothes off and enjoy the water!" Mereoleona ordered, making the rest of the mages panic as they all understood what this meant.

Asta put his hands over his sensitive areas, shocked to the core. "Wh-What?! There are women here, do we just… go in together?!"

"You can't be worried about such a little thing", the woman shrugged.

"Yeah, we are!" The rest of the mages screamed.

Sol widened her eyes as she thought of something. She ran ahead and slammed her hands down at the ground. "You think I'd let you men even look at Sis's body?! Ha, tough luck for you! Earth Magic: Mud Wall Partition!" At her call, a large wall rose out from the middle of the hot springs to create two equal areas - one for the men, and the other for the women.

Mereoleona smirked. "Now that's settled, get in you imbeciles!"

On one side of the partition, all the ladies were ready to soak in the hot springs with Mereoleona being the first to enter. She leaned against the wall and enjoyed a drink by herself, putting a bottle of wine beside her.

Nearby, just a few feet away from the hot springs, Mimosa and Noelle were sitting together with both of them washing their hair.

"You came prepared with some soap, did you?" Mimosa said to her cousin as she continually brushed her orange hair back and forth, her smile widening with how good it felt.

"Oh, this isn't mine. It's Rachel's, she just teleported some from back home", Noelle admitted. "That Spatial Magic of hers can come in handy. I asked for it and she just set it by the side and swam away".

Mimosa stopped for a while, choosing to lean back. "So, she's a Magic Knight now? I never thought she'd do something like that considering the king is so controlling over her".

"Maybe something changed? We never got along with her when we were kids, but that was a long time ago", the Silva rubbed her chin.

"I'm not sure, I'd like to but I don't think she likes me that much", Mimosa shrugged, blowing air out of her mouth.

"Still? That was so many years ago, it was a little mistake", Noelle replied. Just as their conversation was about to continue, Sol barged in and interrupted the two. "Hey, you two, could one of you help me get my back?"

"Yeah, sure!" Mimosa said, spinning on the rocky stool to face the Earth mage. "Just sit down here and I'll get ya".

Unknown to the two royals, Rachel was listening in as she sat on her own just below them with her back leaning against the wall of the spring. She rolled her eyes as she heard what they said, choosing not to confront them.

"It's not like I want to be near you guys", she quickly shook her head and started to swim away. "Making friends is something I don't really care about".

Going back to the Silva who was now on her own as Mimosa and Sol were busy, she looked intriguingly at the bubbling water. Her face was flushed red and it wasn't just because of the steam around her, but because of the exciting thought of dipping into the water.

She put a toe in and a wide smile formed on her face. Quickly, she hopped in with a splash. "This is amazing…". Her skin started to tingle as the contact with the water continued.

Noelle didn't really pay attention to her surroundings otherwise she would've noticed Mereoleona looking at her from just a few metres away. She had taken a sip of her drink before putting it to the side.

"You know, you look more and more like your mother, Noelle", Mereoleona said before continuing on. "Your face, your hair - you're the spitting image of her".

Noelle blushed as she heard what the captain was saying. "Could you… tell me about her? N-No one ever told me about what she was like…".

Hearing that question, Mereoleona's blue eyes flared up and she smiled wildly. "I could talk about her for hours. She was strong, too strong for me to beat. She helped train me often and I took a liking to her in that way. Rather than a teacher-student relationship, we became rivals!"

"R-Rivals? Does that mean you two fought often?" Noelle wondered.

"Ha! Well, we did fight but it was always a one-sided battle with her always victorious, despite my attribute having the advantage. I made a name for myself on the battlefield but when it came to her, I always fell short. Perhaps that's why I looked up to her as a beacon of strength!" Mereoleona raised her arms and tensed them, showing off her biceps.

"So, she was really strong…", Noelle repeated, She looked down at the water and saw her own reflection off the surface. A ripple in the water came her way, obscuring the image and her mother's face disappeared. "Mom…".

"But that wasn't the only thing about her that captivated everyone. Her beauty was exceptional and the masses called her the Steel Warrior-Princess. She danced across the battlefield, combining strength and kindness in a unique way that was adored by all. That was your mother, Acier Silva", Mereoleona praised as she looked up at the late-night sky.

Noelle's pink eyes, just like the stars in the sky, were wide with stars as she thought about her late mother. However…

"You, however, have sloppy magic control, your magic is wild and erratic, and you are prone to mistakes. It's hard to believe you're a royal", she said, making Noelle retreat below the surface of the water momentarily.

"For that exact reason, you need to surpass her. Resembling her is good and all, but you need to surpass her with a strength that's unique to you, Noelle". The lioness raised her fist and placed it firmly on the Silva's forehead.

Noelle nodded, rolling her open palms into fists. "Yes, Lady Mereoleona!"

Opposite Mereoleona and Noelle, sat Daisy who was on her own. Her head was resting against the inner wall of the springs. "Fenrir…", she thought of her new spell again. "If I want to get stronger, I'll have to use it, but…", she looked up and thought of her mother, which was only replaced by the image of her father and the Haines house crest.

The Ice mage pictured herself as she was seven years ago, escaping from the ruined house she once lived in.

"I never want to see that wolf ever again".

The crack going through the crest was the last thing she saw before throwing away her hairpin, but that terrible image was replaced by something recent that only served to confuse her.

She saw her current self standing in front of Lucas, protecting him from Mystic's mental onslaught against him.

"Ice Creation Magic: Fenrir's Blizzard!"

"Back then, I used that spell without hesitation to protect Lucas and I... smiled when I saw it scribble itself in my grimoire. Why did I smile when I didn't want to see that blasted wolf? Was I relieved? Was it because... I knew I could have the strength to protect him? Did I not say to myself that I didn't want to see it? What... should I truly do...?"

The time she had to herself only lasted for a few seconds before she jerked back up as she heard a noise nearby. Her blue and violet-tinted eyes saw a flash of familiar vermillion hair and recognised who it was straight away.

"Ah, Mimosa, you alright?" Daisy was thankful that someone showed up which served to distract her from her depressing thoughts.

"Hi, Daisy, I'm well. This water feels so… good", she closed her eyes for a brief moment as she lowered herself even further into the water, only leaving her eyes and ears above the surface.

The Ice mage smiled and then remembered what Lucas told her right before the Award Ceremony.

"There was nothing like a confession. I'm not sure, but…", he gulped before continuing. "I think I'm starting t-to like her… i-i-in a different w-way".

Regardless of knowing what the answer would be, she still chose to ask Mimosa a question. "How was your Star Festival then, you know, with Lucas?"

Mimosa jumped up and saw the sly smirk stretch across Daisy's face. Yet, instead of acting like she normally did when things like this were mentioned and hiding away, she took a deep breath and smiled. "It… was good. Um, my feelings are the real deal, but confessing to him is something different. I'll… make him fall for me!"

The royal raised her arms with all her might, creating two waves in the water which ended up soaking Daisy right in front of her. She apologised profusely but the Ice mage wasn't having any of it.

"Take this!" She retaliated with her own slash of water which shot at Mimosa.

"Hahaha, s-sorry!" Mimosa said again to which Daisy accepted.

"I just had to get a bit of revenge", she teased.

Mimosa nodded. After a few seconds, she stretched her arms out wide and breathed in and out before asking her fellow Magic Knight a question. "Um, what should I do though? Do I wait for him to ask me on a date, or do I make the first move? Wait, is going on a date the right thing to do at this point, or do I… argh, I'm so new to this!" She jerked her head back and forth with her hands, closing her eyes because of her nerves.

"C-Calm down", Daisy said as she put her hand on her shoulder. "You could wait for him to ask, but… I doubt he'd make the first move, haha. He's not exactly dense, but, hm, how should I put this…?"

"He doesn't really equate the signs with romance?"

"Damn, you must've been frustrated". Daisy began to understand just how many hints Mimosa must have given him and he never put two and two together. "There's nothing that says that a girl can't make the first move, but a date… it might be a bit hard because of the Royal Knights Exam and whatever comes after that. Maybe when everything is all done?"

"Yeah, that could be the right move. But what about just the little things?"

"I see what you're getting at, well, I'll help you out. Are you good at cooking?"

"I'd like to think so". Mimosa put her hands on her hips and smirked, feeling proud of herself.

"I guess she is", Daisy smiled. "Lucas's favourite is a beef burger".

"Really, that's a bit… basic?"

"No, no, you don't understand this. The beef burger he likes needs to have a thick cut of meat with salt and a bunch of seasoning inside the meat itself. You know when you roll the beef into a patty? There also has to be some melted cheese, but not too much since it'll make the rest of the ingredients wet. It has to be just enough to be able to stick on the beef itself but still retain its square shape".

At this point, Mimosa had brought out a pair of clear glasses and a notebook... from somewhere. She was scribbling the instructions as fast as she could but it looked like Daisy was going off on a tangent. Still, she managed to keep up, just.

"Oh, and the tomatoes have to be the mini ones, you know, the size of this…", she curled the tip of her thumb and index finger to create a circular shape. "Put them right below the meat since he likes the taste of those two mixing. "After that, the cucumbers - they have to be large, but a bit smaller than the circumference of the beef meat. I'd say one or two of them are fine. The lettuce has to be crunchy as well, so when you bite into it you can hear it clearly. And… oh, yeah, the buns need to have sesame seeds in them".

Daisy took a deep breath as she finished, only to see Mimosa acting like a machine as she scribbled her notes down. When she finished, the Ice mage bowed her head.

"Sorry for all of that information, uh, I guess a normal beef burger will do as well".

"Haha, no worries. You know quite a bit about his favourite food", Mimosa asked, intrigued.

"It's my favourite as well, but… I don't think I'll mention that to her", she thought before answering. "That day he and I were in Nean - we had burgers like that and it was coincidentally the way he likes them".

"I see… Hm, this helps quite a lot, thank you!" Mimosa took the mage's hands and shook them for a few seconds.

A few minutes after this, the two had swam elsewhere with the royal joining with her cousin once again, whilst Daisy was relaxing by the side, eyes closed.

"Maybe I went a bit overboard with that info. I'm just rooting for her, that's all…". She was about to drift off for a few minutes but heard a bit of movement nearby. She tilted her head across her shoulder and saw the new Magic Knight and waved to her. "It's her… I wonder what she's like? Yoohoo, Rachel why're you by yourself? Come on over!"

Rachel flinched as she heard her name so abruptly. She had found a quiet spot by herself and was just about to relax when she heard the Ice mage call out to her. "I was dragged here and all I want to do is enjoy this water. I'll just pretend to igno-!"

Before the Spatial mage could even finish her train of thought, her face was met with a splash of water nearby which made her jump up all of a sudden. She wiped her eyes and saw that it was Daisy, now just a few inches away from her.

"Wh-What do you want?!" The redhead snapped, her black eyes strained.

"I was calling your name and you just ignored me, what's up with that?" The Ice mage threw some more water at her.

"Stop it!" Rachel wiped her face again. She put her hands under the water and dashed some water back at the Blue Rose. "See how you like it!"

Daisy's face was met with a flurry of splashes but she just laughed after every single one. "Man, you've got some power in those arms of yours", she said before coming closer.

"What are you talking ab-!" Rachel flinched as she felt Daisy's hands over her shoulders. "G-Get off me!"

Daisy didn't listen and proceeded to massage the royal, eventually hearing a few cracks from her shoulders and back. "You've got so much pent-up stress, Rachel. You've been so moody since the start, I could practically see the dark cloud hanging over you.

It took a minute or so for the royal to stop fidgeting before eventually accepting the massage from the commoner. "It's… been a long day", she said, sighing.

Daisy raised her eyebrow. "Tell me about it. It's been a long few months for me".

"Just stuff with my family, things don't really end up working well for me", Rachel explained, now relaxed as she had her eyes closed.

"Same here". It looked like Daisy was about to say more but chose not to before slowly letting go of the mage's shoulders. "Well, enough about me, I could tell you were having a hard time. So, how have your first few hours as a Magic Knight been?"

Rachel stretched her back and arms out to the side, letting out a sigh with how nice it felt. "It's been rough, I had no idea what to expect and then I got dragged here. Mereoleona is crazy".

"I've been wondering, why do you call your captain just by her name?"

"I know her personally before being a Magic Knight, our families didn't really get along", she said before adding on. "Well, it was mainly because of the king…".

"She's your captain now though, you should call her so". Daisy put a hand to her neck and groaned.

Rachel was silent momentarily before moving on. "This girl seems nice, Daisy, right? She helped me get up the volcano as well…", she shook her head before talking to her. "You better be thankful for this…", she said as she grabbed Daisy's shoulders.

Daisy flinched as she wasn't expecting it but she didn't complain at all. "Thanks…", she said as she leaned further down on the side of the wall.

"I… haven't done something like this for a long time. I'm not sure if I'm doing it well", Rachel said as she tried a variety of different positions for the massage on her shoulders.

"No worries, you're doing well. I've had practice with my younger siblings so I'm pretty much a trained professional, ha!" Daisy giggled. "Do you have siblings?"

Rachel was silent but she did think about something as she looked away. In her head, was the image of her half-brother, Richard, which slowly transitioned from an angered look into a happier, younger self.

FLASHBACK - NINE YEARS AGO:

The two were playing in a park, just outside of the royal castle. Around the park there were plenty of colourful flowers, a water fountain, and a few swing sets and slides.

Rachel went down the slide with her arms up, singing and cheering. As she reached the end, she slipped and fell to the floor with one knee. "Ow, ow, ow… that hurts", Rachel said as she held her knee, seeing as there was some blood coming from the open wound.

"Silly Rachel, just come here", Richard said as he knelt down and cleaned the wound. He had run over and put his hand on his half-sister's head.

"It still… hurts, Richard", she said as tears started to well up.

He brought his hands close and used one to apply some pressure to the injured area whilst the other slowly massaged her knee. "It will sting, but this massage will help! Mom taught me this for times like this!"

"Mama did?" Rachel repeated, a smile slowly forming on her face.

FLASHBACK - END

Seeing as there was no response from the royal, Daisy didn't want to pry any further. Although, even if she wanted to ask about what Rachel was thinking, the two had their nice moment of relaxation interrupted by something.

"Again?" Rachel said less than enthusiastically.

"... Again…", Daisy confirmed before she saw the royal get dragged away.

Mereoleona had summoned her fiery paws once more and dropped the teen right in front of her.

"You seem happier than you did a few hours ago", she said to her subordinate.

"You dragged me away just like that and didn't even say anything about it!" Rachel was frustrated seeing her captain act so nonchalantly. She rubbed her head to alleviate some of the discomfort she felt after being clamped down but decided to reply. "I guess… The hot springs are probably the reason though", she shrugged.

"Not the fact that you made a friend?" The Vermillion said, gently shaking her drink around.

"Huh?" Rachel was confused but looked at the direction that her captain was pointing to with her finger. Her black eyes landed on Daisy who waved, and then back at Mereoleona who smirked, then to Daisy, and then back to Mereoleona. "H-HUH?! A FRIEND?!"

"Am I wrong?"

The redhead was silent once again as she brought her hand up to her chin. "I wouldn't say she's a friend. We just talked for a bit and massaged each other. She helped me out earlier and I thought I'd do the same, so I don't owe her anything down the line".

"Having friends in this line of work is a blessing. Your squad will always have your back but when you're outside of that, who knows?" Mereoleona presented an interesting idea towards Rachel who was still struggling to answer.

She was starting to brood as she usually did. "I just don't see the need for one. I'm a Magic Knight and…", she thought back to what her captain said at the start of the volcano trail. "You said you'd be the one to make me into a true Magic Knight, so I'll have to just leave it at that".

"I can bring out your strength, I can teach you techniques, I can make you smarter, but friends can do what I can't", Mereoleona stated. "Maybe she just doesn't see it. I wanted to talk about her magic as well, but I'll leave that for some other time". The captain's fiery aura ignited once more and another paw emerged from her magic.

Rachel covered her head and braced herself to be hurt, but it never came. Instead, the paw dropped someone right next to her which caused a sizable splash.

"You, are you Rachel's friend?"

Coming out from under the water, was Daisy who appeared next to Rachel again. She shook her head to get rid of some of the water and wiped her eyes. "That was certainly an odd way to bring me here… How do you deal with this?" She asked Rachel who shrugged.

"You, are you Rachel's friend?"

Mereoleona repeated herself which Daisy definitely heard this time. Rachel just sighed as she knew what the answer would be. "We've known each other for less than half a day, how can we just be friends like tha-".

"Yeah, of course, we are". Daisy replied as quickly as she heard the answer. The slight inflection in her voice showed that she felt the question was weird and that there was only one answer coming from her.

"Wh-What? You don't even know me!" Rachel protested.

"A lot of new friends don't know one another! But even though I say that, I know your name, your magic, your squad, some of your troubles, what you like, where you're stressed… I know quite a bit about you!"

Rachel gulped seeing her enthusiasm. It was practically like seeing a little kid that was excited to make their first friend with how the Ice mage was acting.

"Yeah, I'm a people person, haha", Daisy chuckled as she scratched her cheek, seeing her new friend's reaction.

"There you have it!". Mereoleona interrupted with a loud laugh. "Now that you're friends, what's next?"

Daisy leaned back against the wall, right next to the two royals. She turned to Mereoleona and then to Rachel. "Hm, we're kind of packed for the next few weeks, aren't we? Maybe… after the Royal Knights Exam, we'll… hm…".

Hearing this, Sol knelt down right behind Daisy, putting an arm around her. She looked at the captain and at Rachel who was still shocked after what the Calor had said to her. The Earth mage leaned in and suggested an idea. "A sleepover, just us girls!"

"S-S-Sleepover…?!" At this point, Rachel was just getting swept away with everything.

At this point, both Mimosa and Noelle heard the constant shouting and swam over. The Silva had rejoined her cousin elsewhere in the water, but returned to Mereoleona.

"Ooh, what's going on?" Mimosa asked.

Daisy grabbed the two newly arrived royals with her arms, bringing them in close. She then turned to Sol and Rachel. "We're going to have a sleepover soon, keep your schedules free!"

Mimosa looked at Rachel who at this point had steam coming out from her head. "Um, with Rachel?"

"Yeah, why not? We're all friends now", she smiled toothily.

Noelle thought for a second before replying. "I don't mind", she agreed, earning a concerned look from her cousin.

"R-Really?" Mimosa whispered.

"That settles it", Mereoleona added her own thoughts. "It's good to create some bonds with other squads. Creating fiery rivalries and important friends… Maybe I can join and fight you all - that's what happens at sleepovers, right?!"

The four all looked at one another but didn't say anything to the crimson captain's suggestion. What did happen was someone floating towards the group, face-down in the water, bums-up just above the surface. It was hard to imagine how they'd breathe like that.

"S-Sis!" Sol hopped over, one leg after the other in big strides. "W-Wake up!"

It looked like Charlotte had passed out but a few hard shakes from Sol managed to wake her. She had swirls in her eyes but she slowly came to her senses.

"Urgh, Imagining Yami over there… he's n-n-n-nude!" She pictured the muscular man in her head once again with his back muscles flexing and his biceps and triceps bulging.

She fainted once more. However, some movement was coming from the inside of the Briar mage's hair which eventually revealed something tiny.

"Bell?" Mimosa pointed out.

The spirit lifted the strands of hair and let out a loud sigh. She shook herself and flew over, letting out a second sigh. "That lady is crazy…".

"What did you call Sis?!" Sol argued, raising a fist.

"Hey, hey, sorry, but you should've heard the things she was saying, or rather muttering very quietly to herself! She was talking about that Yami dude and imagining him nak-!" Bell couldn't speak anymore as a hand to her mouth prevented her to. Looking down, it came from the culprit herself, Charlotte, even though she wasn't completely conscious.

A few seconds went by before Bell broke free. "Okay, I won't mention him, gosh…".

The topic of Yami Sukehiro had ended, but then the topic of Yuno was brought up.

"Aren't you that Yuno guy's fairy?" Rachel asked from the back of the group. She thought back to the Star Festival and their relatively unpleasant meeting. "You threatened to put your scales in my eyes back then!"

"You mean the Wind Spirit, yes, I am. Aren't you that brat who couldn't admit that Charmy's food was nice?" Bell teased, flicking her hair to the side.

"Ha, I don't know what you're on about", she raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're here considering how attached you were to his hip".

Mimosa thought about what was being said and added her own. "I probably wouldn't say it in that kind of tone, but you do never leave Yuno's side".

Bell poker-faced and placed her hands on her chest. "Um, you do realise that I'm a lady, right?"

"I'd say you're a brat, but that's just me…", Rachel whispered to the side.

The spirit ignored the comment but explained further. "It's not like I'm madly in love with Yuno or anything. Besides, he…", she stopped herself from carrying on. "Nevermind".

All of a sudden, in the pause after Bell stopped talking, the water around them was beginning to heat up at a rapid pace, bubbles starting to form and pop. They looked around hurriedly but all eyes fell on the one person that could be responsible.

"Um, Lady Mereoleona, what are you doing?" Noelle asked.

She had her arms folded and looked annoyed. "All your random talk about stupid nothingness! Just enjoy the hot springs while you're here!"

"You're the one that was talking to everyone in the first place!" Everyone united in thought.

Mereoleona glanced at the tall wall. "Hopefully the lads are probably enjoying themselves".

"This is actually amazing, I never thought it'd be like this!" Lucas cheered as he stretched his limbs and moved his neck. He, along with everyone else, were all soaking up the hot, rejuvenating feeling the hot springs were giving them.

"Tell me about it, the hot springs at the Forgotten Forest weren't like this at all", Yuno thought back.

"This is my first time at any hot springs, I'm just happy to be here!" Asta had his arms along the side of the wall, leaning back. He yawned which he quickly covered up with his mouth.

"Tired?" Yuno looked over.

"I didn't think I was but that transformation takes a lot out of me", he explained as he looked over to his grimoire that was laying with the rest of everyone's clothes. "I'll make sure I master that form!"

"Yours as well?" Lucas asked. "My form takes a lot out of me too. Focusing on my mana, increasing its flow through Ki, and making sure my stamina is in check is a big thing as well".

"Oh, you have the same method through Ki? Man, I should've asked you how you did it before I struggled to find it out myself", Asta blew air out of his mouth.

"But then finding it out yourself is a good thing, right? You reached the answer by your own means which will only help in the long run", Lucas praised as he clapped his hands together.

All this time, while his two rivals were talking about their individual successes, Yuno was silent as he listened in. He didn't really have something to say about their forms as he couldn't relate, but his foster brother made sure he didn't feel alone.

"What I'm also impressed with is you, Yuno! That Mana Skin thingy that you did so easily, that was cool! Man, I wish I could use something like that!" Asta turned to the Wind mage, stars in his eyes.

Yuno's squad mate was the same. "I used Mana Skin but not nearly as well as you, Yuno. It kept fluctuating and stopping which then let the crazy heat in and everything else. How do you do it?" Lucas asked, clear intrigue apparent.

The Wind mage couldn't find the words for a few seconds, he only looked at the two of them with wide eyes, though he didn't wait too long before composing himself and replying. "I was using my winds alongside Mana Skin to keep me cool".

Lucas scratched his chin. "Hm, so on top of the technique, you used your magic like that?" He turned his hands over and looked at each palm. "I have quite a way to go before getting the hang of this".

"Magic is so cool, man…", Asta smiled. "I'm glad I've found something else to keep up though", he turned to Lucas and put his hand on his shoulder. "I wonder who's got the stronger transformation!"

"Definitely me".

"Let's compete!"

Lucas and Asta locked eyes for a moment before they heard Yuno say something interesting which caught their attention.

"You two keep getting stronger, it only makes sense for me to do something to catch up". The black-haired individual clenched his fist. "Don't go too far ahead of me!"

"We could say the same to you!"

After a while, Yuno chose to swim elsewhere and decided to properly relax for a while. He leant against the inner wall of the springs and used his magic to keep himself in place while he enjoyed the water.

Lucas and Asta were left alone and the former said something that had been on his mind for a while. "Asta, I've noticed something weird with my grimoire for a few months now", he said as he thought back to the most recent one.

"You as well? I saw something odd earlier with mine". Asta could relate considering he saw a black spark leave his at the start of the trail.

The Dual mage went through all the odd instances in his head, relaying them to Asta, which all started on the day of the entrance exam where he met the swordsman for the first time.

At the Magic Knight's Entrance Exam, Lucas's and Asta's grimoires had stuck to each other, causing the guy at the admission's desk to pry them away from each other.

Then, when Lucas was chasing the bandit that ran away with Mimosa's money, and after he bumped into Asta and the Black Market, their grimoires stuck together but then blue and black-red sparks repelled each other.

After that, during the fight against Rhya, the wound in Lucas's right arm started shooting out blue and black-red sparks, rejecting Mimosa's Recovery Magic. The same sparks also rejected Rhya when he tried to copy Lucas's spells in his grimoire.

The last instance was earlier where Lucas saw Black Asta flying above him. He noticed his grimoire send off a blue spark outwards.

"Did you… notice anything with yours?" Lucas asked as he finished describing the various points throughout the months.

Asta's face was blank. "Um, no, not really. The only thing I noticed was earlier when you transformed and my grimoire acted all weirdly".

Lucas nodded. "I think our powers have something to do with each other, otherwise it would be weird considering magic and anti-magic are opposites, they shouldn't be able to work alongside one another", he scratched his head.

Asta thought for a while. "Hm, I don't think that's the case. It's true that I can cancel out magic but there's times where it's worked differently, like when the Demon-Dweller absorbed Noelle's and Gauche's magic. How do I put this… It can be used alongside magic as well at times".

Lucas's grimoire flew towards him and he physically opened the spellbook, skimming through its pages. "It's all just confusing… Wait, hang on a minute. If they're connected…", he pictured both forms side-by-side.

Asta interrupted. "Could I have something to do with hybrids as well?"

Lucas shook his head. "It's possible, but I don't think so. Remember how the Witch Queen was confused about Anti-Magic itself, but she was confident that my form resembled a typical hybrid centuries ago".

"Hm, I guess it is different then", Asta added.

"Could we be… influencing each other? Think about it, as soon as you got your Demon-Dweller sword, I broke free from Mars's spell!"

"That sword went straight into my grimoire when I picked it up, did your grimoire act weirdly after?" Asta asked.

The two thought back.

The Black Bull quickly walked over to the sword that was lodged in the ground and picked it up. To his surprise it felt much different to his other weapon and with a few practice swings he realised how easy it was to move around. "I can work with this! Wait... is this really something I should be using? Let me try something...", Asta thought as he brought the thinner sword to his chest. He opened his grimoire and just as he had figured, the sword easily went inside the spell book.

"Woah... this is something, alright!" Asta thought as he ran towards the hole in the wall to fight again.

As soon as Asta had put his new sword into his five-leaf grimoire, a change occurred with Lucas. He felt a strong surge of power go through his own body. The Light mage felt a foreign power bubbling up inside of him that felt very powerful.

"Wh-wh-what is happening?!" Lucas thought to himself as he felt the difference in his body. His four-leaf grimoire started to give off black and blue sparks and the Light mage was very confused about it all.

"Yeah, it did!" Lucas shouted. He racked his head and dug out any other time where something may have happened. "My first transformation… Where were you searching for your magic stone, the Seabed Temple, right? I think our squads went on the same day".

"Yeah, we fought Vetto for it and it was tough! Although, regarding our forms and such, I didn't use anything like that back then, but I did feel something similar towards the end of the battle - similar to how I transform", Asta explained.

The swordsman looked at Lucas again who at this point was face-first into the water, similar to how Charlotte was. His cause wasn't from embarrassment but from a huge headache which caused steam to come out of his ears.

"L-Lucas, get up!" Asta pulled him out, allowing him to breathe again. "Are you okay?"

"It… doesn't make sense to me", Lucas said before relaxing his body once again. "But… I do know something and I've decided on it".

"What's that?"

"There is a clear connection and influence our powers have with each other. I don't know if I'm thankful for it or not, but… I'd like that link to end. Could you use one of your swords on my grimoire? I reckon there's Anti-Magic somewhere in there", Lucas said, but didn't get an answer straight away. He looked at his friend who had furrowed his brow.

"Ah, I didn't mean it in a rude way or anything! By having the link end, I mean I don't want the 'help' or 'influence' that Anti-Magic has on me and my transformation. It makes me feel like… my strength is because of you, not me…", he gulped.

Asta shrugged but he brought out his thin sword. "I'll try my best, but what you said bothers me quite a bit". The handle of the Demon-Dweller was in his hand and he lightly touched the spellbook with the side of the sword.

Just as Lucas had predicted, some blue sparks emerged from the grimoire but ended up disappearing a few seconds later.

"I may as well do it with mine too", he said before touching the five-leaf grimoire, dispelling the blue sparks.

Lucas looked at his grimoire and sighed, a look of content across his face. He was about to say thanks but thought about what Asta said just a few seconds ago. "What did I say that bothered you?"

"Um, I'm not sure how to put it, but it's the fact that you said your strength is because of me. It may be true that our powers are connected, but it doesn't mean that you don't own your strength. Tell me, have you used Anti-Magic to defeat any of your enemies?" Asta asked.

"Of course, I haven't", he responded quickly.

"Well, there you have it. Anti-Magic is a part of my strength, not yours. If what you said was true then you'd be using that alongside your Light and Time Magic, but you don't so it isn't!" Asta's green eyes looked fiercely at Lucas. "Stop selling yourself out like that!"

Lucas was speechless, his eyes were just darting and pulsating but they never left Asta's glare. Seeing that, the magicless mage karate chopped his head at the top. "Are you going to say anything?!"

The Dual mage was rubbing his head, wincing ever so slightly. After a few seconds, he looked up at the Black Bull and nodded. "Y-You're right. I'm not sure what I was thinking, so thank you", he smiled.

"Good! Now, Leo's been staring at me for a while, I'll see what he needs. Are you coming with?"

Lucas refused. "Maybe later".

Asta waved before leaving and now Lucas was on his own. Either side of him were the rest of the Magic Knights having their fun while he thought about some things. Lucas stared at his reflection in the water and his straight face turned into a gradual smile as he repeated what Asta said to him.

"My strength… is Light Magic".

"My strength… is Time Magic".

"That transformation has come… from my own strength!"

"But… I wonder what that connection is. Could Shadow have knowledge about it? Should I ask him? Will he even respond to me?"

A ripple in the water shifted Lucas's face from his usual one to a more sinister looking one which resembled Lucas's anger - Shadow. Both of their eyes widened but Lucas went along with what he was thinking.

L: "Shadow, are you there?"

S: "What is it?"

The annoyed response confirmed that Lucas was indeed talking to the angry version of him. Since he understood that, he continued.

L: "You heard that conversation, right? Is there a connection between me and Asta, something regarding the hybrids?"

S: "You are an idiot, aren't you? You asked me something similar in that forest and I didn't know then, what makes you think I know now?"

"Beats me. All I know is that our friend's Anti-Magic has been circulating around our grimoire for months", he shrugged. "I'm surprised it hasn't cancelled out our magic, to be honest. Perhaps there's a reason for that?"

L: "Right…", he rolled his eyes. "Just help me out here. Hybrids are the offspring of devils and angels, and if Asta isn't a hybrid, like the Witch Queen theorised, could he be linked to a devil or angel?"

S: "Again… You're assuming I know these things for some reason. If anything, I know less than you considering you locked me away! I don't know the answer, but think about it like this - A hybrid is a mix of both, but only our Time half's manifested. The feeling of that transformation is the same feeling we got once Asta utilised his Anti-Magic in that way".

L: "So, that black form is linked to our Time half, but then that also begs the question - are you, Shadow, linked to an angel or a devil… Which part of them are you?"

S: "I don't know, I don't have the information. Anyway, stop talking to me when you want to ask stupid things. Everything that's been said, you could've just thought and came to a conclusion by yourself. You're just too idiotic and incapable to do so".

L: "You don't have to be so rude".

S: "I'll do whatever. Besides, I have a question - Why did you ask him to dispel his Anti-Magic? His power is the reason you transformed the first two times. The Anti-Magic rejected Mimosa's Recovery Magic in that temple, and when that witch triggered Asta's change, it thus influenced you".

L: "Didn't you hear me? I thought you could listen in on my thoughts. Asta made me realise that it's my own strength regardless of his input. Moving forward, I want to be able to control this power through my own means".

S: "Well, whatever…", he snickered. "You becoming stronger only serves me after all…".

Another ripple in the water came over and the reflection of Shadow disappeared. Lucas had asked a question to reach his answer but he was only met with more questions.

"What… is Shadow? What… is Asta's link? What… did he mean at the end? What…".

"What are you doing?"

Lucas jerked back and hit his head on the wall he was leaning against. The sudden voice made him panic and he reacted defensively. After touching the back of his head, he looked at who it was and saw that it was the Flame mage.

"Are you okay?" Aiden asked. "I was saying your name over and over and when you didn't reply I came over, and then I saw you mumbling to yourself. Is the heat getting to your brain or something?"

Lucas laughed rather awkwardly as he didn't really have an explanation that was suitable. He could tell him he was talking to another version of himself but that… would just confuse him so he chose not to. "I… was just thinking about h-how good the Star Festival was! Y-Yeah, I'll go with that", he agreed with himself.

"Ah, I heard it was good. It seems like they went all out this year with all the activities and everything else", he replied.

"Hm, did you not attend? I saw you at the end though", Lucas asked.

Aiden stretched his limbs and let his arms drop below the surface of the water, creating a mini splash around him. "Nah, a few of my squadmates told me how it was. I was…", he looked over to the side momentarily before finishing his sentence. "... visiting my father back home. It was his birthday. I could only make it back at the end for the band".

Lucas blew air out of his mouth, signalling a slight disappointment. "You missed such a good event, and that band - Shooting Star was something else as well!" He then paused. "But, family comes first, I wish mine could've come".

"Same here, I used to go with my old man when I was younger. As I got older, I didn't have much time but I made sure I visited him this year", Aiden smiled. He noticed the ginger's eyes light up once he mentioned his own family. "What are your folks like?"

Lucas pictured the faces of the ones he loved in his head. First was his sister, Iris, with her long, vibrant, red hair that parted into two ponytails either side swinging as she moved her head. The first thought that related to her for him was her gently rubbing his hair.

Next was the over-the-top best friend of Iris's, Melanie. Her short, blonde hair with a singular braid that was attached by an orange band was part of her signature look. She always charged at Lucas no matter what, constantly play-fighting with him.

Lastly was David, or as Lucas used to call him, 'Mr Melanie's Dad'. His hair was starting to whiten but the black colour was still visible along with some of his blonde highlights. His short beard was the one thing that Lucas could never forget as he was always trying to maintain it.

"There's three in my family - Iris, Melanie, and David", he smiled as he remembered them. "Being from the Forsaken Realm means it's tough to bring them to the Royal Capital, especially when they have their own busy lives", he pouted.

Aiden nodded. "I know the feeling, family provides you with everything and you want to spend time with them. My father's name is Evi, is this David your father?"

"Um, no not really. I'm an orphan, along with my sister…", he continued.

Lucas chose to tell Aiden about his younger life and some of the circumstances he'd faced. He briefly spoke about his life in Missbrauch and that day where everything changed, but he spoke more in-depth about his life afterwards in Hoffvol which he was clearly more enthusiastic about.

"There was this book about the Wizard Kings that my sister read to me when I was young. A tale of all the protectors of the kingdom…". Lucas then started to recite the storybook, word-for-word.

"This is a story about the people who protect the Clover Kingdom. They are amazing and powerful mages known as the Wizard Kings. There have been 28 Wizard Kings so far and each of them possessed a great amount of power. They all used it to help the Kingdom grow and to protect its people... The first Wizard King's name was Lumiere Silvamillion Clover and he possessed Light Magic".

Aiden was impressed and he folded his arms. "You know it off by heart? Wow, that's something…", he paused before homing into the first Wizard King's magic. "Hang on, you have Light Magic as well".

Lucas smiled toothily. "Hehe, and then there's the current Wizard King with Time Magic, quite a coincidence, right?"

The reaction that Lucas had to the mention of Time Magic back when he was eight, compared to now was night and day. Previously, he loathed the mere mention of it due to his circumstances, but now he's accepted it.

"I think… that storybook ignited my desire to become the Wizard King back then, but my sister was definitely the catalyst for it though because without her… I don't think I'd be here right now". He looked up to the stars, his eyes starting to get misty as he thought of Iris.

The Flame mage beside him chuckled as he elbowed him. "Your sister sounds sweet. So, she kick-started your goal, huh?"

"Haha, yeah, but Melanie and David are also big parts for it and I'm thankful for them. I want… to protect them but more than that… I want to thank them", he smiled. A few seconds passed before Lucas mentally flinched as he realised something. "We spent all that time on me, I totally forgot to ask you! What's your goal, Aiden?"

The Purple Orca scratched his chin whilst he thought as an eager Lucas beside him waited for an answer. "Well, my dream was always to be the Wizard King as well, you know? My father always did so much for me when I was younger and I declared I'd be the strongest for him, haha…".

He pictured a younger version of himself. The kid had messy, black hair with a pair of glasses dangling half-crookedly off his face. Attached to his red shirt, along the collar, was a yellow tablecloth that he had tied loosely to make it look like a cape.

"I'll be the Wizard King, dad!"

Aiden snapped back and the image went away but his smile definitely didn't. "Although I'm 20 now, I still want to become the Wizard King", he turned to Lucas who had stars in his eyes.

"Wow, I only know a handful of people with the same goal as me. There's Asta and Yuno, Leopold as well, and now you", Lucas indicated with his fingers.

Aiden was thinking about something as he raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to… actually, nevermind", he shook his head.

Lucas was intrigued. "Go on, finish what you were saying", he said.

"Asta and Yuno are your rivals, but I was wondering if we could be as well?" Aiden suggested, raising a finger.

The ginger-haired mage was taken aback slightly. "R-Rivals? You do realise I'm like five years younger than you, wouldn't that be weird?"

"Why's that? There's no age limit when it comes to rivals", the Flame mage pointed out. "You're going to be going against some of the captains as well who have the position in their sights and they're even older than me!"

Lucas thought back to what was said about his own captain, William Vangeance, on the day of the entrance exam.

"And finally, the Captain of the most powerful Magic Knights Squad, the Golden Dawn, William Vangeance! It's said that he's the next candidate to become the Wizard King!"

He steeled his resolve and looked at Aiden with a sense of conviction. "You're right, I'll need to compete against a whole bunch of people. I guess… the Royal Knights Exam is our first test!"

Without waiting for a response, Lucas pumped his fists towards the sky. "Alright!" After a few seconds, he dropped his arms but then looked around as he felt a bit hotter for some reason. "Hm, what's going on?"

"Oi, you stinkin' idiots!"

The bellowing voice that stopped every males' conversations could only belong to one person. All of a sudden, every pair of eyes fell on the source and it was obviously none other than Captain Yami Sukehiro.

"Cut that bullshit out, Lil Brogoleon, it's getting way too hot". Yami pointed at Leopold who was using his fiery mana to heat up the water.

"I know I'm stronger than this guy… I just have to fire up my mana even more!" Leopold insisted as he stressed himself out.

Opposite him was Yuno, who was using his own mana to keep himself cool. A wind was swirling around him and he smirked while pointing at Yami. "You better listen to him unless you want your skull broken".

Leopold slowly stopped using his mana. "Damn, you're so cool… How do you deal with this, Asta?!" He turned to where the swordsman was supposed to be but only saw his dangling legs where his face should've been. The royal looked up and found his answer as to why.

"Argh, Captain Yami, please let go of me…", the Black Bull panicked as his head was in the clutches of his captain once again.

"Now that all of you are done with your chitchats, I have a better idea on what to spend our time doing", he declared which kept everyone's attention. He opened his palm and out plopped Asta into the water.

Yami jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the massive wall that separated the men from the women.

"We go peep".

Lucas had joined up with Asta, Yuno, and Leopold, whilst Aiden kept to himself and away from the noise. The Dual mage gasped as he heard what the Dark Magic user said, repeating it to make sure what he heard was correct.

"W-Wait, peep on the girls? You mean as in… look at them wh-while they're n-n-naked?!"

Yami put his thumb up. "Correct, I don't know why you're being all jittery about it though. I'm sure the rest of you want to give in to temptations right?"

Asta closed his eyes and only thought about the possibility for a millisecond at most. "Nope! My heart's set on someone already!"

Yami poker-faced. "Damn, your loss then".

"I'll stay by myself, I feel like doing all that is more trouble than it's worth", Yuno said and swam a few metres away.

Leopold didn't really need to think about it as there was a clear and obvious reason as to why he wouldn't go peep. "C-Captain Yami, my sister is there, I can't do something like that!"

Yami blew air out of his mouth. "Good point. Well, you guys are all boring then. I'll ask the others", he turned to face the rest of the Crimson Lions. "All of you are men, right? To peep, is to risk your life, but with that risk comes a great reward. That reward… is cementing your status as a true man!"

The squad all had a collective epiphany, all thinking of one thing that their previous captain, Fuegoleon had told them whilst training.

"Everyone, listen closely… Sometimes in life, you have to take risks to achieve greatness. I have taken plenty of them throughout my career and it's made me into the man I am today. When you're presented with a chance to take a risk, think about what outcome you'll get and go for it!"

The men in the squad looked at each other.

"Wait, is that what Captain Fuegoleon meant?"

"Peeping is a risk, but we'll become true men afterwards!"

"He became the man he is by taking risks, we need to do the same!"

They rallied together and got into their battle stances. Not even a second later, they rushed for the tall wall in the middle of the lake and started climbing. They were all naked, not a single one of them covered up but they didn't care - they wanted to become true men.

"We've gotta look at the women!"

On the other side, the women were panicking, all except Mereoleona who chose to enjoy another drink by the side.

"L-Lady Mereoleona, the boys are trying to look at us!" Noelle shouted. She was looking back and forth between the Flame mage and the partition, hoping that she would react.

"Let them come, I like to see some intent from my squad!" She smirked, sipping more of her drink.

Rachel was indifferent as well. To the side, she was enjoying having the warmth of the water on her skin and was happy that no one close-by was disturbing her. That was until a different royal came up to her.

"Rachel, c-can you please teleport us or the boys away? I don't want to be seen naked!" Mimosa pleaded, joining her hands together.

Rachel's black eyes widened as she was surprised. "Didn't think you'd actually come to talk to me, funny how things turn out, huh?"

Mimosa sweat-dropped. "Now that we're colleagues, l-let's try to get along… Can we start with…", she pointed behind her and towards the incoming Crimson Lion Kings.

"Ha! I'd rather do nothing than try to help you, Mimosa. Leave, now, please", she said before twirling her finger around the Vermillion to envelop her in a white light.

The Plant mage found herself a few metres in the air and she quickly fell down to make a splash in the water. After lifting her head up, she let out an audible groan.

"She does not like you, does she?" The person next to her said.

"Daisy!" Mimosa extended her arms to ask for a shoulder to lean on. "What should we do, the boys are coming and she won't help!"

The Ice mage giggled. "Lucas is back there, you don't want him to see you?"

Mimosa gasped. "No! We're fully naked, that would be shameful!"

Daisy sighed. "For someone who's so into him, you do some odd things… But then again, I'd be the same if someone was trying to take a peep at me", she thought to herself and then quickly shook her head, ending the thought altogether. "W-Well, if Rachel won't help, I know someone who will!"

"C'mon we gotta see those royal beauties!"

"Noelle Silva, Mimosa Vermillion, Rachel Kira! It's literally a pool of hotties!"

Meanwhile, back with the guys, Yami was pointing and laughing at those he had persuaded to risk their lives. There were tears coming out of his eyes but he turned around to face Lucas. "What about you, Orange-Hair? You never answered me. Are you joining them or not?"

"M-Me?" Lucas pointed at himself.

"Yeah, you don't have a crush on any of the ladies? The few times that I've seen you round, you're always with Ribbon-Princess", Yami asked, clearly referencing Daisy.

Suddenly, the one person that gave his two cents was someone that no one would expect to. He raised his hand from the side and Yami looked towards him.

"What about Mimosa? She's always with him as well", Yuno said, adding to the conversation.

Lucas went red, more than the heat of the hot springs had made him this whole time. "Y-YUNO?!"

Yami scratched his chin. "Oh, that royal, you raise a good point, Mr. Cool". He turned back to Lucas. "Well, what's it gonna be?"

The Dual mage, still red, shouted out loud. "It doesn't matter who I'm with or who I'm friends with, I don't want to be involved in all of this!"

Asta shifted over, smiling and looking content. "Hm, hm, good decision, Lucas. I'm not going as I want to marry Sister Lilly, is there someone you want to marry on the other side of the wall?"

Lucas put both of his hands over the magicless mage's mouth. "NO!"

Daisy and Mimosa ran over to Sol who was with the unconscious Charlotte. "Sol, you gotta do something!" The former asked.

Sol yawned. "Wh-What's going on?"

Mimosa face-palmed. "Have you not heard all the shouts from the other side? The boys are coming to peep and that means they'll see Captain Charlotte as well!"

This changed the Earth mage and she stood tall. A look of shock formed across her face but it was quickly replaced by a look of clear intent. "They want to see Sis?! They've got something else coming!"

"Earth Magic: Mud Wall Cliff!"

The face-down Charlotte mumbled to herself. "N-No, don't raise it h-h-higher… Yami should see me n-naked…".

Bell gasped. "You're still drunk!"

The long day was finally coming to an end. It started with a report to the Magic Knights HQ about the failed bombing attempt on the royal houses, continued onto the Star Festival, and then ended with an intense training session. It's safe to say the Magic Knights were beyond exhausted.

Back in the HQ of the Golden Dawn, as the moonlight struggled to enter his bedroom through the covered windows, Lucas lay comfortably in the confines of his singular bed. The black duvet was covering him from neck-to-toe, leaving his face a suitable amount of room to easily breathe.

There were plenty of things on his mind just before he drifted to sleep, but there was one thought that was prominent which kept him awake just enough.

"The Royal Knights Exam… If I want to pass that, I'll have to show the Wizard King what I can truly do. Light Magic, Time Magic, Mana Skin, the transformation… all of it is me".

He then thought about Asta's new form that he had started to control. "Black Asta, huh? I wonder what I could call mine? Blue Lucas - yeah, no. Hm, what about Time Mode - uh, no, that's horrible", he yawned and turned to the side.

His eyes were slowly closing and darkness was the only thing that he saw.

"Maybe someone else can think of it…".

NOTES:

A nice, chill chapter for you lot, but that doesn't mean the word count will be low! I just like to add a lot of stuff, oh well!

What did you think of this chapter? There were some new things here and there like the beginning of Daisy's and Rachel's friendship. An upcoming sleepover as well!

Aiden is slowly getting more involved in the story. I wanted to use him much earlier but the story didn't allow me to do so until this point. Well, he's here now.