Henrietta had never run faster in her life. When she heard the news about Agnes, she immediately began ordering anyone and everyone who could hear her to get her to her musketeer Captain. The entire time between when she heard the news and when she could finally see her, at a distance, was fraught with a worry she'd not felt before. Once she saw Agnes, her eyes closed and immobile on a hospital bed within the palace's infirmary, her heart was immediately clutched by panic.

Henrietta whipped her head around to begin looking around for someone, anyone, to explain what was going on, her eyes settling on a bloodied guard.

"What happened?" she demanded of him in an even tone. He turned to her, taking a deep breath as he motioned for Henrietta to follow him away from the work of the most skilled water mage available being performed on Agnes' form.

"There was an attack," the guard, a young man, maybe too young if his burgeoning and patchy facial hair was to be believed, informed her with a solemn tone.

"I gathered that, but what happened?" Henrietta growled, her grief giving way to fury.

"I don't know. Witnesses at the scene said there were dragons, some young woman, a teenage boy, both blonde, and a lot of heavily armored knights with the church's symbol on them," the guard explained, unsure, "We're still trying to interview the witnesses, but that's all we knew when we took her out of there." He gave Agnes a concerned look.

Henrietta hesitated to ask her next question, but, drawing a deep breath to prepare herself, she needed to know, "Is she-?" She cut herself off, unable to finish it without losing her countenance in front of these strangers.

"She's alive. Barely. Surgeon already had a look and it looks like nothing vital got damaged," the guard said with a relieved sigh that Henrietta echoed.

After a moment, Henrietta narrowed her eyes as she considered the guard's words, "That's a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

"Highness?"

"That the attacker somehow missed everything vital while running through his target," Henrietta began thinking. "Even a terrible swordsman would not be that unlucky. No, this has to be the work of a master."

"That… makes sense," the guard admitted.

A moment of contemplation later, Henrietta looked to the guard with conviction, "Take me to the scene of the crime."

A short trip later, with Atindrias following closely even as the horses of Henrietta's carriage dashed towards their target, Henrietta had arrived at the scene. A tight perimeter was formed around it by a combination of Agnes' musketeers and city guards that were keeping everyone else out and everyone who could be a witness in.

Henrietta stepped out of the carriage, with the guard from earlier escorting her to the tailor shop where this attack had occurred. As she looked over this scene, a funny thought occurred to her. Perhaps a little over a year ago, this might have made her stomach turn. Given her pause, perhaps. Seeing the splash of blood where her most trusted friend was viciously, callously, and, somehow, carefully run through. Nearby, one who could only be assumed to be the proprietor of this establishment was giving a whimpering testimony to the guard talking to her. Henrietta approached, interrupting them.

"Your highness!" the woman exclaimed, immediately kneeling before her.

"Let us skip these formalities. Tell me what happened here," Henrietta demanded.

"Right away!" the upper-middle-aged woman stuttered as she scrambled to her feet. "Well, there was an attack-"

"I already know that. Did you see the attackers? Can you describe them?" Henrietta was curt with this woman, causing her to be taken aback.

"Yes. One was a blonde woman with twin-tail styled hair and a really nasty and sadistic attitude… I heard her referred to as 'Princess' by the one who killed that poor woman…"

"She is alive."

"Truly?! Founder be praised, she was entirely run through by that young man!"

Henrietta narrowed her gaze at the woman, "Can you describe him?"

"Princely looking young man. Quite handsome. Something about his eyes was strange that I couldn't really see…" the woman's voice trailed off, "but the woman did shout his name once. Julio."

Henrietta did her best to not show a reaction. This was now so much more than just a simple attack. It may have even been sanctioned by the church. By the pope. Going against him… would set the whole world against me… Henrietta thought as she chewed her bottom lip in contemplation.

"Your highness!" Henrietta's thoughts were interrupted by a musketeer who had appeared in the doorway, causing her to turn to it, "There's a man who wishes to speak with you. The blacksmith. Says he has important information for your ears only."

Henrietta raised an eyebrow at this as she followed the musketeer across the street, finding herself before a mountain of a man whose height she'd only seen matched or exceeded by Protoss. Or Tiffa. He stared down at her with a furrowed-brow gaze, his massive, muscled, tanned arms crossed as he stood just outside of an open-air forge and iron. His demeanor also felt familiar to her.

"Queen Henrietta, yes?" the man, wearing a bandana that covered his forehead and ears, asked in a gruff tone.

"Yes? Who are you? What do you have to tell me?" Henrietta demanded.

The blacksmith shook his head, "Not out here. Too many ears. Come into my shop. Alone." The man demanded to her as he turned and entered his shop, closing the door behind him.

Queen Henrietta, I must advise against this. His mind feels… suspicious to me. Atindrias' voice echoed in Henrietta's head.

What do you mean? What is he thinking? Henrietta asked.

It is just that. Nothing, at first, then thoughts that seemed almost TOO innocent and plain. Do you understand what I am saying? Atindrias warned.

It took a moment, but Henrietta surmised what she was implying. Still. She demanded answers. Come in with me, then, Henrietta requested. Looks like you'll barely have to duck to get in.

Very well, Queen Henrietta, Atindrias confirmed as she stepped past the guards blocking the section of street where this crime took place, with not so much as a peep of protest, and entered the shop immediately after Henrietta. Once inside, the blacksmith turned to them both, raising what looked like a knowing eyebrow at Antindrias.

"I am Alexander," the blacksmith began, "or, rather," he began to correct himself as his eyes manifested a distinctive red glow that Henrietta had only seen once before, "Ei'lyx"

Stay back! Queen Henrietta! This one is Tal'Darim! Atindrias exclaimed as she rushed to put herself between Henrietta and Ei'lyx, who had now removed his bandana to reveal long, pointed ears beside his now raised hands.

"I am not here to fight, Khalai," Ei'lyx said. "I simply wished to reveal this to you because this matter concerns me as well."

"In what way?" Henrietta asked, curious, as she broke out from behind Atindrias to look at Ei'lyx once more.

The elf furrowed his brow with conviction, "The one taken was my cousin."

Siesta was given access to the Spear of Adun quite readily when she requested it upon her arrival at the Tarbes Nexus. Though her entire body protested as she had used quite a bit of psionic and Gandalfr power to get there before sunset, she felt herself propped up by pure adrenaline for her missing wife.

Once aboard, she was immediately contacted by Zeratul.

I sense much distress in you, Akhundelar. What has occurred? The old Nerazim asked.

Siesta immediately scowled as she felt his presence while proceeding to the bridge, Louise is missing.

This is distressing news, indeed. I assume you are here to use the Spear of Adun's advanced scanners to locate her?

Siesta did not respond, instead choosing to proceed to the bridge in wrathful silence. Once she was there, she was greeted by the familiar forms of Artanis, Vorazun, and-

"Zeratul…" Siesta growled in an accusatory tone as she scowled at the Nerazim. She marched up to him, pointing at him as she did, "Once again! You weren't there when she needed you! Now she's missing! Or-" Siesta cut herself off before the horrible thought could manifest.

I must apologize again, Akhundelar, I was-

"You know what? I don't care," Siesta callously cut Zeratul off before turning her attention to the light projection of Terre. "Just… get out of my sight. Since you're so good at it."

Zeratul paused for a moment before leaving the bridge in silence. That silence persisted, hanging over the remaining trio with only the ambient sounds of the ship and its crew operating consoles to keep them company. Siesta was the first to break that silence as she noticed Vorazun and Artanis staring at her, feeling concern from them

"What?" Siesta asked, curtly.

Perhaps you were too harsh on him, Vorazun said.

"Too harsh?! This isn't the first time he's been conveniently absent when something happens to one of us! And it's the second time with Louise, specifically, in recent memory!"

His attentions are divided by his duty to his people and his duty to his charge. And you, Vorazun informed.

"Then if it's too much he needs to choose! I can't have such an unreliable protector! Not when it comes to Louise!" Siesta shouted. "I just need to know where he stands. So I can know if she and I stand alone or not…"

It is impossible for any being to be in two places at once, Akhundelar, Artanis chimed in, with the slightest hint of defensiveness in his tone, To expect such a feat is unreasonable.

Siesta was still too angry to acknowledge his logic as she gripped the side of the projection table that the image of Terre floated above with such force that she could feel it begin to give. Her Gandalfr powers were still active, even without a weapon on hand.

Deciding to simply change the subject, she released her grip from the table and looked up at the image of Terre, "Where did you last see her?"

Artanis waved his hand at the image, causing it to zoom in on Halkeginia, where Tristain was, specifically, and cause a top-down image of what Siesta could recognize as the new manor she'd been gifted to appear before them.

This snapshot was taken by our observer network in the earliest hours of your morning upon the surface, just before dawn, Artanis pointed out two dots within the mansion. Her and Louise, Siesta assumed. With another dot outside the mansion. Khaydarin. Our network does not keep a constant visual feed on everything at all times. The next time an Observer was able to see your location, this was the result. Artanis swiped his hand at the image, causing it to change to a much similar image… but lacking the dots it was before.

"How much time passed between the images?" Siesta asked, now contemplating.

Approximately ten minutes, Artanis informed.

"That can't be right…" Siesta wondered. "Where am I, then? There had to have been more than ten minutes from when Louise was taken and when I realized… I should be there…"

Indeed. It appears whoever this or these assailants are utilized some kind of advanced cloaking or other interference to obscure their activity, Artanis said.

"When do I next appear in the Observer files?" Siesta asked.

Artanis waved his hand, In another ten minutes. Your signature looks to be leaving the location at this time.

Indeed it did. In the span of just about 20 minutes they had been attacked. Khaydarin killed and Louise kidnapped.

Siesta once again reached out to the table before her, dipping her head between her outstretched arms as she released a breath. "Can it be tracked? The interference, I mean."

I see… Vorazun mused as she now waved her hand at the images, Instead of tracking what can be seen, we track what is obscured. A wise observation, Akhundelar.

Siesta felt no pride in this, letting, instead, silence fall over them once more as she waited for a response.

It appears your suggestion has borne fruit, Vorazun commented, causing Siesta's head and body to shoot up to look at the projection once more. What was on the screen was something that felt familiar. At the very least she could not be sure as she had never seen that place from above before, if it even was where she was assuming. It looked to be a rather large estate, with what looked like a lake before it. With a small dock protruding into it.

No, that confirmed her feelings. It was familiar. She had been there before.

The moment her recall had confirmed it for her she looked over to Artanis.

"How close can you warp me to that location?" Siesta asked, conviction in her tone.

The closest available Pylon would be at the Capital Pylon, Artanis replied while taking a quick glance down at the console attached to the table.

"How soon can you warp me down?"

Immediately on your request, Akhundelar, Artanis informed.

Siesta nodded as her brow furrowed with determination. "Do it."

Louise felt herself stirring awake. She was unsure how she had lost consciousness, whether voluntarily or not, but at this point it did not matter as her eyes slowly opened and her vision adjusted to her poorly-lit surroundings. That was when she noticed the figure, illuminated by the one candle upon a table in whatever room she was in, that caused her eyes to widen and bring the figure into focus.

"M-mother?" Louise weakly asked.

The woman sitting in the chair near her narrowed her darker pink eyes at Louise in a look that the pinkette recognized as disdain. She then stood up, straightening her wine-red dress as she did, and scowled down at Louise with a face framed by two faded pink, graying locks.

"You are truly lucky," Mother Valliere said in a calm, even tone to a casual listener. To Louise, though, she could hear and feel the venom that coursed through those few words.

"What? How?" Louise asked, deeply confused as she groaned against the wound she felt at her lower back.

"The Pope himself has taken a special interest in you," Mother Valliere explained, "Apparently you're one of the four sacred Void Mages."

"Four?" Louise wondered aloud, shocked at this. She then remembered the words of that elf in Gallia. Taunting Siesta with the fact that there were more.

"I would not have believed it if the parcel containing this information did not come from his holiness himself. You? My greatest shame? A Void Mage?" Mother Valliere scoffed. "It's no wonder we could not find your elemental attunement. It all makes sense now."

"So. What does that mean?" Louise asked, pleading in her tone. "For… us?"

"It means nothing," Mother Valliere coldly stated, "Regardless of that status it still stands to reason you have brought shame on this family and what it means to be a noble. To be a Valliere," she aggressively declared.

"No, I didn't-"

"You live a life of sin against the Founder," Mother Valliere, now transparently, venomously spat. "Were it not for the pope's request that you be delivered to him intact, I would have paid those mercenaries to permanently end your ability to shame us further." At that, Mother Valliere turned to leave this small room that Louise was beginning to recognize.

"Wait! Mother! Please!" Louise desperately cried out, causing her mother to pause without turning around. "Why can't you just love me?! Why is it nothing I do is good enough?! Why?!"

A heavy silence hung over them both, broken only by Louise's stifled sobs.

"You're no daughter of mine. Degenerate," Mother Valliere venomously declared as she left the room, with Louise still bound to the chair within.

Upon the door closing, Louise thrashed and screamed against her bindings. And her fate.

That her mother would never love her.

She never thought about this possibility.

Maybe, she thought, her mother would come around. Would see her accomplishments. And how happy she was with Siesta. And her heart would soften.

But this was the unfortunate reality for her. And it was crushing. She did not know how much time had passed between her mother leaving and her throat becoming too ravaged to further keen in mourning of a more than reasonable dream that would never be realized. That dream being the unrealistic expectation of being good enough for her mother. What she did know, as she now sat, bound to this chair, was that she needed a way out of this. She could not count on Siesta or anyone else to save her in as timely a manner as she needed as she had no idea how much time she would have before she would be moved once more.

Her grief was slowly being eaten by the awoken beast of justice within her. She looked around this storage room where she and Siesta had first bared their all to each other, judging her situation.

But first, Louise thought as she closed her eyes to focus and gather her willpower. Once she felt calmed enough, she opened her eyes and looked for a target, before calling upon the Void to enshroud her form and move her to where she looked. Now having blinked, she awkwardly fell to the ground as there was no more chair supporting her where she now was.

"Hey! What's going on in there?!" a voice she recognized as being from one of the mercenaries exclaimed as Louise saw the door handle begin to jiggle. Quickly, she shot up and pressed herself against the wall on the other side of where the door opened. Once it had, she immediately saw the dark-skinned, scarred man's eyes widen with shock at the empty chair.

Louise panicked, she could not let him call out for help. In that panic she looked around for something to use as a weapon against him, finding something better instead.

They had forgotten to remove the bracer from her wrist.

Immediately, she summoned her Void power into it, igniting the blade with a hiss that caused the man to turn and look down at her, at first, in surprise. Then, in horror as the pinkette wildly lunged at him, driving the searing hot blade through his chest. He let out a small, hitched scream that was barely audible before Louise withdrew the warp blade and watched him collapse before her, immobile.

When it was done, she stood there. In shock. This was only the second time she'd done this. Killed someone. And this time there was so much less justification. She had committed a real murder.

The flow of Void energy was cut off as all her will and focus were poured onto the fresh corpse of her making. She slowly, silently, sunk to her knees beside him. Observing his quiet, frozen look of horror. She didn't know what to do. Apologize? To whom? The dead could not regard such things. And this was one who killed her familiar. Her first connection to something that let her know she was more than nothing. She clenched her fists at this. Yes. He deserved no mourning. This was justice. Louise was simply the tool that carried out its will.

At least that's what she needed to tell herself right now.

With a glare, and with tears of wrathful grief dripping onto the former killer, she spit on him, sparing a thought for the familiar he took from her before standing up. She couldn't stay here forever. Even if he didn't call out, someone would be coming, eventually.

She poked her head out of the room, looking both ways. She knew which way would lead back into the mansion, and which way would lead to freedom, but as she was about to choose freedom, she stopped.

Cattelya… Louise thought to herself as she looked longingly in the direction where she knew her ailing sister was. To her, there was no choice as she began, silently as she could, making her way towards the mansion. Unbeknownst to her, her willpower over the Void was being channeled very effectively in the most subconscious of ways to now obscure her form from detection. Wrapping her in shadows as she'd witnessed happen to Zeratul many times.

She was cloaked.

In her haste, Siesta had forgotten to bring any kind of weapon with her as she sprinted from the academy to where she was certain Louise was taken to. Once she arrived she looked over her target that she had been to once before. The Valliere Estate.

They already raised the bridge, Siesta observed. Cute.

It would not help them, as she could easily still get onto the estate before her through any number of means. Even just jumping up and over both the river that acted as a moat around it and the drawbridge gate on the other side of it.

Siesta looked down at her hand, still seeing the runes glowing even though she wielded nothing. She thought for a moment how long this had been happening, and as she did she became aware of the protesting muscles that were having their cries silenced by her Gandalfr power.

I'm gonna have to pay for that later, Siesta thought wryly as she stared at the portcullis and drawbridge that covered its opening, with an earth golem holding it up by the chain. Siesta smirked as she had an idea. Not the best one, but an entertaining one at least.

They'd never expect this, Siesta thought as she leapt, raising her fist as she did, and smashed through the drawbridge, landing with such force as to crater the earth at her impact. Around her, there were guards. Many guards. She did not care to count or address them as she became nothing but a blur as she dashed for the manor, reaching out with her currently-amplified psionics to try and find Louise.

Louise? Can you hear me? I'm here! Siesta sent out to anyone who could listen, which caused the guards that made futile attempts to swipe at her look around with confusion. Then, as she was almost at the front door, she felt the need to stop and leap back, watching the ground before her impacted with a tremendous fireball. She looked around for the source, thankfully not having to put the effort forth as the attackers were happy to reveal themselves.

"That's as far as you go, Blade of Henrietta!" a young, masculine voice shouted from a balcony in the mansion that overlooked this entrance courtyard that Siesta was standing in. She looked up to see a blonde… boy? She was hesitant to call him a man, given how young he looked. And a periwinkle-haired girl dressed in some strange cross between a maid outfit and a fancy ballroom gown.

"Oh! Is this that bimbo maid that cutie's attached to? I see the appeal, but… I definitely like them smaller," the girl said in a lustful, playful tone.

Siesta had no time for this, she merely reached up with one of her hands and clenched it into a fist, causing both these figures to slam face-first into each other with a sickening crunch before Siesta turned to dash into the mansion proper. She faltered, however, when she took her first step. The pain and fatigue from her overly-strained muscles were starting to manifest, causing Siesta to look down at her hand and see the runes' glow beginning to fade.

No! Not yet! I still need more time! Siesta thought desperately as she fell to one knee, feeling as though her heart was going to beat out of its chest in protest of having to work this hard. As she heaved heavy breaths and did her best to keep from collapsing in a heap on the ground, she was called out to.

"Hey!" it was the voice of what sounded like a child.

Siesta tried to turn to see the source, only for her psionic shield to react to being whipped by something. Though the shield was insufficient to completely nullify the damage, it had slowed this whip of water enough to merely give Siesta a terrible sting where it lashed across her back from the side.

She whipped her head to the figure, who, indeed, looked like a small, short-haired blonde boy in an outfit that looked like it was made for boarding school with a wicked expression on his face, his eyes wide with rage. "How dare you do that to my siblings! I'll make you regret it!"

Meanwhile, earlier, Louise was making her way to where she remembered Cattelya's room was, hoping that she had not been moved since then. Once she found the door she was looking for, she hesitantly opened it before stepping inside.

"Hello? Who's there?" Cattelya called out as she whipped her head around the room in that same gentle tone she had for everything.

"It's me, Chii," Louise revealed, her unconsciously maintained cloak of shadows dropping as she wished for herself to be seen.

"Oh! Louise!" Cattelya weakly cried out as she attempted to jump out of bed to greet her dearly-missed sister, only to falter and stumble.

"Chii!" Louise cried out as she instinctively blinked forward to catch her.

"Thank you, Louise, but… what was that?" Cattelya asked, confused. Louise noted her speech. It wasn't just slow… it was slurred. Like her tongue was too big for her mouth. Or refused to loosen to enunciate. She had never been this bad before.

"I can explain later, for now… I just wanted to see you," Louise said in a somber tone as she helped Cattelya get settled on the bed once more.

"I appreciate that, Louise, but… why sneak in here? In the dead of night? Could you not have come here earlier in the day? I am rather tired," Cattelya gave an awkward laugh as her body began to droop, causing Louise to catch her once more and lay her in bed. Louise noticed that her breathing seemed labored, even from that little bit of effort. She really had never been like this before.

"Were you not told?" Louise asked.

"Of course she wasn't," Eleonore's voice startled Louise as she whipped around to the doorway, seeing the familiar form of her usually-scowling sister bearing a solemn look. "If she were… she'd argue herself to death on your behalf."

"Louise, Eleonore, what are you talking about?" Cattelya asked in a breathy voice.

At this, Louise scowled at her eldest sister in the doorway, "Mother and Father have disowned me."

"WHAT?!" Cattelya shouted as she attempted to sit upright, only for her to fall back down into bed, breathing even heavier as she did as Louise fretted over her, taking her hand while Eleonore rushed to her sisters' sides. "How… how could they do this?" Cattelya growled, looking positively livid, as Louise had never seen her. Then, Cattelya shot Eleonor a withering glare, "How could you let them?"

Eleonore winced while drawing in a sharp breath as though she had been struck by the ailing woman lying on the bed before her, "Cattelya… please, you have to believe me, I didn't want this!" Eleonore pleaded before hanging her head low as she gritted her teeth to fight back tears, "You know how they are. How mother is."

Indeed they all did, as they let a moment of silent contemplation fall over them, with only Cattelya's labored breathing to keep them company.

"If you…" Cattelya began as she looked at Louise, "are not part of this family…" she paused to breathe, "then I… do not wish to be."

Louise immediately felt as though she were going to burst into tears at this show of solidarity. She felt, deeply, that if it came down to it, Cattelya would simply opt to play peacemaker and try and talk Louise back in. To have that expectation shattered in this way filled her heart with immeasurable warmth and joy.

"She's right," Eleonore said, her voice breaking as tears, which Louise had never seen from her, revealed themselves on Eleonor's face. "She's gone too far. I can't be part of this. Not anymore."

"Where was that when I was disowned?" Louise accused, feeling the sting of tears now beginning to manifest in her own eyes.

"I know," Eleonore solemnly admitted. "I was scared. Of them. Of her. I was happy to let you be the scapegoat… I was a coward. There's no amount of apologies I can give you that will ever make it alright. But…" Eleonore suddenly took Louise in a tight embrace, "I'm sorry."

Louise finally let go of her emotions as she began to sob into her sister, finally embracing her back.

"I love you, Louise," Eleonore said for the first time that Louise could remember. Louise pulled back, looking up to her sister and smiling through her tears.

"I love you too, Eleonore," Louise threw herself back into her sister's embrace at this.

"I'm so happy," Cattelya said as she warmly smiled at them, "to see you two finally getting along." Both embracing sisters gave a bit of a goofy giggle at this before sniffling and wiping their tears away as best they could. "Now, if you could please help me up? We should go."

"Sister you're in no condition to be traveling right now," Eleonore warned with concern.

"I agree. Looking at how you are right now? I'm really worried…" Louise said.

"I'd rather something happen with my beloved sisters… than waste away with that wretched woman a day longer," Cattelya fervently declared through her labored breaths. "I know… you're hesitant…" Cattelya continued, "but… please respect… my wishes."

That was when they heard it, shouting outside from scrambling guards.

Louise? Can you hear me? I'm here! Louise's eyes lit up as she heard Siesta's voice, causing her to break out into a hopeful smile at her sisters. "Siesta's here."

Outside, a bit later, Siesta was bracing her body for impalement by the boy's water magic, the light of the twin moons revealing the murderous look in his eyes. Before such an attack was made manifest, however, a shouting was heard that caused them both to look to the front doors of the mansion, which were now thrown open.

"GET AWAY FROM MY WIFE YOU BASTARD!" Siesta heard Louise scream, causing her heart to immediately fill with relief and joy.

Upon seeing the boy, Damien, she remembered, about to bring multiple spears of water down upon her wife's ailing form, and after her declaration, Louise blinked immediately up to him, slamming her fist into his face with all her might. Though it would not have had much impact, were he even a teenager, his diminutive size even relative to Louise made him immediately fall to the ground, dazed, while his manifested water attacks splashed harmlessly on a kneeling Siesta.

Louise, knowing this boy would be a threat once he recovered from the blow, strongly considered ending him as she ignited the warp blade and raised her arm.

No, wait, she caught herself as she looked down at the boy, his eyes awash with tears beneath his furrowed brow. He's… just a child. Still, she brought the blade down, anyway. Upon what she knew was the boy's magical focus. His brass instrument. The threat was disabled. For now.

While the boy still reeled from his brush with death, Louise deactivated the blade and rushed to Siesta's side, helping her to her feet. "Siesta, are you alright?" Louise asked, her voice heavy with worry.

"I am now, darling," Siesta replied with a weak smile and a shaky voice as her body trembled with fatigue.

Louise returned her smile as she went to kiss her wife.

"You are intent on finding new ways to disappoint me, aren't you?" The voice of her mother interrupted them, causing them both to look up to the Mother Valliere, wand in hand, and glaring at the duo while standing beside Eleonore supporting an ailing Cattelya. "Sickening. Disgusting. Perversion." The Mother Valliere declared as she raised her wand at the two.

"Mother! No!" whatever spell Louise's mother was firing off was misdirected as Eleonore reached out and shoved her arm aside, causing a blinding, thundering bolt of lightning to be shot into one of the walls of the mansion with the deafening sound of shattered glass and splintering wood echoing through the night. The guards that had finally caught up to Siesta recoiled in terror at this display from the one known as the legendary "Karin the Heavy Wind".

"You turn against me as well? For this failure? This degenerate?" Karin Valliere snarled as she struck Eleonore across her face, backhanded. "Know your place as my daughter and cease this madness. Take your sister back inside while I deal with these… intruders."

"No!" Cattelya exclaimed, causing everyone to turn their attention to her. "It's you who is the failure, mother."

At this, Karin glared at the ailing Valliere sister, gritting her teeth, "How dare you. After everything I've done to treat you? To keep you alive? I deserve more gratitude than this."

"She doesn't owe you anything!" Louise shouted, now causing attention to fall on her. "None of us do! We didn't choose to be born! You made us! We're your responsibility!"

"I owe nothing to ungrateful failures who shame me by gallivanting about living degenerate lives of sin," Karin declared as she once again readied her wand.

"Mother, stop," Cattelya declared in a commanding, yet gentle, tone as she raised her own wand at her mother, causing the elder woman's eyes to go wild with fury.

"You wouldn't dare," Karin snarled.

"For my sister…" Cattelya turned to give Louise a loving look, "I would do anything."

At this, Karin seemed to be frozen. Eleonore decided to take her chance and hastily get her and Cattelya down the entrance steps to Louise and Siesta, turning back to face up at the now lone woman as she glared, wide-eyed, at this display below her.

"It seems…" Karin declared as she raised her wand, causing a wind that blew towards her begin to coalesce into a force so powerful it was visible to all who observed, "that Louise's failure… was infectious." Karin leveled her wand squarely at Louise, "You're a plague in my life."

"Why couldn't you just love me?!" Louise suddenly cried out, causing Karin to pause. "Why am I not good enough as I am? Why was I never good enough as I was? What did you want from me? I would have done ANYTHING for you to say, even once, that you were proud of me!" Louise had difficulty shouting this through her sobs as the weight of that terrible realization from earlier came crashing down on her once more.

"The point of children," Karin explained as she took a step towards the stairs, "is to make their parents proud. To honor them. And, later, take care of them. You have done none of these things."

At this, Louise, feeling herself brimming with rage, released Siesta, who faltered, but ultimately remained on her feet. She blinked forward, finding herself now face to face with her mother, the wand aimed now directly at her forehead. The two glared at each other for a moment before Louise swiftly manifested her warp blade and haphazardly swiped up, hoping, at least, to destroy her mother's wand, but finding something more as the blade severed her index finger as well.

Karin immediately fell back, crying out in wrathful anguish as she fell to a seated position, clutching her right wrist. Louise, meanwhile, looked down at her, appearing stoic even as tears rolled down her face.

"Hey," Louise began as she held up the warp blade, bathing her face in the blade's pink light, "is this magic enough for you?"

"Heathen…" Karin spat, hissing through her clenched teeth.

In response, Louise gave a wry smile which only seemed to stoke the wrathful fire of her mother's rage, "I wish you could have loved me. I loved you.'' At Louise's solemn, resigned statement, she turned to leave, supporting Siesta while Eleonore supported Cattelya. The guards that were surrounding them parted in solemn shame at what they had witnessed. No matter how powerful the woman who would bring wrath upon them later was? They could not overlook what they had just seen.

Once the four women were at the portcullis, Siesta realized her mistake. By making such a flashy entrance so hastily, she'd destroyed their only reasonable means of leaving. Cattelya, with the solution, raised her wand to use her earth magic to summon a bridge for them to cross. On the other side, they were greeted by a familiar face.

Akhundelar, Executor, I have procured transportation for you, Zeratul informed as he leapt down from the carriage, with two horses hitched to it, that he was meditating upon while awaiting them.

Everyone present widened their eyes at this, with Siesta feeling a pang of guilt at how she treated the Nerazim earlier.

While they traveled in silence, broken only by the occasional sniffle from Louise or Eleonore while Cattelya slumbered, Siesta nudged her wife, indicating to the bracer on her right wrist.

"That's new," Siesta observed with an amused tone.

Louise gave a small smile as she raised her arm to examine it, "Yeah. I just put it on on a whim this morning to see what would happen. Next thing you know…" the snarling energies of the blade burst forth once more, illuminating the carriage in its pink glow while everyone awake looked at it in awe.

Your mastery of Void techniques continues to impress me, Young Louise. With that, and your adept use of blinking and Void Prisons, it feels insufficient to merely say that I am proud of you, Zeratul's words resonated with Louise far more than he could ever know as the sting of now-joyful tears manifested on Louise's face, with Siesta giving her a warm embrace.

However, even in this tender moment, Siesta's guilt continued to eat away at her.

Akhundelar, you have nothing to feel ashamed for, Zeratul reassured her, you are right to speak your mind in such a manner. I have, indeed, been divided and distracted between my duties here and my duty to my people.

Still… Siesta thought, regretful, I know you bear heavy burdens from your past. I always forget that when Louise is involved.

Indeed, but as you are bound by oath to her, it is not irrational, Zeratul replied. There was a moment of silence between them before Zeratul continued, I shall focus my efforts upon this world. And you both. Until such a time as I know we have achieved the purpose I have been sent here for.

What else could there be? What's coming? Siesta asked, curiosity and dread weighing on her equally.

I do not know. But I know it draws near.