July 7th, Year 777

Wendy didn't know where to go.

"Grandneeny!"

One moment, she was with Grandneeny, sleeping by her side in an afternoon nap, and the next moment, she was gone. Her mother was alone in the forest, surrounded by dense, dark shrubbery she couldn't see through. Greeted by noises of insects and creeping creatures that scared her to tears, "Mom! Where are you!"

Wendy yelled out for her mother with a scared tremble, her sniffles echoing back to her in the dark jungle. Her ears picked up fleeting sounds until she heard a twig snap, and in her startled response, she tripped, falling to the dirt with a loud yelp that sounded like gunfire in the silent air.

"Hello?"

Wendy stumbled to her feet as she heard a soft, gentle voice cut through the darkness. Her eyes were wide and teary as she fought back the slight fear she felt as a boy with blue hair and a red tattoo over his eye cut through the tree line. His brown eyes widened as he spotted her, trembling, afraid, and alone on the forest floor in the middle of the night, "Huh... what are you doing here?"

His voice was kind and warm.

"Did you get lost?"

His presence was muted, unlike Grandeeny, who sometimes felt larger than life. The boy was the opposite; if Wendy closed her eyes, she felt like he could disappear, "I don't know..."

There was something comforting about it.

"I don't know where my mom is."

There was something comforting about the boy who always sought to remind her of his presence.

Present Day x778

Wendy shouldn't have cried, but she did, and she shouldn't have been disappointed, but she was, "He's not Jellal..."

She should have known it wasn't Jellal; Jellal didn't seem like the type to join a guild. He said as much when he left her at Cait Shelter, "But he looked... they both..."

Wendy should have realized something was off when she found him in Phantom Lord of all places, "I thought..."

Wendy didn't know what to think; she was trying to keep it together and failing. She thought she found Jellal, she thought he'd come back, but it wasn't him, it was his brother. His twin most likely, and if she went off the sympathetic look Vera was giving her, she wouldn't have any luck finding Jellal in Oak Town. Wherever her Jellal was, it wasn't here, "He isn't..."

Jellal was still gone.

"I thought..."

Jellal probably wasn't going to come back for her.

"Oh shit..." Vera mumbled with a wince as Wendy sobbed and latched onto the nearest source of comfort, his shirt. Her eyes closed, and her breath came in spurts as she balled into his shirt, the pain she felt stabbing a dagger in his heart because it was hard to see how much she had wanted Siegrain to be her Jellal, "Hey, don't cry..."

Vera spoke softly and as gently as he could, slowly and hesitating as he touched her back and gently held her. Letting her cry her heart out as he rubbed circles into her trembling back to calm her down, the tears she shed staining his shirt as he looked over to Sho for help. His shadow only looked on with a slight shake of his head and motioned for him to keep doing what he was doing.

"Never mind..."

Wendy needed to cry.

"Cry as long as you need to, Wendy..."

Vera needed to listen.

"I'll be here."

That was all he needed to do.

Vera's shirt had been turned into a wet blanket when Wendy's tears had dried, her eyes tinged red and snot dripping down her nose as he handed her a napkin. The weepy dragon slayer took it in her hand and blew her nose hard enough to shake the room, her eyes going wide afterward as she looked at his shocked expression and mumbled, "Sorry... my magic... forgot to control it."

Wendy blew her nose again, softer this time, before handing Vera the rag. Vera gingerly tossed the snotty little thing into the trash before turning back to Wendy with a small smile, "Don't worry about it; every mage slips up occasionally."

Vera watched as Wendy nodded with a slight pout, her disbelief in his words evident as she looked at her lap and fiddled with her hands. Vera glanced at Sho before sitting next to Wendy and tapping her head to get her attention off her wandering thoughts and insecurities, "I mean it, you're young. You have a lifetime to improve at magic, and you're already doing great."

Vera chuckled as he saw Wendy's ears flush at the praise, his voice tilting on teasing as he pointed at Sho, "I mean, I didn't even get Sho until around two years ago, so you're already miles ahead of me."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Vera said with a smirk as he saw Wendy's eyes widen before glancing at Sho, who nodded safely from the wall. Sho glanced at Vera and back at Wendy, who seemed to have started recovering from her earlier emotions before the shadow did something Wendy hadn't expected. It was something Vera hadn't expected either, if he was being honest.

Sho put the tip of his razor-sharp finger out of the wall and started scratching a message. The wall that Vera would probably have to repair later, but at the moment, he could overlook it, chipping away until a simple notice laid at its surface.

Could you describe your mother?

Wendy's eyes widened at the message, her head flicking back to Vera, who seemed just as shocked. His eyes settled as he glanced at Wendy and gave a supportive nod as if to say the decision was hers.

"My mother..."

Wendy gulped as the words left her lips, her eyes settling in a small, downcast expression with a tint of wistfulness, "She's beautiful."

Wendy seemed to calm down as the memories of her mother washed over her, like a comforting blanket wrapped around her body, "She has white scales that look like feathers..."

Wendy loved her mom, "and sharp but gentle talons."

Wendy missed her mom, "Her eyes are sky blue, and she likes to poke fun at people, but she's never mean."

Wendy wanted to find her mother one day. She would find her mother one day and Jellal too; it was OK if it took years or only a moment; she would find them because she loved them, "She's the best mother in the world."

She could find comfort in that.

"Thank you, Sho," Wendy said with a grateful smile, her eyes soft and no longer troubled as she saw Sho nod silently. The shadow's gaze was silent but soft as its hand moved on the wall and morphed fluidly, wiggling around like worms before it settled on a shape, not an animal or bird-like usual but something familiar, "Wow..."

It was a vague outline of a feathered dragon, not perfect, but good enough that she could tell what it was supposed to be.

"It looks like her..."

It was her dragon.

"It looks like Grandeeny."

It was her mother, and she felt better knowing she would see the real thing one day.

The three had spent the morning a bit past it just enjoying each other's company, with Vera and Sho listening to Wendy's stories about her mother and Jellal. At the same time, Vera filled her in on some of the tamer things he'd been through, obviously staying far away from the not-kid-friendly topic of the lab, with Sho silently interjecting when he tried to fib his way out of the more embarrassing details.

'Click'

The three turned from their little circle in the middle of the room, glancing at the door as Siegrain walked in with a rolled-up newspaper. His eyes flicked over to Wendy immediately, watching as she stiffened and looked down guiltily, cluing him in on the fact that Vera must have told him who he was and wasn't.

"Hey Siegrain..."

Vera was also there, and based on his words, this was probably the point where they should try to talk about yesterday night. If for nothing else, then to clear the air on where they stood and how they would handle the future now that the open secret of Jellal's existence was a point of conflict between them.

"I'm sorry for-"

Vera's words halted as a rolled-up newspaper smacked him dead in the face, his apology cut off as he tumbled to the ground and immediately forgot any guilt he had over the whole ordeal.

Oh, he's dead.

Vera stood up quickly, grabbing the newspaper and ready to chuck it at Siegeain before he stopped, watching with wide eyes as Siegrain stood there shaking. Siegrain shoulders jumped slightly as he muttered, "Pfft... You catch with your face..."

Vera felt his adrenaline fade as Siegrain chuckled openly, the tension leftovers from the conversation yesterday melting away as Vera sighed and lowered the newspaper. His eyes glanced over to Wendy, who was looking at the scene with wide eyes, and Sho, who was joining Siegrian in silent laughter before Vera shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Whatever..."

He could be the butt of a joke if it meant he could still joke around with Siegrain.

"Also, who are you to say I catch with my face? You look like you caught a meteor with your," Vera did a once over of the apparent injuries that lined Siegrain's body, shaking his head as he gestured at the vast canvas of bruises and minor cuts, "Everything."

Now that he thought about it, those bruises looked familiar...

"Oh, hold on..."

He was sure he'd seen them last week when he looked in the mirror.

"You fought Jose, didn't you!?"

Vera said with an astonished smile because he couldn't believe it. Vera thought Siegrain was mad yesterday but didn't know he was that mad. It took a special kind of anger to make someone dumb enough to go to Jose for a fight, "Wait..."

Vera, as the only person who was stupid enough to take on that task once a week, had to know how Siegrain faired, "How'd you do?"

"Didn't land a hit; it was a nightmare," Siegrain said civilly after he'd finished his laughs, dusting off his clothes covered in dirt and debris as he turned to Vera. His mouth opened to comment on the fight, or beating, if he went off of Vera's terminology before he saw Wendy walk over to him and hold out her hands.

Huh?

Siegrain's eyes widened as he saw a green light flow from Wendy's palms, the gentle breeze flowing towards him, seemingly taking his injuries away. They were all healed; it was like he'd never even had them, and the only sign of lingering effects was the slight memory of soreness in his bones and the look of exhaustion that passed Wendy's face, "There... you're better... now..."

Siegrain reacted instantly as Wendy slumped over and slept, his eyes flicking to Vera, who sighed with a blanket already in hand, "She overused her magic; I think healing spells are potent. She probably isn't supposed to use them until she's older and has a bigger magic container to work with."

Vera tossed the blanket onto Wendy, who Siegrain now held in his arms as he let her sleep off the magic she had used without thought. A disbelieving sigh escaped his lips as he swaddled her in the blanket before using his threads to make a makeshift sling for his back so he wouldn't have to worry about his hands being full when he carried her, "She shouldn't be healing people out of the blue."

"You should tell her that when she's awake."

"Shut it, Vera, you know what I mean," Siegrain mumbled with a haphazard rebuttal, his attention taken by the sleeping dragon slayer for a few moments as he ensured she was secure. The seconds ticking by Siegrain's shoulders stiffened at Vera's hesitant words that broke the silent air, "Look Siegrain, about Jellal, I promise to tell you where he is when we're in S class, but until then, I can't-"

"It's fine," Siegrain interrupted, earning an astonished and slightly disbelieving look from Vera in response. Siegrain ignored it as he reached into his requip space and took out a pair of dress clothes he had bought on the way here, "You have your reasons. I don't like them, but I acknowledge them. Jellal's dangerous; you don't want me getting killed chasing after him."

Siegrain unconsciously clenched the clothes in his hand a little tighter before fixing his grip immediately after noticing it.

"Nothing else needs to be said on the matter."

Siegrain held the clothes loosely in one hand, directing his gaze to Vera, who looked at him like an alien. Siegrain's eyes twitched slightly as Vera mumbled, "Did Jose aim for your head yesterday?"

Vera ignored the annoyance that flashed across Siegrain's face as he tried to figure out what changed overnight. Don't get it twisted, Vera was glad that he had succeeded in getting Siegrain to realize how dangerous looking for Jellal was, but Siegrain left yesterday in a rage and came back an understanding monk; that shouldn't have happened. It definitely should've have happened when even Vera could admit that the methods he used unfair.

I don't get it; he should be trying to kill me right now...

Especially after a fight with Jose that should have only served to piss Siegrain off further, it sure as hell made Vera mad whenever the dickhead beat him up.

Did Jose change his mind or something?

No, Vera couldn't see the bastard caring enough about their conversations or arguments to do that. Quite honestly, he had no idea what had happened last night to change Siegrain's mind drastically, and he couldn't ask either. As he opened his mouth in question, Siegrain tossed him a pair of dress clothes sarcastically drawled, "Yes, many times. Now, come on, we can talk more later if you want to, but there isn't much time right now."

Vera raised an eyebrow in question, his gaze being directed to the newspaper in his hand as Siegrain pointed to it with a slightly annoyed sigh, "I was able to get us tickets to the town near Cait Shelter, but there's a bit of a problem at the station."

Vera frowned as he looked at the article on the front cover, bold and printed for everyone in Fiore to read just hours earlier in the morning light.

Two geniuses in Phantom Lord: Jose Porla takes on a student!?

Vera clicked his tongue as he tossed the newspaper to Sho, who took it into his world without question. Vera already knew he would hate the words that left Siegrain's mouth before they left his lips, "Reporters are swarming it."

Vera really hated the press.

Vera had to thank Jason for not taking his picture and plastering it on the news.

"Why do I have to wear this!?"

He also really had to find a way to make Siegrain's shit-eating smirk disappear before he lost it.

"It's necessary," Siegrain said with a thinly hidden smirk as he tossed Vera a red tie to go with his disguise. The shadow mage looked like he would rather hang himself with the link than wear it, "Breathing's necessary. This is stupid."

"Blame yourself for going to the interview in jeans and a jacket," Siegrain said without a hint of sympathy as he watched Vera scowl and put on the tie begrudgingly. The article only described their appearances on the interview day, so to get around the paparazzi guarding the station, they had to dress differently. That meant Siegrain had to dress casually, and Vera had to dress like a decent human.

"Jeans and a jacket are a thousand times better than this death trap," Vera muttered vengefully as he completed the disguise and jumped out the window to the rooftops in his black dress pants, white button-down with long sleeves, and red tie.

Siegrain stifled a few chuckles before he followed in his casual shirt and jeans, a face mask and hoodie covering his recognizable face tattoo and bright blue hair. The sling on his back contained the sleepy dragon slayer they figured wouldn't mind being carried to the train station.

She's light...

Since she was so young, Siegrain mentally wondered if that was supposed to be good or bad. Siegrain had been lighter at 7, but he was also malnourished and half-dying most days, so doubted if that was a good benchmark.

I could get her some food before Cait Shelter...

Siegrain glanced at the girl who was drooling on his shoulder before humming to himself; his steps controlled not to wake her as he followed Vera to the station. The two stopped at a nearby roof overlooking the bust station, with reporters roaming about like flies. Vera groaned as he looked at the ocean of blood-sucking pests that wanted an exclusive of Jose's newest student.

Don't they have anything better to do...

Vera wanted not to be hounded by nosey people asking nosey questions. That's why he didn't advertise his little arrangement with Jose in the first place, because of situations like this that turned average days into hell. Vera took a moment to lament before he sighed, "Whatever, let's get this over with. When does the train-"

"Right now."

"Wait, what?" Vera asked as he looked over to Siegrain, who seemed oddly quiet as he pointed at the train docked at the station and ready to leave in ten minutes. His voice was dull as he commented with a slight shrug, "That's the train. It'll take us to the town closest to Cait Shelter."

"You couldn't have gotten a later one?"

"Then the next one is in a week; I didn't want to wait that long," Siegrain said with a shrug because he wasn't lying. Cait Shelter was out of the way for Oak Town's train station; the lucky break was that he even got tickets for this one.

"Damn, okay, good point," Vera muttered as he palmed the ticket in his hand before shoving it in his pocket and jumping to the ground, doing his best to blend in with the crowd as Siegrain followed close behind him. The two made their way towards the station and through the first ring of reporters before they got to the station entrance. The train and conductor checking tickets in sight before a hand held Vera's shoulder, and Siegrain spoke urgently, "Wait, something's wrong."

Vera stalled immediately, his muscles tense and eyes glancing around wearily as he looked at whatever was putting Siegrain on edge. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he, and by extension Sho, failed to find anything wrong with the train or the conductor parked outside taking tickets. The reporters weren't doing anything out of the ordinary either, so why-

"There he is!"

Vera stiffened as he heard a young and eager voice behind him, his wide eyes flicking back as he saw a reporter with a coat and camera dashing towards him with a notepad. His eyes are reminiscent of a stray dog that found food as he shouted over the train whistle, "Vera! Student of Jose Porla! Could you please answer some questions for Sorcerers Weekly!?"

Vera gulped as he saw the rest of the reporters zero in on him like sharks, their hungry gazes turning towards him as Vera gritted his teeth. His options narrowed as he heard the conductor call out over the rambling paparazzi, ready to swarm him like vultures.

"LAST CALL!"

Vera clicked his tongue as he turned to tell Siegrain to hurry up and leave without him; the reporters had found him, and they'd probably follow him onto the train at this point. If they did, that would be a shitty train ride for everyone involved, especially Wendy, who was terrified of attention, "Dammit, just go ahead, I'll see if I can..."

Vera's words stalled as he was met with just another stranger in the crowd, his eyes wide as he caught Siegrain jumping on the train without so much a glance backward. Wendy still nestled sleepily to his back as the two blue-haired mages disappeared into the train heading towards Cait Shelter, "Huh..."

What a bastard.

Vera felt his eyes twitch as he watched the train pull out of the station. A huff escaped his lips as he turned around to greet a reporter. The one that spotted him as the prick took a picture of him and shoved a lacrimal mic into his face, "Vera! Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us! Can you please tell us why Jose chose you as his student!"

Vera felt a vein pop on his forehead, a smile as fake as he could make it plastered on his face as he spoke sarcastically, "Sorry, but I don't think I agreed to anything."

Dickhead.

Vera shoved the mic out of his face, his eyes narrowing viciously at the reporter as he debated whether disappearing into his shadow was a good option. His internal dialogue was frozen dead as the reporter spoke with a forced expression of regret, "Oh! I'm sorry, but your friend agreed to bring you here for an interview earlier, but since you are here, could you please-"

"Sorry, what," Vera asked with a sharp tone, his eyes narrowed as he heard the train whistle fading into the distance, his brain slowly clicking the pieces together as his hand wandered to his pocket and pulled out a note instead of the ticket he was looking for, reading its message as the reporter spoke with a calm smile, "Your friend, the second genius of Phantom Lord, Siegrain."

I will start looking for Jellal; I'll be back in a few weeks if nothing shows up - Siegrain.

"He agreed to bring you here; we already got his interview earlier."

Vera didn't know whether he was pissed or proud if he was being honest.

Siegrain set Wendy in the empty seat next to him as the train pulled away from Oak Town, ensuring the noise didn't wake her.

"Well..."

Siegrain sighed as he sat down next to her, and he pulled his mask off and took his hoodie down, his threads moving across his clothes as they picked apart the seams and changed the dull colors into white. Siegrain shoved his mask into his requip space as his hoodie and jeans turned into white formal clothes that weren't too hot or cold, "That was close."

Siegrain pulled the spare ticket he had swiped from Vera out of his pocket and burned it, the tension leaving his shoulders as he glanced out the window and saw the blurring canvas.

"Sorry, Vera..."

Siegrain hadn't needed the ticket; he had the reporters to stall Vera, but it was an excellent little insurance. Lucky on his part, honestly, since there was just as much of a chance of Vera shoving the ticket into his shadow space as there was him putting it into his pocket.

"I need to do this."

Either way, Siegrain had to ensure Vera couldn't follow him and Wendy to Cait Shelter. To do that, he had to play up the little charade until the very end because Vera was brilliant, and if he figured out Siegrain was trying to get Wendy alone, he would figure out why, and Siegrain couldn't let that happen. He couldn't risk Vera trying to stop him, even if it were for his own good.

"Just a few weeks..."

Siegrain would start his search at Cait Shelter and follow the trail as long as possible. He would return to Phantom Lord and look for a new path if nothing panned out. If Vera still didn't want to help him once he returned, that was fine; Siegrain wouldn't hold it against him, just as he hoped Vera wouldn't hold it against him for this little stunt.

"I'll find Jellal."

Siegrain would find his brother and the key was sitting next to him, but as he reached over to wake her, he froze. His muscles stiffened as he felt the tip of a blade against his neck, his breath coming out in a surprised puff as he glanced to his left and saw the shadowed hand it was connected to. Siegrain involuntarily gulped as he saw Sho on the wall, his hand being the only tangible part of himself, looking at him like a disappointed parent, without any sign of the mage Sho was usually connected to.

"Hey Sho..."

That must have meant Vera couldn't catch up with Siegrain, or at least didn't think he could do it without drowning, so he sent Sho instead.

"I see you aren't connected to Vera this time..."

Vera had figured out how to keep Sho disconnected from him some time ago without having the shadow instantly dissipate. The way Vera explained it, Sho needed a continuous amount of magic to exist, and back when he first summoned him, he didn't realize that Sho was constantly taking the magic from Vera's magic container, through the trail that connected them.

If Vera wanted Sho not to be connected to him, all he had to do was loan the shadow a sum of magic energy before disconnecting the trail; that way, Sho would have enough magic to sustain himself. It wasn't perfect, as Sho couldn't replenish the magic he spent by existing and, therefore, was bound to dissipate after a certain amount of time even if disconnected, but it was better than the apparent weakness that the rope that tied the two together had been.

"You've gotten better at it."

Siegrain chuckled nervously back at the small pool of shadows sitting on the wall behind him, the shadowed hand retreating from his neck and pulling out a note before handing it to him. Siegrain blinked in surprise as he took the note and watched Sho's arm melt to the wall, the shadow watching quietly as Siegrain opened the letter and read the message on its surface.

Don't die dumbass - Vera.

Siegrain felt this was Vera's way of respecting his decision, even if it was apparent he didn't like it.

"Tell him I said thanks, Sho," Siegrain said with a small smile because he knew what he was doing was dumb, but Vera still let him do it. Vera could have ordered Sho to steal Wendy and stopped Siegrain's plans immediately, but he didn't. That was a sign of trust from Vera's end, and Siegrain was grateful for it, even if the note implied that Vera would not be helping Siegrain in his dangerous endeavors, at least not until they were in S class.

"I promise to come back in a few weeks."

Siegrain watched as Sho crossed his arms and begrudgingly nodded, giving Siegrain a last departing wave before dissipating, vanishing from the cabin as silently as he showed up. Silence lingered until Siegrain reached over and touched Wendy's shoulder.

"Come on, Wendy... it's time to wake up," Siegrain said with a gentle shake as he stirred Wendy from her slumber. Her eyes groggily opened from the seat next to him as she glanced at him with sleepy confusion, "Huh... I fell asleep... where are we..."

Wendy blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she yawned in the blanket she found herself in, her eyes scanning the train cart with the question as she turned to Jellal, no to Siegrain, and asked, "Where's"

"He had to stay behind; the guild master needed him for something," Siegrain said with a preemptive dismissal, his voice even and face blank as Wendy nodded with a slight pout, not detecting the lie in the slightest, "I wanted to show him and Sho around Cait Shelter though..."

"I'm sure you'll be able to do that some other time," Siegrain said reassuringly as he tapped his finger on the table, catching Wendy's downtrodden attention as he glanced out the window to see his reflection dancing across the blinding landscape, "In the meantime..."

Siegrain's face was a distinctive one.

"Do you think you could tell me about Jellal?"

He was sure he would find it eventually.

In the depths of Fiore's underground, stifled in the depths of crime and corruption near Bosco's border, a dark guild called Trench's Wrath was hidden away. The checkpoint for smugglers of all professions when crossing into or out of Bosco, and a dark guild with a heavy influence in the underworld, hence why they could afford a lavish guild hall near the edge of the town near the borders between Fiore and Bosco.

"Please..."

The guild hall was destroyed, with architecture reminiscent of a small mansion built off the crime and dirt the guild thrived off of. Crumbling and broken around Trench's Wrath's fallen but not dead members, with only the leader still conscious. Her arms were broken, and her eyes were wide with fear as she was lifted effortlessly off the ground by her neck, the giant hand that clasped her neck an inch from snapping it. The guild leader, Mariana, panicked as her voice escaped in a pained gasp as she stared at the blindfolded gaze of the monster that dismantled their guild without effort, "Please stop... I'll tell you... please stop..."

Aria tilted his head, his eyes brimming with light as he nodded, moving his iron grip from the woman's neck to her collar as she watched the guild leader speak with a trembling voice, "The guild was under... they're called Grimoire-"

The woman's pained howl echoed across the distraught guild hall as her leg was snapped cleanly so quickly that she couldn't tell if it was a hand or magic that did it. Before she knew it, her knee was bent in the wrong direction as she cried in pain, her teary eyes trembling with fear as Aria's voice spoke calmly, "I would not lie if I were you."

Mariana smelled the liquids that had involuntarily crawled down her leg under the weight of the giant's microscopic eyes, seeing through her even with the blindfold on.

"I have plenty more bones to choose from before you're at risk of bleeding out."

Aria tilted his head, ignoring the smell of piss as the woman whimpered, gulping before she muttered the name of the guild they were under, "Oracion Seis..."

Aria had heard of them before; apparently, they were a new guild that had popped up recently. It quickly gained strength and influence in the underworld, with rumors that they were looking for some weapon. They were small, but their abilities were tremendous and coordinated enough that an underling guild like this one shouldn't have any other information on their whereabouts.

"We're a branch guild under the Oracion Seis."

Aria would have to tell the guild master to be wary of them in the future.

In a town somewhere in Fiore, vaguely close to Magnolia, a smallish figure in a brown cloak could be seen darting out of a mail station. Their movements were light but hurried as they carried the medicine from a nearby store in one arm, the other hidden behind layers and layers of wrapped bandages.

"I have to hurry..."

If one looked closely enough, one could see a flier haphazardly torn off the local job request board falling behind the figure as they disappeared into the surrounding forest.

"We're out of running time."

It was for a C-Rank demon extermination request in Paragon.

A/N: Hey, so this might seem unexpected since I just said I was gonna start posting weekly again, but life happened and I'll be taking a haitus for like a month or two. The triple upload thing was just me pushing out all the chapters I had edited and complete since I'll probably be too busy to post the rest.

P.S. Feel free to leave reviews and comments, hope you guys enjoyed the story so far. Sorry for the sudden vanishing act, trust me, I didn't expect it either.