The Uninvited Guest

"How'd you become their guide?" Aymara asked, her voice low and insistent.

Leonardo stiffened. "Why are you asking me this?" Confusion tightened his voice.

She shrugged, gaze drifting toward the glowing Stem. "To be honest, I really don't know. I'm waiting for Xaltal." A shadow of a smile touched her lips. "But you denying the sage's request? That's far more interesting."

"How so?" Leonardo's fingers tapped restlessly against his thigh.

Nearby, a boy stumbled away from the Stem's light, ecstatic. His ceremonial robe—deep indigo embroidered with gold thread that caught the eerie blue light—rustled as he clutched a crystalline-tipped staff. His grin was blinding.

"Is that a wizard?" Leonardo muttered.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Aymara said flatly. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I feel tired."

"I do not," Leonardo snapped. He shot her a sharp glance, clicking his tongue. Enough. She was a riddle wrapped in mist, and he wanted none of it.

She turned, just slightly. Her eyes—wide, dark pools—locked onto his. They shimmered with an unnerving, hypnotic intensity, making his skin prickle.

"What," he bit out, irritation flaring.

"Joking." The word was a feather-light dismissal.

A chill traced Leonardo's spine. Shifting eyes, questions that cut too close... She was unsettling.

A cool voice echoed: "State your name."

It was Anna's turn. Shivers danced down Leonardo's neck. The relentless blue light carved hollows beneath her eyes.

"Anna de Meaux," she announced, her voice ringing clear and unfamiliar in the hushed hall.

She rose, enveloped in the cold radiance. It pulsed around her like liquid energy, lifting her as if buoyed by unseen hands.

"Hm." Henri's knuckles whitened on the railing beside Alphonse.

Thud. Anna landed softly. "That was magnificent," she breathed, staring at the floor tiles.

Is she reading her text? Leonardo wondered. Do they all look like mine?

Anna sighed, a small, breathy sound, and walked toward them. Aymara remained an unnerving statue beside Leonardo.

"Leonardo."

"Anna."

"And Mara," Anna added absently.

"Aymara," Aymara corrected, frost coating her tone.

Leonardo's gaze darted between them. "So, uh…" His expression shifted, confusion melting into wary recognition. "How was it?"

Anna's hands sketched the air. "Surreal. Like being plunged into deep water, drowning… then,"—her hand shot up, miming a grip—"yanked back up. Couldn't scream—well, maybe I did." She paused, a dazed smile forming. "Loved it. They practically saved me."

Leonardo absorbed every word, every gesture. "Maybe I should've just accepted," he chuckled, a short, dry sound. No. I need to talk to the tour guide first.

"Yeah…" Anna's reply faltered, tinged with awkwardness. Aymara watched them, silent as stone.

"You believed what Marquis said? That man doesn't possess a single functioning brain cell!" Anna palmed her face.

"Uh, no. Felt like he'd forbid it. Didn't he tell me to 'wander,' not get involved with the sage?" Leonardo countered.

"You're a tour guide?" Aymara's voice sliced through, sharp with sudden, intense curiosity.

Leonardo's eyebrow arched. "When'd I say that?" Clever, or just intrusive?

A faint smile touched her lips. "Oh? The sages and the tour guide share… significant history. The texts mention it." Her unblinking stare pinned him.

"Maybe I made a bad mistake," he murmured, the doubt a cold stone in his gut.

They ignored her then, leaving her hovering like a forgotten specter in the blue-lit gloom.

"Your daughter is done," Alphonse stated, voice flat.

"Your son isn't," Henri retorted.

"The church, Henri."

Henri's jaw clenched. "Not that again. I said I'm not signing."

"Most heads did. It strengthens the Stem. I waited, considering the… unexpected events. But the new cycle begins. Now is the time."

"Always business," Henri's eyes turned icy. "That paper remains unsigned."

"You're simple-minded, Henri."

"So are you, Al-phon-se."

It was Elara's turn.

"State your name." The command echoed.

"Elara de Meaux," she declared, anticipation bright in her eyes.

Her ascent was different from Anna's – slower, deliberate. The blue light coiled around her like liquid silk, flowing in intricate, luminous patterns that accentuated her height and poise. At the peak, it dissolved, and she descended like a falling petal, landing with perfect, rehearsed grace.

Leonardo snorted. "Hah! Elara definitely rehearsed that landing."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Anna giggled softly.

"Amazing!" Elara beamed. "I want to do it again!"

"Well? How was it?" Leonardo asked.

Elara shivered slightly. "Like falling. Wind rushing past… then caught. Someone in white. Couldn't see his face." Her voice grew dreamy. "He saved me, set me down near the lingering streets… faster than the Right Star, I swear!"

"Huh. Different experiences," Leonardo mused. He scratched his chin. "If I did it? I'd be Emperor—Empire, not kingdom—locked in war… then he swoops in, saves everyone, steals the people's hearts…" He trailed off. "Wait... no, that's—"

"Dumb," Anna finished, rolling her eyes.

Elara's gaze finally landed on Aymara, who stared back with unnerving intensity.

"Oh," Elara breathed, recognition dawning.

"So what skill did you get?" Elara asked Anna, bubbling with excitement.

The question jolted Leonardo. "Oh yeah! Shouldn't we share our skills?" he muttered.

"Absolutely… not here," Anna whispered back, eyes flicking toward Aymara.

Aymara stood utterly still, a silent statue amidst the soft echoes of the hall.

"You forgot me?" The words were quiet, brittle.

Elara blinked. "What?"

"How could you!" Aymara's voice cracked, sadness twisting into sudden, sharp anger as Elara reached out with placating hands. "I came to your house! Seven years ago!"

"Don't!" Aymara flinched back, whirling away.

"That was… interesting," Anna murmured, watching the girl retreat into the shadows.

"Yeah…" Leonardo breathed, the unsettling encounter clinging to him like cobwebs.