Lillian stood among the raduates. She wasn’t blind to how many were left, how many had set down their dreams after the raid. She hadn’t even realized it was happening at the time. She wondered for a moment what she would have done, how she would have acted. Would she have ignored orders and tried to fight anyway? Was that even a choice? She pushed the thoughts aside as she realized she was just stallially. She wasn’t sure what to say, what she would do when she saw their faces. She felt like she’d ged so much from when she’d gone dashing out of her home that day.

  As she ched her fists, small fingers ed around her hand aly pried it open. They slipped between her fingers and she felt her heart rate start to drop. She turned and looked down at the head of white-and-bck hair that was tilted down to look at her hand before a pair of pearlest eyes looked up at her. Like a rainbow, she thought, not for the first time. The smaller woman gave her an easy smile. “It’s going to be fine," snow said straight into ear ears, her voice broadcast only for her.

  Lilliahe tension leave her shoulders and exhaled, “Yeah, you’re right,” she said and just ahead of them, the portal sprang to life. The first to e through was a famous face that she’d never seen before but had heard plenty about. She winced a little wheeacher was tackled to the ground by a girl not much older than herself. That’s Euclidia? She marveled while the logistics hero, Sonya, aeacher spoke briefly. She go her left and saw Greg shift on his feet. Her heart dipped a little before rising back up, He’s really going, then, good for him. She thought with a smile just as Euclidia created that mysterious cube.

  Lillian whipped her head towards it, feeling it for a moment. It was strange. Mythic powers were so vast and plex that it was hard to sehem. It was like they operated on a whole other set of rules than the powers that y beh them. To her, they felt oddly weak. She had brought it up to her teacher one night, describing it like hearing someone pour a shot of water into a bucket. There was so much but it was so fast and negligible pared to the abilities true strength that it became hazy and fusing. If she wasn’t looking at the person, she wouldn’t have even noticed. Her teacher had been thoughtful and simply suggested that she’d feel more as she got stronger.

  This time, though, it was like a hose poi the bucket. The power came in like a storm and she almost took a step bad away from the might on dispy. No one else seemed to notice save for a few. Sonya shifted a bit on her feet, that was the first thing Lillian saw. her eyes see more thas on? Not surprising, I’d keep my bigger cards to my chest too if I was her. Her teacher positively stiffened, her fists g at her sides. You feel it more than I do, I bet. A young brown haired man in gsses and a designer shirt crossed his arms and g Madame Rouge who narrowed her eyes. Ollie apparently has senses like her. He noticed it too. Out of the er of her eye, Marc made a simir face.

  So few of us see it, realize it, but what she just did with a casual grin was draw in enough power to break a dungeon!

  She clicked her tongue, I’m distrag myself again. What should I say? What I say? She looked down at her feet for a moment. I’m more nervous about this than I was before the final exam.

  Snow squeezed her hand again and smirked at her, rolling her eyes. She could probably see it too, with the impnt, why is she so rexed?

  “You look like an expression reel from a cartoon," Snow snickered into her ear, “Calm down, Lil, breathe.”

  She did as instructed and took a deep breath, letting it out aering herself like her teacher had taught her what felt like a lifetime ago. The portal stabilized and people started to e through. First it was the raduates and their instructors from the west camp. Then, parents and guardians. Men and women from all sorts of backgrounds walked through and marveled in awe, most had likely eleported before let alone passed through a portal like that. She sed the faces in the crowd, her heart rate jumping agaie herself. No, no, not - no, wait- there!

  “Mom!” Lillian called, “Dad!”

  Two faces in the crowd turo her, one looked not unlike herself. Smaller with a rounder fad long dark brown hair instead of short and bck. She wore a winter dress that looked like it had been taken out of her special event colle. A pair of almond eyes locked on hers and widened. o the woman, her mother, a man that stood a bit taller than herself loomed. Broad shouldered and muscled with cropped bck hair and rugged stubble. He had a new scar on his face, another line creasing his forehead, it had only been ten weeks and he had ged a little too.

  She felt her hands go sck as her heart tightened in her chest. A small hand pushed her from behind and before she knew what she was doing she was running. Her mother didn’t eveate, she threw her hands out as Lillian practically collided with her, a sob wreng itself from Lillians lungs. “Mom!” she squeezed her mother and picked her up into the air, “I missed you so much.”

  A hand nded on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze, she whipped her head up towards her father and pulled him into the hug too. He let out a grunt of surprise as she dragged him forward without an ounce of effort but soooo had his arms ed around her. She didn’t let go of them for a few moments, remembering their sts, remembering their warmth, remembering how they felt being near her. Only after it nearly became awkward did she pull away and look betweewo of them. “Hi,” she said sheepishly

  Her mother was the first to really examine her. She reached up and ran fihrough Lillian’s hair, toug the strands that had ged color. Her soft fiouched Lillian’s cheek, feeling the scar and examining her ged eyes. They went down a bit and touched her neck, where the tattoos glowed. “Lillian,” she breathed, toug her voice.

  “My powers,” Lillian said with a tightness in her voice she hadn’t been expeg, “They came with a lot of ges," she cleared her throat before toug the scar herself, “This was…” she trailed off as she remembered enduring the bst from the dragon, how it had threateo break her down into nothing. The first fleck of skin that had been shorn away by the intense energy, the st to heal, scarred over forever. “Got it doing the right thing,” she managed after a moment.

  There ause before her father cpped her on the shoulder and she looked up at him, “Then you should be proud of it," he said with a big grin, “You look tough.”

  “I feel tough, kinda,” she said, scratg at her neck, “Not as tough as my teacher.”

  “Teacher?” her mother asked.

  “Yeah!” Lillian said, “I’ll introduce you when she’s not so busy!”

  Her mnced past her and paused, raising an eyebrow, “In the meantime, do you want to introduce us to your friend?”

  “After that you o tell me all about your ability," her father said with a merry grunt, “Sounds like you got a good one!”

  Lillian blinked and whipped her head back to see Snow standing there awkwardly. Lillian’s eyes softened. I almost fot, she wouldn’t have anyone ing to see her, would she? Lillian thought as she held her hand out. Snoroached tentatively before reag out and taking her hand. Her father and m one another as Lillian cleared her throat a a heat rush to her face, her heart rate pig up again. Snow squeezed her hand and gave her a wry smirk as if to say ‘You chi, you fought a dragon!’

  Lillian coughed again and exhaled, “Mom, Dad, this is Snow er…” she shot Snow a look and the girl gave her a stare before rolling her eyes and urging her with raised eyebrows. “This is Summer Finch,” she said before looking back at them, “My girlfriend.”

  There was a long pause, Lillian had alked about this kind of thing with them so she really didn’t know how they felt about it. It was her mother that moved first, she moved in quid pulled Snow into a big hug, “It’s so o meet you!" she said brightly, “Thank you for looking after Lillian, I know she’s a handful.”

  “Wh-what?” Lillian blurted as Snow’s ugh came out into the air.

  “Don’t I know it," Snow said, “She’s trouble, but I put up with her.”

  “H-hey!” Lillian protested as her father reached over and ruffled her hair.

  “Looks like things went well in all sorts of ways, didn’t they?" he ughed at her, “Good for you, Lily.”

  Lillian's lips trembled as she reached up to grab at his hand, she squeezed it and leaned into it for a moment. Her hair fell in front of her face as she tried to work through all the emotions she’d been feeling and expected to feel, the fears that had been utterly unfouhe ache in her chest that she didn’t even know was there eased aed into nothing. “Thanks dad," she said in a small voice. “I love you guys.”

  Big arms ed around her and squeezed hard, she realized in that moment how strong she’d bee, how different his hugs felt with her powerful body. She didn’t dwell on it, she just retur before pulling away. Her mother was already interrogating Snow.

  “So where are you from? Are your parents here?” she rambled, “She’s eating enough, right?”

  Snow didn’t even blink at the questions, “Nashville, don’t got any, more than the rest of roup bined,” she said with a shrug, casting a smirk in Lillian’s dire.

  Her mother frowned a little before brightening, “Then you’ll be walking with us during the tour, right? The parents are supposed to accept something from the graduates too,” she added, “We do that for you.”

  “Yeah, our trainee nyards once we get our lises, ceremonial thing or something,” Lillian said, turning from her father and looking at Snow. Snow just stood there, bnk faced for a moment and swallowed a little. She looked over at Lillian with wide eyes, asking if it was really okay with that look. Lillian raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

  Snow shifted on her feet and swallowed again, “If you wouldn’t mind, ma’am,” the girl said, her cheeks turning pink.

  “Oh you are so cute!" her mother ed, practically squeezing poor Snow in a hug, “Of course we ! I know just where to put them.”

  Snow just rest her head against Lillian’s mother’s shoulder, watery eyes wide with no small amount of disbelief. Lillian just smiled at her, her expression shifting a little as she felt someone approach them from behind. Her father stiffened a little and her mother looked up with wide eyes. Lillia out a sigh, “Here we go," she muttered before rubbing her ned gng over her shoulder, “Hello Sonya!”

  “Lillian?" her father blurted, surprised at her bluntness as the white-haired woman strode up with a wide, knowing smile on her face. That smugness radiating off of her in waves. She had her hands behind her back as usual and was pletely dressed down pared to many of the parents who had dressed up for the occasion. Her meical eyes glowed a little brighter for a moment as she surveyed the four of them and she cracked a grin.

  “So these are the Landreys!” she said brightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both! I’m Sonya ovna, from the ASTA Corporation.”

  Her father stood up a bit straighter, “Y-yes ma’am, we’re certainly aware.”

  Sonya tittered out a ugh, “Yeah, I know, kind of a unique face,” she quipped and waved at her eyes before winking at Lillian, “I wao thank you both for letting your daughter attend.”

  “Well, she is an adult ma’am, it was ultimately her choice,” Lillian’s mother said politely. “Thank you for making it possible.”

  Sonya tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, “I’ll be doing more than that going forward!" she ughed aured to Lillian who felt her shoulders tense, knowing what was i, “Lillian, Snow, and several of their friends signed with ASTA Corporation, she’ll be joining me in New York soon. That goes without saying though since, after all," she put her hands on her hips, “Lillian did pce as the seost promising hero in the camp. Sed only to a mythic. Her mentor, Bck Lotus, is very proud.”

  There was another long pause, Lillian brought her hand to her fad groaned. Why is she always like this? She asked whatever being that were listening to her plight as her mother and father stared gobsmacked at the CEO. Sonya just grino ear, “Sonya…” Lillian groaned.

  “What? You weren’t going to say anything about it until the ceremony, were you?" Sonya chuckled, “Still so humble, gotta funt it a little!” she teased.

  “She trained under Bck Lotus?" her father managed after a few heartbeats. “Sed?”

  “Sure did! Lillian here is going to be a household name very soon," Sonya said and tilted her head back, “hua! The Landreys are over here!" she called out befng at the nyard hanging from her father’s neck, “Allbright Mining, right?”

  What is she up to now? Lillian wondered as her father blinked and g her mother. He rubbed his neck, “Y-yes ma’am.”

  “Just call me Sonya, I’ve been looking after Lillian a great deal, it feels like we’re already family," she said with a chuckle and reached into her pocket. She pulled a business card out with what looked like some kind of mana coating on one side. With it she drew out two ed dies, Chocote? Lillian wondered as Sonya held them out to her father. “One for you and one for your lovely wife,” she said with an amused chuckle, “They’re very special. Don’t ask where I got them, but you thank Bck Lotus for the suggestion.”

  He took the two chocotes and the card, looking down at it in fusion, “And the card?”

  “There’s an ASTA Bran Atnta, right?" Sonya asked with a tilt of her head, “Bring that to them. I know about your background in trag, you were middle ma before the fsh, right?”

  Lillian's mother and father exged looks, “Yes?”

  “Well, I have a rather rge branch opening up in Minneapolis pretty soon," Sonya said offhandedly, “I could use a talented and experienced foreman for the mining teams. I know it’s a very different enviro from Atnta, but the bes are good and-”

  “I accept!” he blurted without a moment’s hesitation, “R-right?” he turo his wife, “I mean we’ll have to sell the house and…”

  Lillian blinked rapidly and looked betweehree of them, she turo Sonya with a wide-eyed stare as her mother and father spoke quietly. She couldn’t think of anything to say except; “Why?”

  “I want to take care of you and those around you," Sonya said with that far mentle smile Lillian had begun to see retly, “This is the least I do.”

  Lillian searched Sonya’s face. The CEO was the kind of person who didn’t always say fully what she meant, but she never lied. She looked over at her parents who were smiliedly at one another and then back at her. Only a few people know, but Minneapolis is where Sonya is moving ASTA Headquarters. She’s not just giving him a job, she’s shielding them from people like Liberty. Her lips trembled for what had to be the millionth time that day as she broke into a smile, “Thank you, Sonya.”

  “Any time, Crusader.”