The first thing I noticed as I snapped back to reality was that the room was dark. Really dark. There was a dim light ing from somewhere nearby though — and it flickered and wavered as it danced around in front of my vision as I blinked, clearing my vision.

  The sed, was that I was on my ba somewhere, and there was a heavy, warm b over my body.

  And the third, was that said b... was holding something up to my nose.

  "Geehhhh!" I coughed and hacked as my eyes snapped wide open, the foul stench of something that smelled like heavy ammonia and bleach causing my head to spin.

  I bucked my body out of reflex, but the weight of the b didn't budge. Instead, it — no, she sighed in relief, adjusting her weight on my hips to take away my leverage as I screamed bloody murder, kig around wildly until I felt a hand ly ay forehead.

  "Thank goodness..."

  "E-E-Elysia?!" I sputtered in surprise, barely making out her familiar fad ptinum blonde hair as she hovered over me with a small smile of relief.

  "ha?" I stuttered, blinking and trying to process what was happening as my senses returo me and I quickly looked to eay sides. We were in an infirmary of some sort, and I numbly looked around only to see ets full of intricate-looking stones and vials of medie.

  I blinked again as I felt somethi nd on my cheeks.

  Looking up, Elysia had tears in her eyes as she smiled and capped the smelling salts, pg them by the side.

  "It worked..." She said softly.

  She wiped the back of her palm across her eyes, sniffling.

  "You... you're okay," she whispered. "I'm so..."

  "Oof!"

  I grunted in surprise as Elysia suddenly lunged down to hug me tightly, squeezing me like I was the most important person in the world. She buried her head into my chest as I slowly brought up my hands and slowly ed them around her iurn.

  And then she just started sobbing into my chest as I felt her body shake, her tears streaming down her face. I was still stunned from waking up to this and couldn't find the words to say. She didn't seem to mind, however, aayed there like that for what felt like hours as I gently patted her bad forted her.

  "I... I was so scared," she said softly.

  "What happened? I remember..." My words trailed off as my memory came bae. "The monsters! My arm... neck... leg! Oh my God, the monsters, where are they?! What happened?! What happened?!" I excimed in horror, looking around wildly.

  I looked down at the arms and chest, which should have been shredded, a my throat, which should have been torn out.

  Nothing but fwless skin and a hospital gowed me.

  Elysia sniffled and looked up at me with a smile, patting my head.

  "It's okay... you're okay. The field test is over, we're all back at the academy now at a private infirmary room and it's well past midnight. It's all going to be okay," She reassured.

  She gently took my hands and pced them against my cheeks. "I... You were very hurt. You lost a lot of blood. Aurora healed you with what she called Raphael's Guidance, but the strain on your mind from your injuries and mana overuse was enormous, and... and..."

  Her voice trailed off for a moment and she swallowed hard before tinuing. "And you wouldn't wake up. I-I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed here all night trying to keep an eye on you. The others went back to the dorm to sleep after visiting and the nurses left and... and..."

  I let her tinue her sobbing for a few more moments before she gently pulled away, my hands holding her shoulders.

  "I was terrified when you just started tossing and turning and whimpering for help. And then you just... froze and stared up at the ceiling with your eyes wide open. Like you were catatonic. I didn't know if the monster's weird venom did something to you or if it was just from the stress of being maimed like that..." She whispered. "I've never felt so helpless before, seeing you hurt like that and being uo help you. But it looks like Aurora did one hell of a job. She eveed any scarring."

  I couldn't say anything for a moment. I was too busy staring at her as I tried to make sense of what she was telling me. She had been watg over me this eime, even after she herself must have been through a hell of a terrible time too.

  "How... how did we make it out? There were so many. Less thareet during the Cataclysm but... still so many." I said.

  Elysia's smile wavered. "We were rescued by Ember and the rest of the Academy faculty after you fell unscious and the others took out the Juggernaut. Apparently they had been monit the situatioire time from a trol tower and Tess had set the rules and ditions for her hyperpne so that dying was impossible for us. We'd just be be transported back to their trol tower with a slight kno our head when the probability of us dying approached "1" - or whatever that means."

  I paused, my brows furrowed. "Wait... why wasn't it stopped before we got so injured? What's the point of having a safety if it was that bad?"

  Elysia's lips thinned. "Apparently it art of the lesson pn, acc to Ember. We... we weren't in true mortal danger, and it was supposed to teach us that we 't rely on safety s and hand holding in an apocalyptic sario, but I..."

  I watched as her hands trembled, g and ung in a rhythm.

  "Thank God that you're alright... I... I was afraid..." Elysia said softly. Her eyes glistened as tears threateo fall again.

  I smiled warmly. "I'm okay. Thank you for watg over me. And hey... I think you did great out there."

  Elysia shook her head, a smile still on her lips even as more tears fell from her eyes. Then she sighed, rolling over to my right side to y o me, staring at the ceiling.

  I turo face her, watg as her expression shifted to a frown. "No... we didn't. If anything... that was a wake-up call," she admitted.

  I stared up too, taking in the sight of the pristine white tiled ceiling.

  "I've been messing around far too long, Lux... and I was unprepared. Overfident, even."

  She sighed, shaking her head. "I didn't train or study like you. I haven't gained more than 15 levels in four years... that's only from growing up physically and messing around with the occasional tussle. I've regressed a lot in personal skill. And it shows."

  I nodded slowly, staring in surprise. She was ridiculously strong even when I first met her as Dark Princess Eris. To find out she was actually regressed pared to what she used to be? At middle-school age?!

  "Umm... how much do you remember before you passed out? Battles have a way of—"

  "Everything." I answered.

  She g me, a look of panic crossing her features, before she smiled sadly. "Ahh. That makes things simpler, at least. Well, possibly more plicated. Um..."

  Elysia looked down at her hands and awkwardly twiddling her fiogether. "So... what did you see?" She asked hesitantly, turning away so I couldn't see.

  "Enough. I saw enough."

  I thought back to the dream I'd just had, or... was it real?

  The way that beautiful woman had cried and screamed at those glowing idols that had pinned her against the floor.

  It was so... vivid.

  But that wasn't what she was talking about.

  I smiled softly, slowly reag out to grab her hand. She was terembling as I squeezed her palm.

  "You're the Dark Princess of Discord! The Mistress of Mayhem. Eris, aren't you?" I asked gently, but there was no hiding the hint of mirth that entered my voice.

  I heard a squeak as she tensed, and then she nodded once. I could tell she was biting her lip. Her grip on my hand grew weak, as if she expected me to let go any minute now.

  Instead, I squeezed again. "Thank you."

  "Eh? For what?" She asked, her head snapping towards me, a look of utter fusion crossing her features.

  "For everything you've done." I answered simply.

  "But... why aren't you mad?! I've been lying to you this eime! I freaking shot at you several times when you were ierstoy! I wrecked your shoes!"

  I slid closer to her on the hospital bed and leaned in to bump our heads together gently, causio yelp quietly.

  I could tell she was still shocked at my ck of anger or disgust, so I decided to eborate a little more.

  "You were right, I am an idiot for trusting you so easily. You were raising aire gamut of red fgs, to say the least," I chuckled. "But you know what? You're the best thing that could have happe this time, Eris. Dark Princess of Discord, Elysia Veritas... whatever name you go by. It doesn't ge what you are to me."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well... pretending that we don't know what we know," I smiled gently, squeezing her hand again. "You saved my life. You helped me save others in the process too, and you even helped me get over a lot of my crushing aies and uainties here. You helped me get stronger, so I could eventually do the same for other people. You stood up to bullies on my behalf and made friends with me even though you didn't o, even though you were so afraid. But most importantly of all, I really, really appreciate all of those meals we've had together, and that head pat you just gave me."

  My Intuition had fred up and thrown out the st line, but I couldn't help but think that it was absolutely the truth.

  "Meal? Erm? Uh. Crap. Don't know what you mean."

  For someohat moonlighted as ahe-top supervilin, she had a terrible poker face.

  "Gee, I wonder where I'd find two girls I know that insanely skilled at martial arts, with ties to The Sn and Presidehos. With allegedly — enough resources to bouween b schools," I deadpanned, giving her an incredulous look.

  Her face went bright red.

  "Uhh... I, er—"

  "Well, I didn't actually make the e until now and that was a cold read," I said. "But you know you're terrible on the back foht?"

  She ughed nervously. "Heh..."

  Her ughter died off as she stared at our joined hands, her brows furrowed.

  "Okay, Sienna. You got me. So what now?"

  Instead of responding, I leaned in closer and whispered something in her ear.

  "Huh? What did you say? I didn't hear you," Elysia said softly.

  I smiled mischievously, pulling away.

  "Pizza," I said simply.

  She stared at me with a fused look as I just kept grinning.

  "Piece of pizza," I expined, pausing. "For your thoughts."

  I watched her expression go from fusion to uanding and finally to embarrassment in rapid succession as she blushed.

  She looked like she was about to say something, but theopped herself as she groaned and palmed her face.

  "God, that was awful. Al's dad joke level puns are bad, but the pun in the pun was even worse. That... was so cheesy!" Elysia ughed, her cheeks going red as she giggled untrolbly, and it took everything I had to keep from joining her.

  We id like that in fortable silence for a while until eventually she scooted in close with her bae.

  "Hey Sienna?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm gd we're friends. And became friends first. Thank you."

  "Of course. Thank you, too... big sis," I smirked.

  She sighed. "Oh shush."

  We found ourselves ughing again, the sound eg off of the infirmary walls.

  I had a millioions I wao ask her. About the Cataclysm, and her childhood. How we'd been separated for all this time. What her favorite color was, and what kind of things she liked to eat.

  What it was like growing up with the greatest superheroes in the world as your family.

  I had so much to say and so much to tell, but right now I didn't feel like talking muymore. I was always more of the reserved, silent type anyway.

  Besides, there lenty of time for all that ter. We could have fuing to know each other better for now.

  "Hey... Stel?" I whispered, finally using her name and drawing a flinch. Seizing the opening, I scooted over closer and gave her a tight hug.

  I felt the warmth of her body as I snuggled against her side. " I... hold on to you? Just for tonight? I 't expin it since we haven't known each other all that long, but... you just feel so familiar. I feel so safe when you're here with me."

  Eris, Dark Princess of Discord, Elysia Veritas, or Stel. It didn't matter whie you picked, I guess.

  She was still my sister. That even sounded weird in my head.

  "...Okay. Yeah, sure. Just... please don't soo loud, okay?" Stel whispered quietly, her voice shaking with emotion. "And, erm, yeah... you too. You make me feel really safe. Like I've... I've finally e home. God the big sister thing is such a mind fuck. It's definitely going to take a bit to get used to."

  She rexed against me and turned, scooting up high against the pillows ing her arm around my shoulder aing me rest my head on her chest.

  "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to start practig now," she mumbled softly as she snapped her fingers with her other hand.

  The lights slowly started to fade as she reached over and grabbed onto the sheets at the base of the bed, pulling it over us both, enveloping the both of us in its soft, fortable embrace.

  "Good night, sis," Stel said gently, patting my head again as the st of the light disappeared.

  The feeling was weird. It felt like... ing baething long lost. Something warm, and loving, and safe.

  I could hear my heart beating faster and louder than ever before as I listeo her breathing slowly even out and deepen, the soft rise and fall of her chest beh my cheek soothing away all my worries for tomorrow.

  My eyelids began to feel heavy with the weight of sleep that threateo take hold at any moment now.

  "Night night, Stel..." I whispered quietly, my voice trailing off into a soft whisper.

  I felt... warm and safe.

  I was home.