I stepped out of the shower in my dorm room, ing a towel around my waist.

  My body felt like it was on fire, but in a good way. I was sore, but I was also feeling incredibly refreshed. My skin tingled with energy, and I felt like I had just run a marathon.

  But I also felt like I had aplished something, like I had reached a milestone in my life. Like I had aplished something that was worth the effort.

  And my bohin hips and ent curves didn't bother me like they normally did. I felt like I was on cloud nine, and I was left with the feeling of aplishment.

  It felt like a fresh start.

  I walked over to the sink, looking at myself in the mirror. I frowugging at the strands of wet hair.

  I didn't look any different. My hair still refused to y down ft in a natural manner. It looked messy, and the work Stel put into making it presentable had been undone by a vigorous shower.

  I looked at the beauty supplies Stel had ly arranged around my sink.

  There were brushes, bs, hairspray, mousse, shampoo, ditioner, and all sorts of things. There was even a bottle of detangling spray.

  I sighed, grabbing a brush and the spray, aing to work on my hair.

  It hadn't even occurred to me that my unruly frizzled hair could have been the result of poor nutrition. That I'd been depriving my hair of what it o stay healthy, just like my muscles and ligaments and bones. Just one ent from Stel and everything seemed so obvious.

  It was something I could trol, at least to a certain degree.

  The least I could do is take care of the hair on my head. I didn't o be perfect, or evey. But I'd never really had the idea, cultural pressure, and means to worry about stuff like this.

  My mother and I had been close, but her drinking problem had gotten worse and worse as I transitioned from elementary school to middle school.

  She was a loving mom, but grew increasingly distant as the years passed and her sleeplessness and depression got worse. Her inability to let go of the past and the trauma she ehe drinking. The .

  The isotion. The fear.

  The anger.

  By the time I hit high school, the retionship had deteriorated to the point where she barely aowledged my prese home. I was an afterthought, a nuisahat o be fed and clothed, and nothing more. Sometimes not even that. It was like I did. Like I was a ghost, a phantom that haunted her waking hours before she went off to work.

  Or at least that's what it felt like.

  She'd tutored me and brought me ahead when I was a little girl. Taught me how to sew and knit and read.

  A she couldn't seem t herself to i with me beyond what was required as a parent as I grew up. She usually ate at the diner ot di a bar, and I was on my own. On a while, she'd get groceries. I'd learo cook for myself.

  She'd leave cash and a grocery list for me oable i, and I'd learn to buy and make my own meals. I was lucky in that my mother, despite all her fws, did have enough forethought to teach me at least that much. I was lucky I wasn't a burden. That she hadn't abandoned me to fend for myself oreet. Or seo a foster home. She kept a roof over my head.

  But she grew increasingly negligent as the years passed. And by the time I hit my st year in middle school, I was on my own. I was making my own breakfasts, lunches, dinners. I was doing the grocery shopping, paying the bills, making sure the rent got paid.

  I didn't uand it, but I'd given up to figure her out a long time ago. It's hard to put into words how alone and abahat makes someone feel. How helpless. How worthless. I'd go hungry to make sure the rent aid and we wereed.

  I never had the time nor the ination to foyself. To care about how I looked, or whether or not I had a boyfriend, or if I opur, or if I was cool.

  She'd aught me how to do my o or take care of my hair. It was like she fot I eveed until it came to feeding me dinner ning permission slips. Or yelling at me about my grades, even if they were high and she should have been happy with me. I was usually he top in the css a I could tell it wasn't enough.

  Until she stopped g about that too, I suppose. She was never really around. She worked two, sometimes three, jobs just to pay the bills, and I never saw her unless I caught her in the early hours of the m whe back from the graveyard shifts. It was like we were strangers living in the same house, and I was just the little kid that ate the food and slept in her house. And that was the extent of our retionship. She never really spoke to me anymore.

  So, when the ove away and leave my home and my mother behind preseself, I didn't hesitate. I was ready. I was eager to get away from her. From my mother.

  From her apathy and and al and depression. From the way she didn't even bother to try to hide the fact that she stopped g about my life. That she'd given up. That she was a drunk. That she'd lost all hope.

  That she didn't love me anymore, and never would again.

  I sighed a down the brush and the bottle of detangler.

  But with the power of hindsight, I wondered about the lucidity in her eyes when she'd learned I'd gotten into Kaleidoscope.

  She hadn't even bothered to learn where I'd applied. She'd old me where she went for her sedary education or for college, and didn't even have pques or diplomas to show me where she'd gone.

  And that was the weirdest thing. It's like her past was pletely erased. But she'd been so sure that the letter from the school was an acceptater the sed she saw it. I wasn't sure if it was just my memories pying trie, but I was sure her eyes had sraight to the seal.

  The screaming and shouting that followed in the weeks after had felt different from our normal routine. More vitriolid yet alsely hollow and desperate. The usual passive aggressive tone repced by a genuine fear. I hadn't really noticed it at the time, but suddenly she was ied in me. She aying attention to me, even if it was riddled with screaming and g, beggio go somewhere else.

  Anywhere else.

  Anywhere but there.

  Her arguments didn't even really make sehey weren't t, and they felt like they weren't even really aimed at me, or at least that they had an ulterior motive.

  It just made me stubbornly stand my ground, even when I didn't uand what the fuss was about. What was so special about Kaleidoscope that made her go from one end of the emotional spectrum to another? I couldn't tell. And I'd given up to uand.

  And after a few days, the screaming stopped. The anger was repced by a lucid, defeated sadness. She'd stopped drinking and started paying attention to me, even though she was still distant.

  But she didn't fight me anymore. She didn't argue or scream. It was like something had been drained from her. And she was left a shell of her former self.

  I was still happy to get away from her. To leave her and the toxic memories that pgued our home, and to leave it all behind me. But she began to cook again. And buy groceries. And do undry. All things I hadn't expected from her.

  She was still quiet and reserved, and she wasn't the mother I'd grown up with. She wasn't the mother that had once loved me. She was someone new. Someone different. But at least it felt like I was wanted again.

  It was a step forward, and it made leaving a little bit harder. But not much.

  There were still so many painful memories, and the damage had already been done. I was ready to start a neter in my life, away from her and my broken, shattered past.

  The drinking and ck of self care had tarnished her beauty, her long, light brown hair and her once youthful features now worn and weary. She'd lost weight, too, her already slim frame growing even thinner as she stopped taking care of herself.

  I thered my hands with the detangler spray, w my fihrough the knots in my hair. I looked at my fa the mirror, at my dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

  Even while wasting away, my mother was a beauty. Even in her worst states, her long brown hair was silky and her blue eyes were full of color. She was always so beautiful, even if she was a drunkard and a ful parent. I wondered now in hindsight if her status as a fical girl had given her body fortitude and resilience, even if her mental state was deteriorating.

  I did take after her a lot, but my bones were more promi and my features were more angur. And my skin had always been dry and brittle in parisoe the fact I did try to take care of myself. And, until Stel did her trick, my hair had never been as cooperative or soft or smooth as hers, even when I'd tried my hardest.

  My cheeks and forehead and nose were dotted with little bumps. My hair was a stant mess. My skin was a disaster.

  I wasn't beautiful, like she was. I didn't have her grace or poise. I didn't have the legendary charisma that would make Nightingale Eclipse one of the most feared anders in the world.

  But I could take care of my body, just as I was learning to take care of my hair. I could be strong. I could be healthy.

  And I was going to be the best version of myself that I could be.

  I finished bing out the knots in my hair and grabbed the hairdryer.

  I looked at my refle in the mirror and smiled.

  The girl looking back at me was a little rough around the edges. Her eyes were tired, but they had a fire ihat hadn't been there before. She had the same messy hair as always, but it was starting to look a little more manageable.

  She had the same skinny body as before, but she was standing a little taller, a little more fidently.

  I summoned my Nexus Device, the heart-shaped device materializing in my hands in a swirl of red and golden motes.

  "Status."

  The World System hummed to life in my ears. The familiar chimes echoed around the bathroom, and a s appeared before me. It was translut and floated in the air, projected by the Device.

  VITALS

  Name: Sienna Russo (Hinokawa)

  Alias: ???Harmonia Lux???

  Level: 55

  Points: 231 (NEW)

  Aura Health: 100%

  Mana: 100%

  ASPECTS

  Soul Graph: Light

  in: Love

  Archetype: Prismatic

  Signature Talent: Luminary version

  ATTRIBUTES

  Strength: 4

  Agility: 8

  stitution: 5

  Intelligence: 17

  Charisma: 11

  Magic: 21

  SKILLS

  ABILITIES

  ARTS

  Luminary version (Rank 5)

  Luminary Bolt (Rank 3)

  Luminary Beam (Rank 4)

  Luminary Mirage (Rank 3)

  Luminary Barrier (Rank 3)

  Luminary Nova (Rank 3)

  Luminary Bolt: Rapid Fire

  Luminary version: Hopeful Heart Alchemy

  Luminary Nova: Dawn's Glorious Explosion

  Luminary Mirage: Ethereal Moonlit Dance

  Luminary Barrier: Celestial Guardian Dome

  Passives:

  Aura SightResiliensight

  MISC.

  Transformations

  Hopeful Heart Alchemy

  Cadet ModeTwilight AsterPartial ShiftArcadia Vox(LOCKED) Full ShiftNightingale Eclipse

  I frow my s.

  My stats hadn't increased, which wasn't a surprise. I'd just started w out, after all. It would take a while for me to gain any reasohleticism.

  But my skills had improved siderably in just a month, especially pared to my first three weeks here at Kaleidoscope.

  My magic, especially. I was using Luminary Bolt, Luminary Beam, Luminary version and Luminary Mirage all the time, and they were improving rapidly. I had no idea how the ranks actually worked, but the max output of my Luminary Bolt had gone from a hard punch to blowing ks out of buildings in just a few weeks.

  I was still nowhere near as good as the real magical knights, of course.

  They were the elite. And I was still just a newbie, but the improvements were still noticeable.

  I was gettier. I could feel it. And that was the important part.

  I was a work in progress. And things were in my trol. I could do better.

  And I was going to.

  I frowned as my eyes gnced over the new word that had appeared o my name. I had only learned about my father's oday, but on some level I knew I'd instantly accepted it as part of my identity.

  "Hinokawa, huh?"

  The sou o the ear, and it felt right oongue.

  "Hinokawa... Yeah, that works."

  It was obvious to me that 'Russo' had been an alias my mother had adopted to help hide her past. It was too on and generic. I didly look like a 'Hinokawa' either, and I had a sneaking suspi it would stand out if I just started using it.

  And I wasn't ready to share that h the world, just as Stel wasn't ready to let go of Stel.

  It was something we had in on at least. But my name was my own, while the name 'Celeste' robably distant from her. However, both of us had grown up with hat weren't 'really' our own.

  It was something I was still ing my head around, but it was also an important piece of information. And a core part of our shared history.

  We were sisters. And we were both daughters of Arcadia Vox, Nightingale, and... Padis. Legendary heroes.

  And there was a ce our father was alive in another reality like ours. A ce that he wao be in our lives, but circumstances were preventing that. That he wasn't a deadbeat dad who abandoned us.

  That was something to hold on to.

  It was a lot to process. And it was a lot to think about. It felt like a big step, and I wasn't sure how to take it. I was just getting used to being Magical Girl Harmonia Lux, and I wasn't sure I was ready to bee 'Sienna Russo Hinokawa' or anything else yet.

  But the fact remaihat was who I was.

  And I'd do our parents proud. No matter what. It would be a secret I held onto for now. Until it was time to tell the world. A time that would probably e soohahe way things were going.

  It felt like I'd just barely finished settling in and now there was an eveer shift happening to the life I was beginning to accept.

  "Raiko? you hide the name 'Hinokawa' in my stats?"

  The AI chirped and a window popped up in my field of view.

  "firmed," it spoke with that slight ated iion.

  I nodded, feeling a small wave of relief wash over me.

  I didn't know why, but I didn't want to share that part of my identity with a, or really even pay attention it. It was something that I felt like beloo me. A secret that was only mine and Stel's to share.

  I looked back down at my stats, and frowned again.

  I still didn't uand a lot of what I was looking at. My 'in', and 'Archetypes'... none of those things were really expio me. And my 'Soul Graph'... What did that mean? I still had no idea.

  My 'in' arently 'Love.' And my 'Soul Graph' was 'Light.'

  What did any of that actually mean? It wasn't really expined, and the more I looked at it, the more fused I felt. And the more questions I had.

  It was something to ask about, though.

  I'd figure it out in time. Or Twilight Aster could expin. She'd said she would teach me, after all.

  But it was getting te, and I o go meet up with the others soon. I'd spent way too much time just staring at my refle and pying with my hair. And then looking at my stats as mapped by the World System and w about what it all meant.

  And what were these new 'points' on my s?

  I heard the sound of a doorknob turning, and I quickly ed my towel a bit tighter.

  An increasingly familiar voice rang out as the door to my dorm room clicked open. "I fot to give you—oh, hello!"

  I smiled. "Hey, sis. Wele back."

  Stel blushed and quickly shut the door behind her.

  "Sorry. Didn't expect you to be in the shower."

  "Sorry about that," I replied. "I took a quie after you stepped out."

  I g my stats again.

  I sighed, clig my Nexus Device closed. It vanished from view, transf into a bracelet on my wrist, a heart-shaped charm on a silver .

  Stel had taught me that trick.

  Turning around, I walked over to Stel and ed my arms around her.

  She tensed for a sed, before rexing and hugging me back.

  "You're awfully huggy today," she said. "Not that I'm pining."

  I smiled. "Just trying something new."

  "You know? You're a lot more like me than you'd think," she said, patting my back. "And I like hugs, too."

  "I'm not as good as you are at them," I said.

  "That's not true," Stel replied, hugging me a bit tighter. "You're better at them than you think."

  I giggled. "You're right. I'm a good hugger."

  She pulled back, smiling at me. "That you are."

  "Anyway," I smiled, pulling away. "I should get ready to head out. We're going to be te for our meeting."

  She nodded. "Of course. I'm totally doing your hair again though. Your shower just messed it all up."

  I ged a bit, looking away.

  She ughed, and the two of us walked into the main room, sitting on the couch together as we talked.

  "You dropped off way too many hair supplies," I ented.

  She nodded. "Well, you don't have enough, so I'm giving you the rest of mine. You ."

  "But I didn't even ask for any."

  "Sometimes people don't know what they need," Stel replied, shrugging her shoulders.

  "I'm really not the type of person who does makeup."

  "Which is exactly why you his stuff."

  "Maybe. But I don't see how it's relevant to being a Magical Girl or a Magical Knight. And it just seems like such a waste of time."

  She frowned. "You'd be surprised."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

  "Beauty be a on, just as much as a sword. You should never uimate it."

  I sighed. "Okay, whatever you say, sister dear. If I find the time, I'll look into it."

  "That's all I'm asking. Anyway, how about we talk about your ransformation?"

  I blinked. "What?"

  "Well, most of our cssmates are on their sed forms by now. They're not to, of course. Most are around Level 60 to 90 or so. But it's something you should work on. Rosaria Celeste is my Radiaation. Then again, my situation is a bit unique."

  She grinned, winking at me. "It's my a the hole, but I rarely use it for obvious reasons. It's a lot of mana for people e, too."

  "Exaltation Form?"

  Stel nodded. "It's teically a prerequisite to get into the program over at Kaleidoscope Uy, and most Knights don't achieve it until their st year or two here. They call it the 'Full Shift' as well as aed Shift. It's the stro form a Magical Girl attain without a World Shift, or without some special unique ability or something."

  "Is it meaningfully strohan your base form? What are we talking about here?"

  "I'd say it's about a fifty pert boost or so for most people. But it ups the rate of your mana burn, too, even passively. So it's not like it's something you maintain forever. That said, most peoples' exalted states aren't too visually different from their base form. It's usually just more colorful, or has some little visual touch."

  "Except you turn into a doppelganger of your totally-not-legendary-hero mom?" I teased, winking at her.

  She nodded, ging a bit. "Right, yeah. Not very subtle."

  I smiled.

  It did make me wonder if... my mother had somehow ihat in me when I fought Red Masque and the Horror that ate him. I'd have to iigate that ter.

  "So, anyway. That little meditation trick was also an exercise I used to access mine when I was twelve. It should be something that helps you find yours. Just, don't overthink it too hard, and you should be able to figure it out. It's not like there's a right way way to do it."

  "That's awfully vague," I replied. "I mean, that barely meant anything!"

  Stel shrugged. "I'm not a professor, and I've ried teag someone before."

  I nodded. "Fair..."

  "Anyway. Just like your initial Inito Shift, or 'Cadet Mode' as some people call it, it involves a personal breakthrough. The first form is unlocked when you truly internalize your reason fhting, while the sed is a natural progression from mana mastery. The third, however, requires a true uanding of yourself and your identity. Your virtues and what drives you at your core, often with aional catalyst such as an endangered loved one or true self-actualization. That's why most students 't reach it until their senior year."

  I blinked.

  "Wait. You unlocked that when you were twelve?!" I excimed. "Isn't that... isn't that ihat's so fast!"

  She nodded, shrugging. "Yeah. Well. It's because I had a lot to process. I didn't want to let it slip away from me again."

  "What?" I asked. "Let what slip away? What do you mean?"

  She shook her head. "Sorry. I... don't want to talk about it."

  She paused for a sed. "It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't want to go into that part of my past."

  "Oh. Okay."

  I nodded, looking down at the floor. I wasn't going to press her. I didn't wao feel unfortable, or make her relive bad memories. And, to be fair, I had a feeling that it involved our parents, and that was a sensitive subject for both of us. I was okay with leaving that alone for the moment.

  I'd learn about her iime.

  "Well," I said, looking up at her, only to pale as she began to fret around with my hair.

  "Oh, no. We 't have this," she said with a pout.

  "...'t I just go over like this? A quick dryout?"

  She grinned. "Never!"

  Stel grabbed my wrist, pulling me up and toward my bedroom.

  "Stelaa!" I called out. "C-cut it out!"

  "Siennaaa ?!" she responded, a sing-song lilt in her voice. "We're going to have fuuun ?!"

  "Uggghhhh," I groaned.

  Stel giggled.

  I was so dead.

  Help...