The two of us stepped into Al's dorm room building a short time ter. The security guards at the front desk us, reizing us. We were quickly being regurs here, with the frequency with which we visited him.

  "Here we go again," Stel mused.

  "Yep," I said. "Same old, same old."

  We stepped into the elevator, taking it up to the upper floors.

  "So... Braveheart Kitsune? Kaz?" I whispered.

  "Yep. I had strong suspis, but I firmed it when he showed us that locket. My... mom left me with a a picture of all four members of their team untransformed. She was definitely older in Kaz's locket than in my picture, but she had the same face, the exact same smile, and the same twinkle in her eyes. And the he firmed her name."

  Stel sighed. "From the way sounds, he definitely already knew your identity, and robably going nuts with how we all took out Scrapper Scuttler the way we did."

  I really couldn't bme him.

  Scrapper Scuttler ervilin way above our level, and those of us still standing had to pull out every st tri s. If he really was Storm Vixen's son, seeing Stel and I pull out moves his deceased mother's teammates used would have been a shock. He'd definitely been shocked to see me transform into my 'Soul Fe' state. He had no idea why that was, but I'd definitely surprised him, even if I couldn't remember it.

  Stel tinued. "And in the same vein, Braveheart Kitsune used an ability only a handful of people know how to do. Storm Vixen's Lightning Overdrive, which she taught to her teammates, Emberline, and a few friends. I'm almost 100% certain she didn't pass that down to anyone else, so there are maybe a dozen or so people at most that could use that."

  "Which is why you asked him if he knew how to use Raijin's.... whatever, to pull off that bination attack we did a me close enough to finish him off."

  Stel nodded. "Exactly. I didn't know if they had retion to each other, but seeing a boy with fox ears spam Lightning Overdrive was too much of a e to overlook."

  I bit my lips. "I wonder if Kaz approached us with that locket just to see if we were who he thought we were."

  "Maybe. He's a little awkward. But it's a cute sort of awkward. He's gotta breathe more, though. I've only met him once as Kitsune and Kazuki separately, but I know that much."

  I ughed. "You're right. He definitely doesn't breathe enough."

  Frowning, I tugged at my hair. "Speaking of cute... why is my hair done like this? What happeo the frizz? How?!"

  Stel gave me a look that said 'really?'

  "Because you're my little sister and I want to show you off. And because it looks good on you."

  "It's weird," I pined. "I don't look like this normally."

  "That's the point," she replied.

  She'd tied my short hair into pigtails which hung right over my neck, which looked surprisingly cute on me. She'd looped them with small red ribbons, which were tied into bows. It was a bit too girly for my tastes, but I had to admit it looked nice.

  "I 't believe you're doing this to me," I grumbled.

  Stel giggled. "e on. You'll get used to it."

  "Nope. No, I'm not. This is not going to happen. I refuse to let it happen. I'm not going to be one of those Magical Girls you read about in the ics that ges their hair every issue or whatever."

  Frankly, she made me look close to how her mom did when she was around e.

  I'd never admit it, but it was a little fttering. She'd also applied a thin yer of foundation and blush, and she'd used a bit of lip gloss on my lips. But I refused to let her put on mascara or eyeliner or anything. The whole thing was too much, but she'd do quickly, and I had to admit I was impressed with the results.

  She was really, really good at this ad she'd do in the span of like, fifteen or twenty mioo. I couldn't even do that in an hour by myself.

  "Sure," she teased, her voice dripping with mirth. "If that's what you say."

  I crossed my arms as the elevator doors opened, stepping into the hallway.

  Stel giggled, stepping in time beside me.

  I sighed, shaking my head. "You're enjoying this way too much. You know that, right?"

  She smiled. "It's fun to see you all dressed up. You're a lot prettier than you give yourself credit for."

  I huffed. "Well, I don't do makeup and hair, unlike you, apparently. And I'm not really the girly type, you know. I'm ly fortable wearing all of this."

  She rolled her eyes. "I've dohing. You just need a little bit of a fidence booster. So, I'm giving you one."

  I shook my head. "You're nuts."

  She shrugged. "Maybe."

  The two of us stopped in front of Al's dorm room, and the fragrant smell of food filled the air. I could hear excited shouting from behind the door.

  "Damn it!" I heard Kaz's voice say. "That's just cheap as hell."

  I heard Albert ugh. "Skill issue, bud. You just have to git gud."

  "That was bullshit, and you know it," Kaz grumbled. "That's not even fair!"

  Albert ughed.

  Stel giggled. "Man, I want in on whatever they're pying," she said. "That sounds like fun."

  I she air, smelling the food. "Mmmmm," I muttered. "Smells good."

  Stel gave me a curious look. "What do you think it is?"

  I frowned, sniffing again. "Something with shrimp... and maybe star anise?"

  Stel she air again, nodding. "Yeah. That sounds abht. Maybe some kind of slow braise?"

  I smiled. "Maybe."

  I knocked on the door. A few seds ter, Albert ope. The smell of food intensified, and my stomach rumbled. I could see a rge pot oove, with steam rising off of it.

  "Hey, girls," Albert said. He looked me up and down for a sed, blinking. "Sienna? What'd you do with your—oh. Nevermind. Stel did it, didn't she?"

  Stel ughed, nodding. "I did. She needed a bit of an upgrade."

  I palmed my face. "You're terrible."

  Albert smiled. "It's a good look on you."

  I blushed, turning away. "Thanks."

  Stel ughed, pushing past me and stepping into the dorm room. "So, what's cooking?"

  "My dignity..." Kaz grumbled, sitting on the couch with a troller in his hands.

  "Slow-braised chuck roast, sauteed vegetables, and ut basmati rice," Albert said. "There's also some frozen dim sum."

  "Wow," I said. "You made all this?"

  Albert smiled. "Hey, remember during that summer you came over every day? When we were 11?"

  "Your family was so o me."

  He nodded, smiling. "Well, mom rarely made me help her when we were expeg you but she always roped me into it when you weren't around. She was a really hard teacher, too. She said that when it came to food, she was very picky. So I learned how to cook a lot of things. And she made me her taste tester when we were w on new dishes."

  I poked his belly. "And you got chubby."

  "Oof. Hey, I was w on it even today, ." Albert ughed. "But yeah, it's hard to not get fat like that."

  I looked behind him, notig Kaz staring quietly at us. His hair was still tied up in that topknot, framing his boyish features perfectly. He wore a simple white t-shirt with a pair of nice-looking shorts, and he looked a bit on edge.

  He looked at me, giving me a shy wave. "Hey, Sienna. Er, I like what you did with your hair."

  "Right," I said. "Thank you. It was Stel's doing."

  Kaz nodded, smiling at me. "It's nice. You look pretty."

  I blushed, turning away. I looked over at Stel, gring at her as she gave me a grin and thumbs up.

  Albert coughed.

  "Anyway, before we have any more awkward moments and versations, how about dinner? It should be about ready. I just o finish up, garnish it, and take the pot off the stove."

  Stel nodded. "Sounds great."

  The smell was divine, and my stomach rumbled. Al and his mom were both magis when it came to food. I haden anything since earlier iernoon, and my body was craving something to eat.

  I turned back to Albert as he stepped back, grabbing a pair of cooking utensils from the drying rad taking the lid off a wok. A bst of steam rose from the top, and I ihe st.

  "Mmmmmm," Stel said. "That smells good."

  "Got some dim sum arranged with some greens and a few other things in that one," Albert said. "And then there's the stew. But you'll have to wait for it to finish."

  Kaz stepped forward, looking into the wok. "This is really impressive. You have skills."

  I ughed.

  "What?" he asked. "It smells good."

  Albert ughed, shaking his head. "Well, ma prepared a whole bunch of stuff I keep in the freezer. She's a real chef, and I'm just a wannabe. But it works."

  I smiled. "I know. And I remember. You guys were really good to me. I 't even tell you how thankful I am."

  Kaz frowned. "What do you mean?"

  I sighed, shaking my head. "Let's save the family history stuff for aime. Right now, I want to eat."

  "Good pn," Albert replied. "I'll get everythi up. You guys just get fortable."

  "Will do," I said. "e on, guys, let's get the table ready."

  I walked over to the dining room table, grabbing ptes and utensils aing them up. My shoulders burned a bit from the strain of liftis, and I felt a twinge in my lower back. But it was a manageable pain, and ohat was already going away. The soreness was slowly going away, too, and I didn't feel as tired as I did earlier. Maybe shower helped. Or the hugs.

  The entire room smelled like delicious, home-cooked food. It was a wonderful smell, and ohat made me feel happy inside.

  Stel and Kaz both joined in helpi the dishes, and the three of us quickly had everything prepared.

  A few mier, Albert walked in with a rge pte of food. Bright green broccoli, sauteed peppers, and a rge sele of steamed and fried dim sum. He served everyone a couple of pieces of dim sum ahe pte down in front of us, before turning to the kit and ing back with the pot in tow.

  I sat down across from Kaz as he stared down at his pte. He gingerly picked up a piece of crispy tofu, taking a bite out of it. His eyes widened as he chewed, and he quickly devoured the rest of the piece.

  "This is good," he said, looking over at Albert.

  "It's a special recipe," Al replied. "One of my mom's old creations."

  "Really?"

  "Yep."

  I looked down at the food, pig up a piece of tofu. It was soft and gooey, and the fried outer skin was crispy and chy, with just the right amount of texture. A single piece of shrimp peeked out at the side, ed iofu. I took a bite, letting the fvor fill my mouth.

  "The trick is to use a bination of spices iter," Albert said. "Mom likes to use a mixture of turmeric, garlic powder, chili pepper, stard egg to bind it all and—"

  "A bit of paprika, and a dash of white pepper. With a tiny pinch of si pepper and mushroom powder for a kick as the secret ingredient," Kaz finished. "I know this recipe. My dad passed one like it to me. He and mom used to make it together."

  Al stared down at the pte of food, a pensive look crossing his face as paused with the pot in hand.

  "Huh."

  He finished p the stew inte bowl a ba the stove, turning the burner off.

  "ut rice is self-serve from the rice maker," he said, gesturing at the mae. "Anyway, Kaz... are you okay?"

  Kaz swallowed. "Not really. I mean, yeah. Still a bit in shock over yesterday, to be ho."

  He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

  "I'll be fihough. Just some messed-up emotional baggage."

  Stel nodded. "We know the feeling."

  "Yeah," I agreed.

  I looked over at Stel, who was sittio me. She made eye tact with me and nodded.

  "So, I wao talk about that, actually," she said. "About yesterday."

  Kaz nodded. "Yeah. We should probably discuss that."

  Stel sighed. "Well, we all know each other's identities, and we're in this together, so I think it's time we e . Just, keep in mind that this is a huge secret. And I don't intend on using that form unless my back is seriously against the wall."

  She looked at Kaz, then at me, then at Albert.

  "Sienna is my half-sister."

  Kaz's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. "What?"

  "Sienna is my half-sister," she repeated. "We have the same father, but our moms are different."

  "Your moms?" Kaz said.

  Stel nodded. "I'm the daughter of Arcadia Vox. Your mother's teammate. The Sn adopted me when I was very young, after Arcadia Vox died. But Sienna and I have the same father. Our father is... adis."

  Kaz stared at Stel in shock, his jaw hanging open. He blinked, and then looked over at me.

  "You two?"

  Stel and I both nodded in unison.

  Kaz put his head in his hands, running his fihrough his hair.

  "Okay," he said. "Okay. So... the two of you are sisters. Half-sisters. My father told me about my mother, and I did get training from some of her old friends, like you said. So... you two are sisters. Okay. I deal with that."

  He took a deep breath. "Right."

  I nodded. "Yeah. We've been dealing with it for a few days now, and we're still processing it. Stel actively came here to Kaleidoscope to seek me out. She learned about me from my mother, who she met a few weeks ago. She didn't know about me until then."

  Kaz shook his head, and his gaze darted between us.

  "Okay," he said. "Okay. So you're sisters. That's fihat's... that's not the craziest thing in the world. I just... I 't believe Padis had two daughters. I mean, people always suspected he and Vox had something going on with the amount of chemistry they had, but Arcadia Vox was a queer i and nobody ever had proof. People still specute about it. It was in a lot of the old tabloids about her. So I 't believe that... I mean... wow. That's a lot to take in. But I 't bme him, either."

  Albert ughed. "Yeah. I uand the feeling. It's a bit of a shock."

  Kaz nodded. "Well, Stel said it earlier, and I'm going to repeat it. We're all in this together. We all know each others' secret identities. If you're okay with that, then I am, too."

  He paused for a sed, and then tinued. "So, what does it mean to you?"

  Stel looked over at me, and I met her gaze.

  "I... I'm still not sure," I said. "It's plicated, but we wao talk about things in private with you because a lot of details about the final raid don't make any sense. We're trying to get to the bottom of things."

  Stel nodded. "I try not to be spiratorial about things, but yeah, we do have some details about that day. About how your mother supposedly died. There was something strange about that fight. Something that was covered up."

  Kaz's expression turony. "I'm listening."

  Stel and I shared a look, and I nodded.

  "Well, to start, please promise not to freak out about what we're going to say ," I said. "It's going to sound unbelievable, and maybe even a little crazy. But I promise you it's true."

  "Ominous. I don't like the sound of that," Kaz replied, frowning. "I'm going to freak out a bit, but I'll try not to let it get to me. Just... tell me the truth. Please."

  I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.

  "Hopeful Heart Alchemy..." I whispered.

  "Shadow Bolt..."

  An orb of shadowy energy formed in my hand, and I felt my body shift. My hair grew out, f into twin braided and ribboned pigtails that flowed halfway down my back. A bright light fshed around me, and I could feel the transformation wash over my skin.

  Kaz's face paled, aood, his chair flying backward.

  "My mother... wasn't just a Magical Girl. She was also a vilin. A supervilin, to be precise. She's the reason for all of this," I said.

  "She... she... then... she killed her!"

  My eyes widened.

  "I fug k. She's the reason my mother died!"

  He stared at me, and his expression turned angry.

  Kaz gred at me, and I saw tears well up in his eyes as he balled his hands into fists.

  I shook my head. "No, you don't uand. She was—"

  Kaz grit his teeth, and a shimmering field of green mana surrounded him. A tail appeared behind him, swishing bad forth angrily. His ears ftteo the side as they appeared, and his brows furrowed.

  "Cool it!" Albert's voice suddenly boomed across the room, startling all three of us. "Look at me. Both of you."

  He stood up, staring at Kaz. He looked oddly intimidating and cuddly at the same time while wearing his kit apron.

  "You o calm dow her finish. She knows what she's talking about. I trust her more than anyone else. And if you saw Sienna's mom growing up like I did? Shit. With the text we have now, the way Mrs. Russo's life went tells me she's spent the st fifteen years letting all that guilt eat away at her. Yoing to hear her out, because she knows a hell lot about the situation that you and I don't."

  I looked at Al in shock. I had never seen him like this before.

  Al looked at me. "Tell him the rest. I know it's hard, but you o. He o know., and I 't help but be morbidly yself."

  Stel stood up beside me, her hand on my shoulder.

  I swallowed nervously.

  "My mom, the person I knew as my mom, was... Nightingale Eclipse. She was a Magical Girl that fought alongside your mom, and with Stel's mom too."

  I turo Albert. "And Al? All those years you spent speg about the duel just for fun? Without either of us knowing about my retionship with that whole drama? You were right."

  Kaz blinked and took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper like that. I just... I had suspis. It was hard for my dad and me, and it's been hard. I just... I've spent so many years w how it happened. Why it happened. What could have been done. And I've had this hate inside me for the people responsible. I've dedicated my whole life to making things right where she ffaileed. So when you dropped that bombshell, I just... I'm sorry. I told myself I wouldn't, and that wasn't fair."

  "It's okay," I said. "But do try not to freak out about this part."

  Kaz sighed. "I won't."

  I took a deep breath too, willing my transformation away. "Kaz?"

  "Y-yeah?" he asked as his tail and ears reverted to normal.

  "Your mother was not to supposed to die that day. In fact, with what Stel and I have gathered, she and my mother were actually in on a pn together."

  Stel nodded. "The infamous duel between Storm Vixen and Nightingale Eclipse? Chraphed and staged."

  He looked between us. "So... so wait. Do you mean..."

  "Nightingale Eclipse was a double agent. The whole thing loy to get Storm Vixen close enough to Nox."

  Kaz paled. "You... you 't be serious. She..."

  I nodded. "The whole thing was a ruse. I still don't uand what went wrong, but somethi very wrong. They were pnning to take out Nox in a surprise attack. Stel and I have information from someone in on the pn that firm this, and we've been w together to find out the truth. So, Kaz, please. Please believe me when I tell you this: my mother never betrayed yours."

  Kaz's face had gone white, a back, falling into another chair. He buried his head in his hands.

  "That... that 't be true. You're lying. That's not possible."

  I shook my head. "We 't out our tact just yet, but we have strong evideo support this. I'm sorry, Kaz. I really am. I know this must be hard for you to accept."

  Kaz looked up at me, his eyes wide. "I 't believe this."

  Stel chimed in. "Kaz, we're telling the truth. Nightingale Eclipse turned coat very early on, and was w with Arcadia Vox and the rest of the resistance. But... they threw Nightingale underh a bus. They o keep up an act, and she had to maintain that illusion. But... that was why the duel was chraphed. It loy to get Storm Vixen close enough to Nox to take her out."

  He looked up, furrowing his brows before sighing. "Okay.... Okay... let's say I accept this for now. What happehen?"

  I sighed, looking over at Stel.

  She took a deep breath. "Well, we don't know. Nobody does."

  "Say what?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

  I nodded. How was I supposed to even frame this?

  Stel and I shared another look.

  "Well, that's where things get weird... because nobody actually saw your mother die. She... she just vanished. Everyone just went with the narrative that she died because she never showed back up," I expined.

  Kaz stared at us in shock. "She... she never showed back up? The hell does that mean? So you're telling me my mother is just... missing?!"

  Stel and I both looked at each ain.

  "Yeah. Basically. She just vanished," Stel deadpanned.

  Kaz's expression darkened. "You've gotta be kidding."

  Stel shrugged. "No. I wish I was. Like we said, she had enough left iank to take on Mortifera fug Nox herself, and was favored to win. She would've leveled half the fortress if she'd been killed."

  Al sighed. "That's a whole lotta crazy in a nutshell."

  "Damn," Kaz muttered. "I... I o process this. All of this. I don't know how to hahis right now, and it's a lot to take in."

  "You ah, buddy," Stel said. "But we're all in this together. We'll figure it out."

  I looked around the table. "We're all friends here, Kaz. We're gonna help each other through this."

  Albert nodded in agreement. "We've got your back. You're not alone in this anymore."

  Stel smiled at him. "You're a good dude, Albert. We're lucky to have you."

  I smiled at him too, nodding. "Yeah. You're the best."

  Kaz smiled. "Thanks, guys... I uh, I appreciate that. It's still a lot, but sheesh. I've had that hanging over my head for a while."

  I grabbed a piece of broccoli from the pte of dim sum, popping it into my mouth and chewing.

  "Well," I said. "Let's get to work on this and fet about the family drama for now, yeah?"

  The others nodded.

  Stel grabbed a bowl of stew and took a spoonful. "Yeah. Let's do that. This is delicious."

  We all dug in to the food. Albert was a good cook. It was delicious, and the fvors were perfect. The ut rid braised meat was savory, the vegetables were perfectly seasoned, and the fried tofu and shrimp were perfectly cooked.

  The euation was a lot to take in, and I was still reeling from learning about my e to Stel and our moms. And Kaz robably feeling the same way. We all were. It wasn't the easiest thing to deal with.

  But we would deal with it together another day.