A genius family with memory problems, a friend, and a old acquaintance.

It was sunrise.

Dawn had already broken the horizon and the last stars were fading from the sky when Marlia was woken from her sleep in a very unpleasant way.

Groaning she turned away from the window, burying her face in her arms while hoping that some random cloud would save her from the sunlight.

But knowing her luck, it wasn't very likely to happen.

She sighed.

After several minutes of fruitlessly trying to fall asleep, she finally accepted that her wishes were futile and sat up.

Rubbing her strained and bloodshot eyes, she did her best to become accustomed to the light before looking outside of the window.

It was peaceful out there.

Endless grass plains stretched across the land, swaying gently in the breeze while the lush forests in the distance marked the border to one of the sacred regions.

A yawn interrupted her observation.

Heavens, did she feel tired.

If she could, she would've simply continued to sleep until her friend would shake her awake and yell at her for missing their station.

Well, guess that was to be expected with the thirty minutes of sleep that she had gotten.

But how could she just fall asleep with all that excitement rushing through her at the thought of finally seeing her father again?

After all, being away from your family for a month at the age of thirteen wasn't exactly the best thing that could happen.

Still deep in thought, Marlia absently traced the symbol on her forehead that was shaped like a closed eye.

Her fingertips felt calloused and rough from all the tinkering that she did in her free time. The brown skin, slightly chapped and covered in cornea here and there.

Her golden eyes moved to the small table that she had slept on.

She scoffed.

For some reason, it was filled with a ton of... napkins...

What the hell?

Grabbing a handful, she inspected them and found quite a lot of sketches for something that looked like machinery.

Some were very detailed while others were just a bunch of lines that she couldn't discern as if a toddler had drawn them with crayons.

Sadly, the majority was smudged with ink, as it hadn't dried properly yet.

Had she done that?

Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember anything from last night. And those few things that she did remember, felt more like a fever dream on drugs than actual memories.

Oh well, at least she had some pretty decent sketches that she could work with.

Maybe she could ask her friend Asgira for help when she needed to choose a design for her next project.

Speaking of which...

A very loud snore tore her from her thoughts.

Looking up from the napkins, she could barely contain her laughter as her eyes fell onto her sleeping friend.

Their body was a mess of sprawled limbs that had spread across the entire seat as if they couldn't have enough space to sleep.

She was certain that they'd be in much more pain when they woke up because that couldn't possibly be comfortable.

Though she couldn't help but feel a bit smug about it. At least that would mean that she wasn't the only one suffering.

Giggling as quietly as possible, she quickly took a picture of them for potential blackmail and hid it in her bag. Not too worried about them receiving a vision, since the mark was neither glowing nor had it opened.

For any other person, it might be frustrating to figure out but it wasn't like she hadn't seen someone receive a vision before.

Especially since she had gotten them too, being an Isanti and all that.

Just then, a clear voice rang through the train, announcing that they would soon arrive in Ortaga.

Perking up at the news, she jumped from her seat and promptly kicked her still sleeping friend in the shin.

They startled awake with such force that they fell from their seat and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

Their eyes snapped open.

Disoriented and drunk with sleep, Asgira jumped into survival mode, their pupils turning into slits and claws forming on their hands as they searched for the threat with unfocused eyes.

As soon as their eyes met, they froze.

"What in the five worlds did I do, for you to wake me up like this?!"

They asked, their voice raspy as they stared at her with a displeased and very tired expression.

"Oh please, it's about time you woke up. If anything, you should thank me for not leaving you behind like that.

Bet you would've continued to sleep even if the train was set on fire."

"Yeah sure, as if I could sleep with your constant mumbling in my ears." They grumbled as they heaved themselves back onto their feet.

Brushing out the wrinkles from their blood-red robes, even though there were none, they surveyed the crime scene of a cabin with all its strewn clothing, the napkins and ink stains on the table, and Marlias fallen pencil case that she had most likely dropped after falling asleep.

A stark contrast to the clean and tidy place that it had been yesterday.

Asgira let out a heavy sigh as they ran a hand through their pale blond hair.

Quickly collecting all of the clothing, they folded it, and put it back into the bag, followed by the pencil case and the few clean napkins that hadn't been smudged with ink.

At least she didn't forget to close the ink bottle again or they would've gotten into some serious trouble.

While they tidied up the mess, Marlia just stood there, her hands itching to do something, but she knew better than to interfere.

The last time she tried to clean something up, she nearly blew up her room because she found an old Alchemy set and got distracted.

So, let's just say that she was forbidden to clean anything, not even the tiniest speck of dirt, without supervision again.

After a few minutes, Asgira was finished.

They turned around and simply threw the bag at her.

"Alright, that should be all,"

They said, smirking when Marlia barely managed to catch the bag without toppling over like a falling tree.

"Why did you throw it at me?!"

She exclaimed, her accusing gaze following Asgira closely as they made their way to the exit.

"Revenge for kicking me awake."

"It was an accident."

"The bag was also an accident."

"How can you throw a bag on accident? That's illogical!"

"You're illogical!"

"And you snore!"

Asgira gasped, dramatically clutching their chest as they feigned a shocked expression.

"How can you accuse me of such a thing! As if you aren't staying awake at night and overworking yourself the whole time."

That last part was said with a pointed glare, but Marlia just shrugged, knowing that it was pointless to deny the truth.

"Touché."

As they exited their cabin and followed the narrow path to the door, a short jingle played through the speakers, followed by the same mechanical voice that announced once again, that their next halting spot was Ortaga.

Hearing that, both of them quickly ran to the next best window, and practically glued themselves to it, as soon as they spotted the gleaming city in the distance.

The light from the sun reflected on the rooftops and towers, causing the city to look like the sun itself.

While the grass plains slowly faded into crop fields and botanical gardens that were kept outside of the city, so that the plants would not be harmed by the city's wastes.

No matter how many times she saw it, Marlia still thought that the sight was amazing.

Just seeing her hometown, that city filled with so many brilliant minds... made her hands itch and her chest swell with pride.

But she restrained herself.

Because today she had a much more important quest to fulfill.

Now, a common fact, that was known to all that had ever visited Ortaga, was that the train station was a breathtaking sight.

Meter-high stone walls, coated with a metallic protective coating.

A huge, curved glass roof that stretched across the building, and the second floor with all of those small shops and public services, caused the place to bustle with people like a beehive.

And the train was no less impressive.

Build for speed, it had a sleek, aerodynamic design and was running on a combination of solar and lunar crystals.

Each would recharge under their respective light while the other kept the train running and gave light and warmth to the passengers.

On the outside, it was colored in a brown and gold combination, with bronze being the base while the golden ornaments were just there to be fancy.

Another interesting aspect of the train was, that it could easily change its color depending on the weather and region it was in.

But that wasn't important right now.

To put it lightly, Marlia was not disappointed by the amazed and slightly dazed look on Asgiras face.

As soon as the energy barriers -that kept the train tracks separated from the crowd- were lowered, both of them fought through the mass of people to get a good look at the place.

No one really paid them attention as they passed by and made their way to the exit, but a few distrustful eyes followed Asgira nonetheless.

Not that they were bothered by it.

It felt great to be home.

Seeing the familiar architecture, and all those people and new inventions. It was a welcome change from the temple in the mountains that they had resided in for the last few weeks.

Not to forget the sight of the empty desert that she had to endure every day.

Of course, Marlia had not forgotten that Asgira had rarely visited a city this big before, as they and their family were more equipped for a lifestyle of wandering.

Taking them by hand, she slowly began to guide them through the crowd, making sure that her friend would not be overwhelmed by the assault of colors and noises, and began to talk.

And so the hours passed by, while Marlia turned into a temporary Tour guide and showed Asgira around.

She showed them many of her favorite places, like the Harbor for the flying ships.

The sky was full of them since the city was quite the popular travel point for merchants.

But she hadn't had the chance to show it properly because, as it turns out, Asgira was scared of heights.

With her finding that out, in the unpleasant experience of her friend clinging to her with a death grip as soon as she stepped onto the bridge that led to the entrance.

Which unfortunately also led across a very deep trench that was used for testing smaller airships.

They didn't go there again.

Some of the other places were a few interesting shops for mechanical parts or pretty trinkets that she had visited quite often.

Or the food stands that she and her dad would eat at when they were both too tired to cook properly.

So now, when they had reached the 'Golden River' street and the sun had slowly begun to set, Marlia took them to one of the smaller shops with the name:

'Daybreaker's Mechanics and more'

Written in golden letters above the entrance.

Quickly entering, Marlia flicked on the light switch and froze.

Yeesh.

What a mess.

No wonder no one was coming here, it looked even worse than her cleaning attempts.

Looking the chaos over, she could see that quite a lot of screws and other tools were missing from their shelves, just like a couple of elixirs and the ingredients for them.

There were also several books and papers, scattered in various locations across the floor.

From what she could see, they were mostly about Alchemy and Medicine.

It seemed like her father had been busy.

Busy overworking himself.

She didn't need to see Asgiras face to know that they were far from impressed and more so disgusted. But to be fair, she felt the same way.

Planning to clean the mess later, she told Asgira to stay there and forbid them to touch anything without her permission, before she vanished into the backroom.

Walking up the stairs and into her apartment, she went past the unused kitchen and barged into her father's workspace.

Several glowing elixirs and bubbling potions stood on his desk. With a ton of papers, opened books, herbs, and other ingredients strewn on the floor and the table.

Her father, Tayo, sat hunched over in his chair, his curly hair unkempt and clothes crumpled while he read through a paper.

He had begun to grow a beard.

Marlia wondered how long he had been in here.

The goggles that covered his golden eyes, reflected the light that was created by the elixirs.

With them being the only light source, because the blindfolds by the window were drawn shut and completely isolated the room from the outside.

Seeing such a mess beside his desk, was not really surprising since they were quite alike, though the rest of his room was still tidier than hers when she went through a work haze.

The two bookcases on the back wall were filled with a variety of books and loose papers, while two smaller tables were loaded with tons of equipment and other trinkets. Both of them standing on the far left, leaving a huge empty gap in the middle.

The rest of the room was rather bare. Though that was required, lest an experiment would go wrong and set something on fire or even mutate it.

Sighing, she stepped closer and gently tapped his shoulder as he was still far too absorbed in his work to notice her.

He yelped, startled by the sudden touch as he dropped the paper he was holding.

His head whipped towards her, mouth agape as he stared at her in disbelief and his gloved hands moved up to remove his goggles.

Chair clattering to the floor, he jumped from the seat and hugged her with his whole heart.

Instinctively she returned the hug, feeling how her eyes had begun to water from the happiness bubbling in her chest.

They hugged for what seemed like an eternity before he let her go again.

His eyes practically glowed as he looked at her face, the heavy eyebags and the tired expression not bothering her in the slightest.

"Marlia! Sweetie when did you get here? Why didn't you tell me you would come? I would've picked you up and we could've eaten something together!"

He said, his voice light and airy as if he wasn't tired at all.

Grabbing her by her shoulders he looked her up and down before letting out a laugh.

"Hah, look how much you've grown again! You little rascal, if you continue like that you will be taller than me!"

Marlia giggled as he ruffled her hair, having to bat his hand away to stop his playful assault.

"You can count on that old man! I will be taller than everybody and become famous!"

She said, puffing out her chest with an air of confidence around her.

He gasped and put his hand on his chest in mock hurt.

"What?! Who are you calling old? I'm only thirty-four!"

"That's super old already!"

"Well, then I will have to punish you for hurting my feelings like that." A sly and mischievous grin appeared on his face, "And I know exactly the right punishment. A... Tickle Attack!"

Marlia shrieked as he jumped on her, tickling and laughing all the way as they both rolled around on the floor. Papers crumbling beneath their weight and herbs getting stuck to their clothing, though they were too busy laughing at their heart's content to really care.

After a while, they calmed down, both breathless and exhausted but feeling lighter than they had in quite a while.

"I missed you."

She whispered.

"I missed you too."

Tayo answered, both smiling softly as they stared at the ceiling.

Marlia sat up abruptly.

"I nearly forgot! Dad, I have to introduce you to my friend. They are still waiting in the shop. Gosh, how could I forget about them?"

He chuckled lightly.

"Well then, why don't we go down and you introduce them to me, and then we can eat dinner somewhere alright?"

With newfound energy, Marlia grabbed her father's hand and dragged him down the stairs.

Which turned out to be harder than expected, because as soon as he stood up, his body seemed to remember how tired it was, causing his legs to give out beneath him and nearly flatten his daughter.

Despite that, Marlia managed to get them both down in one piece which had been a miracle with how much his legs were shaking.

Once they finally entered the store, Dusk had begun to settle and they were greeted with the sight of pure chaos and a very lost-looking Asgira, who hadn't moved since Marlia left.

"Hey, Asgira! This is my dad! Dad, this is my friend Asgira. Remember? I wrote you about them."

They gave a shy wave in return while Tayo stared at Asgira in shock and fascination.

"This... this is the first time that I-" Marlia didn't even have time to react before her father stumbled across the room and came to a halt in front of Asgira.

"By the heavens are you a Yaganis?"

He said, his eyes sparkling with amazement as he took in the confused thirteen-year-old in front of him.

Almost immediately, he started to mutter theories and questions, though they were so fast that it all turned into a mush of words.

Slightly overwhelmed, Asgira shared a pleading look with Marlia, who in turn snapped out of her bewilderment and walked over to help her friend out.

'How was he so fast when he couldn't even walk properly just now?' She grumbled, stopping behind her father and reaching up to tap his shoulder again.

"Uhm, dad? Maybe save the questions for later? You're overwhelming them!"

"Huh what? Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, I just get so excited sometimes,"

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing his neck while he retreated out of their personal space.

"It's fine really. I can answer some of them later if you want sir,"

They replied softly, smiling when his eyes lit up again.

Tayo then took the opportunity and looked around. His eyebrows rose so high that they could've easily reached his hairline as he let out a dumbfounded whistle.

"Wow... I didn't think I had made such a mess down here. Welp, guess I have to clean up before we eat. You guys want to help me?"

Asgira just shrugged.

"Fine. Why not, I have to clean up after Marlia all the time so that's nothing new."

"Hey!"

Together, the three of them began to sort through the mess and slowly put it all back in order.

It was pretty hard work, with how much dust had gathered in the chaos.

But after a few hours, they had already cleaned half of the shop, which was surprisingly fast considering Marlia's talent to create chaos everywhere she went.

A knock interrupted the cleaning session.

Standing up, Tayo brushed off his hands on his already dirty clothing and opened the door.

"Hey Tayo! I saw that the lights were still on so I thought I could visit real quick. I even brought food with me!"

Marlia perked up at the familiar voice.

No way...

Emerging from her spot behind the counter, where she had been cleaning the floor, her eyes fell onto the person standing in the doorway.

She sprinted across the still-wet floor as if she had been struck by lightning and practically flew into the arms of the black-haired woman when she slipped on accident right in front of the door.

Thankfully the food she had carried was already in the arms of Tayo or it would've been crushed when they both fell onto the cobblestone with a loud thud.

With golden eyes shining as bright as the sun, Marlia stared at her oldest friend that nearly acted as an older sister figure.

"Viraaaa! You're here!"

She cried, hugging the surprised woman who then laughed and returned the hug.

"Hey there little sunshine, didn't think I'd see you this soon again."

With a big smile, Marlia got onto her feet and helped Vira up, before she dashed inside and yelled,

"I have to introduce you to my new friend!"

Chuckling softly Vira followed her inside, the dark coat flowing behind her and dark boots shining in the light of the lamps.

While Tayo closed the door behind them and put the food onto one of the empty counters, Marlia eagerly introduced Asgira to Vira who simply looked at them in quiet wonder.

Neither of them said anything to each other but both felt that tug deep within their heart.

The tug that screamed kin.

Because, even though their species had split up eons ago and one had managed to evolve while the other slowly succumbed to a great curse, the light that had once graced them was still there.

In one form or another.

Vira observed the child, her black eyes filled with warmth. The way that those yellow irises glowed on the black sclera with fierce determination, spoke lengths about how they would never do anything to hurt Marlia.

It was almost as if they knew what she had searched for.

A short moment passed as she analyzed them before she smiled and nodded in approval.

"Nice friend you've got there kid! Be sure to keep them, they will be a great help in the future."

"Don't talk to me about the future as if I couldn't get visions with that mark!"

Vira snorted, "Yeah sure, I bet you see a ton of visions that show you how the weather will be tomorrow."

Marlia scoffed, pretending to ignore that last comment, and turned to her father.

"Hey, dad! Should we finish cleaning or eat first?"

"Hmm...I think it's better if we eat. It's already pretty late so maybe we could continue cleaning tomorrow. Is that alright?"

Everyone nodded.

Since Tayo didn't hear a complaint, he grabbed the food and made his way upstairs.

The rest followed him of course, only a fool would waste an opportunity on getting free food.

Quickly rummaging through the cupboards, her father got out several plates while Marlia grabbed the Silverware and set the table.

The once dusty kitchen was now filled with the scent of delicious food, and the warm light of the lamp above.

Giving it a feeling of home just how it used to do a long time ago.

The food that Vira had brought, consisted of a few well-seasoned noodle and rice dishes, as well as some fresh buns to round it all up.

They didn't eat all of them of course since it was more fast food than actual food, and because Vira mentioned that it was originally supposed to be for her family. Or more like, for herself and her two brothers.

One was prone to overwork himself instead of eating, and the younger currently went through his rebellious phase and refused everything from others just because he wanted to prove a point.

Marlia was pretty sure that she wouldn't really like them if she ever met them. But she wasn't one to judge. At least not yet.

Once they had finished, they passed the remaining time by chatting about mindless things.

It was a warm and comfortable atmosphere but despite how much she enjoyed this, Marlia could not deny how tired she had gotten and before she even knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Surprised at the sudden weight, Asgira jumped when they felt Marlia slumping onto their shoulder.

Quietly, as not to wake her, they asked where Marlias room was, and Tayo quickly showed them the way before excusing himself from Vira and following them.

After explaining the layout of the apartment, incase Asgira needed anything, he waited until they both fell asleep and smiled softly as he observed the adorable scene in front of him.

He was glad that she had found such a good friend. It was always nice to see her so happy, especially after the death of her mother.

Yawning, he gently kissed his daughter goodnight and closed the door, drowning the room in darkness.

Not noticing how the marks on the childrens foreheads began to glow and open, revealing the projection of an ethereal looking eye that hovered a few millimeters above the forehead.

Once he returned to the kitchen, he thanked Vira for the food and accompanied her to the door where he waved her goodbye, before he finally went to bed.

Meanwhile, Vira made her way through the empty streets and to the next Portal station.

It was near midnight and she should've been home hours ago. But that gag was probably running in the family, as they all came home late, each time for a different reason.

Her cymergin vibrated.

Normally, cymergins were only meant for the military, but her brother had been generous enough to get her one too. Though they had agreed to only use it in emergencies.

She took it out.

Someone was trying to reach her by text.

She sighed.

Selecting the message, she quickly opened it and skimmed it through. Though, that couldn't be called "skimming" since the message consisted of a single sentence.

Her neck went cold.

With wide eyes, she stared at the simple text in front of her and barely registered how her hands began to shake.

Only a single thought, crossed her mind at that moment.

'Shit.'