A crisp breeze danced through the sky as dawn slowly began to overwrite night in the far-off horizon. The wind twisted and twirled beneath the endless sea of winter clouds with its brethren before it was caught in a downdraft and forced apart from its companions to Eleria's surface. It continued ever onward from there, making new connections with others that had been caught as well, flowing south through the trees until they began tickling the tall stalks of dried grass, passing over hills and into valleys.

The breeze made its way through the many obstacles before it and came upon a Human settlement. Drifting toward the walls, it slowly lifted above the buffer of air that sat unmoving by the base of the wall, saturated too fully to accept its company.

Just as it began to lift, the wall opened inward, and the breeze was of the first to be sucked inside the tranquil walls of the Village. Gaining speed, it gusted through the buildings and over the roads, losing its new companions as they split off down other paths of life and occasionally eliciting a shriek or cry of surprise from an unsuspecting sentient of the morning as their hair played to its tune.

Regardless of whether it knew where it should have gone or where it should be, the breeze had its own rhythm and would find its destination by it.

A medium-sized home it eventually found, and over the fence it leapt. Not the most impressive home it had visited nor the most quaint, but it would be its home for the time it was here.

After a moment of searching though, it found no purchase into the home. Slowly, it lifted along the exterior of the building, shoved upward by its surrounding companions and the laws of nature it followed. Reluctant to leave but with no say in the matter, the breeze headed skyward to find a new home once again.

Just before escaping back into its endless performance, the breeze was drawn through a crack between two shutters that had been left unlatched, entering the foreign structure with glee. It danced through the room before it landed upon a man's warm, sleeping cheek and lost its chill, becoming one with the surrounding air.

Damien opened his eyes and shivered as a morning breeze descended upon his face. Looking up, he noticed the shutters were cracked slightly.

Alexa must have forgotten to latch them again.

This did nothing to put a damper on his mood, though for today was an excellent day. It was the day.

His face kept its grin as he carefully extricated himself from the clutches of his two sleeping companions without waking them and stood up. He stretched, holding back his usual noises and doing his best not to bump into anything, and carefully tiptoed out of the room silently while avoiding the luggage strewn about.

Moving through the house, he carried by his side a ball of purple light to illuminate his path. While not the best color for lighting, it was one of the softest on the eyes and would ensure no one woke up because of brightness seeping under their doorway. It wasn't that they'd be angry if they were woken, but more a matter of consideration. If one woke up before the rest of the house it was common courtesy to be as silent as possible until they either fell back asleep or the rest of those in the house stopped sleeping.

As he was now, Damien wouldn't be going back to sleep.

He walked down the flight of stairs leading to their kitchen and out the back door, descending partway down the porch steps before sitting down on them. He looked up to the sky and out around the yard, remembering any detail he saw as best he could.

It was the last time he'd be here for a long while, after all. It was finally time to see what this world's academy had to offer him.

The man had waited long for this moment. He'd put up with many years of being coddled and staying excessively careful and finally, it was over. Nothing could express the joy he felt at being able to get out into this world on his own. Though his body was nearly eleven, and even appeared eighteen by his old world's standards, his mind was much, much older and craved freedom. Freedom from the constant presence of a parent, and the restrictions that brought. One never could understand the joy that was living by their own means until they moved out and realized it for themselves and once they had, going back would never be as carefree as it had been before. They'd inevitably miss having a place they could call their own.

He cupped his hands and breathed warm air into them, watching as it seeped out the other side, visible in the cold winter air. The chill had begun to set in a few weeks ago as the fall months came to a close, signifying the new year's approach and only serving to excite Damien more, for the first month was when the Academy began.

Struggling to keep his excitement down was a moot point now, though. Nothing could quell the expectations for his future and finally, he heard the sounds of his family waking up.

The day had begun.

He stood up and made his way back inside to cook breakfast for the two women that would be coming down the stairs soon, one of them sure to be cranky or sleepy. He'd have to apologize for the role he played in that.

Ten minutes later, the stairs began to creak just as he finished scrambling a few eggs and frying some bread into toast. He poured resil juice, a deep red liquid that tasted similar to actual grapes from his old world and not the artificial grape flavoring, into two cups and moved everything toward the table just as Alexa and Kastra descended the steps leading into their kitchen.

Alexa was a marvel. She stood around five foot four in height and had long, straight white hair, pure as fresh snow cascading down the back of her head. She had no bangs and it ended just at the small of her back, lightly swaying when she did. Bright, ruby-red eyes, a small pointed nose, thin eyebrows, a sharp chin, and cheeks that turned red every time she smiled, which had been rarer of late to Damien's dismay, made up the characteristics of her face. Her skin was of a healthy, fair complexion; not pure white yet not tan, blending with her hair and eyes smoothly. She was wearing a black nightgown Kastra had created for her to sleep in.

She was currently fifteen years of age and nearing sixteen, though she appeared seventeen due to the speed she'd been aging of late. Puberty had set in during her third year of school and the girl had grown immensely from the thin, slender thing she had been.

That had been the strangest year of Damien's life so far, dealing with her being a solid foot and a half taller than him when she came back suddenly. She'd always been slightly taller, but when she hit a growth spurt before he did, he'd felt left behind and awkward every time this older sister hugged and kissed him. Her slim yet enchanting curves that hadn't been there before now no longer dominated his larger frame though, merely showing off the beautiful young woman she'd become.

A young woman whose face was currently stretched into a full yawn and was marred by a look of sleepiness while her pure white wings brushed the top of the staircase behind her. That is, until she noticed the food he'd laid out and a smile spread across it.

Kastra looked the same as always. Tan skin, silver freckles, big, adorable chipmunk looking cheeks, a neutral face, and bright blue hair. She currently wore a thin layered red nightgown, decorated with many enchanting black and white illustrations, that hung from her two shoulders and allowed her six wings to flutter about behind her unimpeded as she sat atop Alexa's head. She stood at about a foot tall and appeared only too lovable as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Damien looked down at Alexa as she walked up to him and the place he'd set her food down, giving him a hug and a quick kiss as he rested his chin on the top of her head. Genetics had been kind to him as he'd eventually passed the girl in height two summers ago. He rubbed his right hand along the feathers of her right wing, and she hugged him slightly tighter.

Damien did his best not to sigh in frustration at the girls ever-present, overly affectionate greetings. Never taking it further than a kiss yet always making sure she gave him one and a long hug, he was unsure of what the woman truly felt for him anymore. He'd resolved himself a few years back to accept the situation for what it was until he himself was able to attend the academy, but the wait was slowly wearing on his sanity.

Asking where her feelings lay before she knew herself would only serve to cause an altercation, one that he knew he wouldn't win. Not because there was a right or a wrong side when it came to how someone felt, but because he cared for Alexa too much and wouldn't want to press her into any one direction. That, in and of itself, could ultimately lead to them distancing, which was the last thing he wanted.

Time would tell if his decision to wait was right or wrong.

Kastra hopped to his shoulder as usual, using his shirt as a blanket as she pushed her cold feet and legs underneath it and leaned against his neck. He felt as her presence in the pact slowly disappeared and she fell back into slumber quick as ever against his warm body.

"Sorry I woke you both up," he said to Alexa as he pulled back a chair for her.

"It's fine. We both expected it anyway," she replied in a light tone, sitting and following him with a gaze as he sat down next to her.

"I should get better at controlling what emotions I let through the pact," he stated, cutting his eggs into smaller chunks.

"You always say that and yet, here we are again," she said with a laugh before continuing, "I'd prefer if you didn't anyway."

The pact. The Equals pact. Kastra, Alexa, and himself were all still members of it as it continued to deepen, continued to strengthen. The emotion sharing aspect of it hadn't grown but the ability to locate one another had begun to sharpen, no longer a general sense of where they each were but now a beacon of sorts, able to tell the relative distance between each other in but a moment.

Kastra had taught Alexa how to keep her emotions out of the pact mostly, and he'd begun only to be able to sense when she was very happy, sad, mad, or anxious. Slight annoyance no longer carried through, and he felt like the only one that showed how he felt anymore. It was also the reason he no longer knew how the woman felt about him. Truly, it was vexing.

Kastra had offered to teach him what she'd taught Alexa, but he'd declined. In his past life, he'd played the man who couldn't be hurt. He wasn't mad, sad, or annoyed by anyone and had always kept a smile on no matter how bad his mind got inside. He was a man that walked behind his friends on the sidewalk when it would shrink, a man who always invited people out rather than being the one to receive the invite, and a man that took care of others more than they took care of him.

He'd decided long ago that it was not how he would live in this life. He'd resolved himself after his mother had slapped some sense into him to never fake a mood again. If he were unhappy, he'd express it. He'd be a man to wear his emotions on his sleeves. No secrets.

Kastra herself had begun to be more expressive, if only slightly. As a person, she was the quiet type. If she didn't feel like expressing herself, he wouldn't push her to, yet it seemed of late that she was trying to show him and Alexa who she was as a Fae, offering her opinion more than not and expressing her desires.

Their relationship had also hit something of a standstill. He cared for her, and she spent all her time as close to him as she could, yet he still didn't feel right doing anything until he'd worked things out with Alexa and the Fae made no move to change their current relationship. He honestly didn't even know if she wanted him in that manner, but luckily it didn't seem to matter. Perhaps she never even thought about it.

Damien couldn't help it, though. He'd gone through puberty long ago, and his mind wandered every night the three slept together. He wished for the days when his brain was young and ignorant of physical issues.

The two continued to eat as they made quiet conversation, laughing and enjoying one another's company as Alexa leaned against Damien's shoulder. He tried but failed to keep his heart from fluttering as they finished eating and she lay across the chair, resting her head on his legs and staring up at him. He'd fallen way too far for the girl over the years, and whether or not it was the pacts doing, it was harder and harder to cope with every day. He knew he was only hurting himself like he had done in so many friendzoneships in his old life, but couldn't break out of the routine.

At least, not yet. This would be the year that he'd change all of that. He'd already decided his foot would come down and what happened would happen.

At some point this next year, that is. For now, he'd continue to enjoy their time together. Today was a joyous day, after all. It was the start of new beginnings for him.

Alexa opened her eyes as a feeling of excitement paraded throughout her being. She smiled wide and sat up in a hurried motion as she felt for the man that slept beside her and realized he was absent. The oddity prompted her to realize further it was not her that was excited, and her smile lessened slightly.

Damien had begun to sneak out of her hold rather than wake her up with him lately, and it upset her. She enjoyed it when he was the one she woke up to rather than an empty bed. It felt lonely.

Though, she couldn't completely drop her smile. He was happy, after all, and that made her happy just to sense.

"Ughh," she exclaimed, laying back down on the bed and pushing her face into the pillow. "Why does he always wake up so early, Kastra?" her muffled voice asked.

The Fae rolled over, facing her instead of Damien's absent body before she replied.

"He was excited yesterday and is as much so today," she said while her face changed into a thoughtful expression. "It's colder than usual in here as well. Maybe you didn't latch the window again."

Alexa looked up from her bed and sure enough, the window was cracked open. He was a light sleeper; it was not a far stretch to assume that he'd woken up from the cold. He'd grown too tall to keep entirely wrapped in her wings anymore, and she'd begun to sleep deeper than usual, so whenever she forgot to latch the window he'd wake up early. It made her feel guilty.

"You guys should just check for me before we sleep..." she said, trailing off at the end.

Kastra nodded at her before she sat up and stretched, reaching her arms above her head and making the same ridiculous noise Damien made when he stretched. Alexa smiled again and joined her, making the same absurd noise. She giggled slightly and looked at her Fae who finally smiled back at her euphoria. Whenever he wasn't around, Alexa allowed herself these moments of embarrassment.

With that, they both finished waking up, and Alexa stood up out of bed to shake her limbs. Damien would probably be making breakfast for her downstairs if the past was any indication. It made her feel spoiled, and happy. It was nice, the way he cared for her.

She reminded herself to repay him somehow later.

It would likely be a few minutes before it was ready, so she decided to run through the forms and Kastra joined her, putting on a dazzling light show as she usually did. She was getting better and better at her ability to create beauty from mana and if Alexa wasn't used to it by now, she'd find it difficult to focus next to the performance.

The forms were a great way to wake her entire body up and start the day, even if they were no longer important for her training. Once you'd learned to sense mana using them, any form of practice manipulating mana would help you improve in both control and quantity, though some ways worked better than others.

Once Alexa finished, Kastra landed upon her shoulder and they set out for the hallway, aiming for the stairs. Even after going through the forms she still felt tired today, as did Kastra, the little Fae yawning and causing her to do the same as she finished descending into the kitchen.

Upon entering, she noticed Damien standing by the table, smiling at her. Her yawn instantly became replaced by a genuine smile and her tiredness was swept away.

Days like this were her favorite, the world simple and her future obvious. She was about to eat a delicious meal with her favorite Human, and nothing would be getting in the way of it. Much, much easier than the complicated politics of the academy and her family.

Lately, her mother had been bugging her to accept proposals of marriage from other families, or their branch families. The young men had even begun attempting to court her while at the school and were it not for Gallion and his coalition of fine men, Alexa would be at her wits end on how to deal with them. One had even begun sending her messages of love using the Association while outside the academy. It was beyond irritating but luckily, Gallion had come to her rescue time and time again, and she loved him for it. She hoped Damien and him would continue to get along this year when they reunited.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head, Alexa looked at the man in front of her before she moved toward him. Man truly had become the word to describe him of late, too. About five foot eleven, one hundred and seventy pounds distributed perfectly throughout his toned figure, dark brown hair... he was becoming dreamy. His face looked her age as well finally, if just a tad bit younger. Brown eyebrows, medium sized lips, and a strong jawline that met his cheeks framed his face.

While not the best looking man, objectively speaking, that she'd ever seen, he was the best in her eyes. Not that she'd ever admitted that to the man himself, or ever would for that matter.

She stepped forward and he greeted her with a warm embrace. Figuring now was as good a time as any to repay him, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips before purring in content as he scratched her wing. A feeling of embarrassment flared up in the pact, and she resisted the urge to laugh. For someone who claimed he hated being kissed by family, he sure didn't seem to mind it anymore from her. No longer did he get angry or annoyed when she kissed him, only embarrassed and slightly happy. He'd always been such an easy book to read and still was. He had yet to be the one to kiss her and it was a little peeving, but if the world could stay like this forever, she'd could put up with that.

But it wouldn't.

Eventually, she would have to accept one of the betrothals. Her mother would probably visit the academy either this year or next to force her into one as she'd not replied once to the letters of inquiry about why she'd denied the suitors. She hoped Damien wouldn't be around when that happened. She hadn't told him about it and didn't want to, knowing what his reaction would be to the news.

Kastra knew and was more upset about it than Alexa knew the Fae could be. She'd expressed the same viewpoint Damien had, telling her to ask her mom to go away and leave her alone, but that wasn't something she could do. Family was everything in a world where you lived endlessly, and though this one felt like it was hers more than her real one, defining every aspect of the word family, it was not in reality.

"Sorry I woke you both up," Damien said to her as he pulled back a chair at the table for her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"It's fine, I expected as much," she replied, trying to keep her voice light and lonely emotions in check as she followed the man with her eyes while sitting.

"I should get better at controlling what emotions I let through the pact," he stated after they'd taken their places.

"You always say that and yet, here we are again," she replied with a laugh. "I'd prefer if you didn't, anyway."

She'd begged Kastra to teach her how to hold her emotions in check after explaining the situation with her family, and Kastra had obliged. It helped whenever she felt lonely or down at the prospect of all this ending, keeping Damien unaware of it all. It would hurt him if he ever found out, but perhaps she'd be lucky and he wouldn't. They'd always said no secrets and he kept to it like it was his life motto, but that was no longer an option for her when all she wanted was to make sure he stayed happy until she'd left. He'd always have Kastra, at least.

They began to talk about how long the ride out would be and places they'd like to eat at this time around, laughing and joking as always. They'd be departing today once the sun finished rising and Emily, Garrett, and Vanessa were ready to go. They would all be traveling out this time since Damien wouldn't be coming back next winter to visit. The only reason Alexa had returned was because of how lonely she'd been up there and the pact, so having him up there as well would make the trip home a moot point for them. They would all keep in touch by sending messages through the Association.

The conversation lasted an eternity as she watched his face and the way it lit up about certain types of food that was similar to food from his old world. She burned his expressions into her eyes and laughed along with him.

Their time would come to an end together and they'd go their separate ways once she'd graduated, only to visit once a year or so when the pact called. She would continue to live the dream she was until her family called her home.