He erased even the image of the Vitreus. Don't think about it. Let it expose itself.

Thin purple wisps fluttered about for mere instants before dissipating. Soon, they grew more opaque. Their origin was a bright and solid orb of the same color. No, it wasn't solid. Those purple wisps fluctuated and rotated at such a substantial intensity that the orb appeared solid. Millions, trillions, or even more wisps coiled around each other. It wasn't small; it occupied most of the black space in his mind. Even when he took a mental step back, the orb expanded. If he stared at it in reality, its brightness would have blinded him by now.

Curious, he stepped towards it. The orb decreased in size. He walked even more, and its size decreased. A wisp unravelled itself out and fell. But it didn't disappear. It continued to fall, and fall, until it stopped. The loose end began to wind and coiled up into a tight ball. The orb and the ball pulsated with a light. A light so bright it forced Aleister to open his eyes, even though it didn't exist. He blinked his eyes open. The image didn't disappear, however. Instead, a faint overlay placed itself over what he saw. The orb was in a place of the Vitreus. The ball wasn't the Crystal Throne, though. Instead, it appeared on top of Mitre.

Does that mean Mitre was the chosen? After all, there was a thread of connection. Unfortunately, he didn't know what he was doing at all, so it could all have been a creation of his mind. He couldn't dismiss it in its entirety, though. As he adjusted himself to the real world again, he heard the tale of a question Aunt Lavinia asked.

"Would you rather is Kyoko or Nana?" Aunt Lavinia asked.

"Why are those two your only choices?" the Empress asked in return.

"You raised those two in your particular fashion for this reason, no?"

"Partially. But the Vitreus still has its own will. There's no guarantee that either of them will be chosen."

"I know. I'm just curious about who you would prefer?"

"Isn't this choice forcing me to pick which of my daughters I consider my favourite?"

Aunt Lavinia smirked. "Yes. They need not find out though."

The Empress looked over at Aleister. "Oh, you woke up so soon?"

"I wasn't asleep in the first place."

"You're close to Kyoko, are you not?" she asked, not acknowledging what Aleister had just said.

"Why do you ask?"

"She's mentioned you to me in conversations before," she said, fidgeting with her nails. "Don't worry, not only you but also the little planetouched boy and that maid of yours. She interests me the most."

Aunt Lavinia nodded. "Her bloodline still remains a mystery to me, but it must share some sort of connection to yours for it to have been activated."

"I know as much," the Empress said. "But, that's besides the point."

Aleister rolled his hand. "What was the point?"

"Impatient, aren't you?" The Empress let out a sigh. "Don't tell her what I'm about to say."

Aleister motioned his fingers across his lips. "My lips are sealed." However, her words already told him the answer.

"If possible, I'd rather Nana be chosen."

With a raised eyebrow, Aunt Lavinia asked, "I had a feeling you would choose her. But, I want to know why."

"Kyoko is far too much like Loro." She brushed her nose. "I truly worry about her safety."

Loro? An unfamiliar name to Aleister, but based on the context clues, he was able to piece together his status. "You know, I never really thought of it before now, because, why would I, but it is true that Kyoko does have a father."

The Empress tightened her fist. With a harsh growl to her voice, she said, "And look how much that piece of shit corrupted her while he was still here."

Aunt Lavinia, Gilmore and Ryellia all looked just as surprised as Aleister at this moment. Clearly something bad happened between the two of them to cause such a violent reaction.

"Thank Lilith that he left before he could corrupt Nana as well."

His mother and father whispered to each. Aunt Lavinia just stood there. He shifted around for a few moments. "Uh," his voice broke the room's silence, "do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't answer. Her response, or rather, lack of one, only increased the awkwardness in the room.

"Then," he faced his parents, "How would you two feel if Mitre was chosen?"

"Such an event is rather unlikely," Gilmore said with the stroke of his beard.

Ryellia looked at Mitre sitting on the Throne and then at Aleister and then Gilmore. "It's not completely out of the realm of possibility."

"It's not, but he still hasn't awakened his bloodline yet," the Empress said. She returned to her usual cool manner.

"What if, the crystal, chose me?" Aleister asked, with his head jutted forward. "Ever think about that."

"Not possible," Aunt Lavinia said with a laugh. His joking remark—crushed. "And it's not because of my dislike towards you. But the Vitreus couldn't choose you because of the reasons we discussed earlier. On the off chance there was even an iota of you being chosen; it would be from the crystal in Leley."

"But since I'm not in Vallonia, would there even be that chance?"

"I'm not certain, but your slim chances are probably zero at that point."

"Quite unlucky for those that travel and visit the other territories, isn't it?"

"It is," the Empress said. "However, luck will always be a factor."

Even though he didn't want to admit it, it was true. Even though he didn't feel like it at times, him still being alive was quite lucky. Thinking about it, he encountered deadly situations far too often. Upon further thought, he could consider that any situation was deadly. A different action, arriving at some place even a second early or late. All of it contributed to him still being alive, but it could also have contributed to his death. So much was out of his control. A frightening thought. Maybe it was all fate, maybe it was his actions. Would he ever know?