The two who neither bowed nor curtsied turned out to be members of the Mishala clan, too. One was a young woman, probably Yuriko’s age, though judging by how her Mum looked, she could very well be five to ten times older than she. Anyway, the young woman had wavy golden hair that curled around her shoulders and fell in waves down to her waist. She was clad in a light blue dress that fluttered with the breeze.

Beside her was another woman, a bit taller but with shorter, tawny hair. She wore a coat and breeches and had her arms folded across her bosom. Where the first woman looked young, the second looked to be in her mid twenties.

“I didn’t expect to see you here today, Prima,” Sadeen said flippantly, which made the older woman frown.

Prima?

Yuriko glanced between her Mum and the other woman, and she was certain she saw their Anima crash and spark.

The younger woman looked at her and gave a resigned smile. She had eyes like Kiyo, slit-pupiled like a cat’s. She nodded over to the side and moved away from the Prima. She glanced back after taking a couple of steps, found Yuriko still gawking, and hissed at her, “Come on!”

Startled, Yuriko looked away from her Mum, who was staring, no, glaring, at the other woman, and followed.

“Hello, cousin.” The woman stuck out a hand. “Miya Mishala Vischal.”

Yuriko took Miya’s hand. The girl gave her hand a squeeze while she smiled widely.

“Let’s leave those two old women to their silent war,” she whispered barely loud enough to hear, but Yuriko felt a sudden chill and when she looked back, both her Mum and the Prima glared at her and Miya.

“Ehehe,” Miya chuckled, then stuck out her tongue, before she grabbed Yuriko by the wrist and dragged her away. Her cousin was surprisingly strong and had little trouble pulling her along.

“Eh, eh?”

The attendants made way for the two of them, moving as one, then closing up behind them. The landing field was an open-air square, nearly a longstride to one side. The borders were huge trees, the likes of which rivaled the Adaviren trees of Bella plane, but it was clear with a single glance that they were different. For one thing, they were on a plain, rather than a marsh. For another, the tree’s shape was much different. The branches split from the trunk at five paces high, and they spread out far enough that there was roughly a hundred to two hundred paces between the base of each trunk.

The roots poked out of the ground, and houses were built between and sometimes, under the roots. She could see circular windows set against the green hills. What structures above the ground were majestic, and Miya led her to the biggest and grandest one of all.

The curtain walls were made of polished granite and the building, set around the trunk of the tree, had a white marble facade. If the sun’s rays weren’t diffused by the canopy, Yuriko was sure that the reflected light would have blinded the passersby.

“There’s a grand reception, of course,” Miya chirped, “for you and Lady Sadeen. A welcome back for her, and a welcome home to you! Ehehehe.” Her cousin’s bubbly cheer was quite infectious and Yuriko found her melancholy and trepidation fading away.

“Thank you,” Yuriko said faintly. “Um, you don’t have to hold my arm.”

“Oh, of course,” Miya said absently, but she didn’t release Yuriko’s wrist.

Yuriko kept an easy pace with the other woman, and was no longer being dragged behind her. Miya gave her a grin. Before too long, they were through the curtain wall and inside the grand structure.

“This is the Amaryllis Manor,” Miya said as soon as they were through the gate. “Here is where all receptions, audiences, and courts are held,” then she added in an undertone, “and where grandma lives too. Even though she had a perfectly serviceable house that isn’t a governing building.”

“Grandma?”

“Prima Elisha, but don’t let that relationship fool you. Grandma doesn’t really care about close blood relations, only the strength of the Mien and how useful you are to the clan,” Miya muttered. “Oh, but look at me chattering on. Heh, this is the first time we’ve met, and already, I’m pouring my woes to you as though we’re bosom friends.” Her eyes narrowed. “Your Mien is quite strong but unfocused.”

For a moment, Yuriko felt something pressing against her mind and her Anima. She couldn’t tell what it was or where it came from, but she could easily guess. It tried to invoke something within her, but her core easily countered whatever influence it tried.

“Stop that.”

Miya smiled innocently. “Stop what?”

The pressure faded to near nothingness, but Yuriko could still feel it, mainly because her core still shed Radiant light.

Yuriko glared back, and felt something within her snap. Miya blinked in surprise, then grinned widely. “So you can control it after all. Crudely. Well, that’s good, at least we’ll have something to build on.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve been tasked to help you control, and maybe develop, your Mien. Forgive me for the earlier rudeness but I have to know where we stand.”

Yuriko pulled her hand away from Miya, and the other girl let go after a moment. She kept her easy smile though, as innocent as a lamb.

Yuriko’s thoughts whirled. The pleasant feelings she had earlier, the one that made all of her worries seem so far away, had disappeared like mist. Almost as soon as Miya let go of her arm.

“You’re affecting my mind,” Yuriko said firmly.

“Of course,” Miya answered easily, “all of us do. You do as well, and far stronger than any. Why are you so surprised?”

“I…”

“Ah, let me guess. You protest that I do it using my power? What difference does it make if I use an Animus technique, my words, my body, or my Mien? Everyone influences others through one of those things, the only difference we Mishalas have is that we have a…special touch.” She held out her hand. “Come now, surely you enjoyed the soothing touch?”

Yuriko eyed Miya’s hand dubiously. The other girl’s palm was smooth and soft, but she was quite sure that her cousin had Strengthen Physique inlaid, or a similar technique. What did she use her strength for? Still, her emotions were currently boiling over. Whatever it was the other girl did, it not only repressed the negative emotions, but when the pressure disappeared, they came back with a vengeance.

Yuriko took a deep breath to calm herself, then took Miya’s hand in hers. She felt it this time, an insidious touch that crept into her Anima. But it did nothing more than touch the surface. It didn’t seek to intrude or impose. Instead, a soothing warmth, which felt much like the rays of the sun, radiated inside. And soon enough, her worries were again pushed to the back of her mind.

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Miya gushed. “Now, I’ll bring you to the Grand Hall, where the rest of the Heart waits.” She added, “Ah, that’s the members of the clan with the Mien.”

Yuriko nodded and followed her cousin. The attendants from the landing field followed closely behind, with some carrying baggage and other things. She looked for Mum, but couldn’t find her or the Matriarch. She did spot Kiyo trailing behind.

As for the crewmembers of the Ebon Horizon, she didn’t see them anywhere. Ah, wait, there. Aunt Layla and cousins Aidan and Riley. The three of them were being led by a bunch of attendants towards a different direction.

The manor’s antechamber was filled with decorative art pieces. There were tapestries with fractal patterns, though some were of hunting scenes. Yuriko’s eyes were drawn to a particularly valiant scene, of a silhouetted woman standing in the void, with a halo of golden light warning away monstrous figures.

There were sculptures too, of women in varied poses. A closer look revealed that the statues were barely clothed and their positions emphasised hips, breasts, and legs.

Yuriko swallowed and looked down. The carpet was crimson with golden patterns at the edges. At the middle, a recurring pattern was of a circle with cross-hatched golden stripes. At the centre of the circle was a small five-petalled flower. It took a moment for Yuriko to recognize it as a sigil.

Past the antechamber was the grand hall. The ceiling was suitably tall, perhaps a dozen paces high. The ceiling was actually the inside of the tree, with strategically placed windows to stream sunlight in. There were near a dozen chandeliers, made of silver wrapped around a glass sphere that emitted a warm light.

A gentle melody came from a quartet playing on a bandstand in the far corner. Several long tables were set in two rows, while another was set on an elevated platform at the far end. Dinner settings were ready on the tables, and there were a few women mingling in the space between the tables.

The nearest ones looked at them when they entered, then gave Miya a respectful nod. They eyed Yuriko warily. The lines on their faces eased when she came closer though.

Each of the women, Mishala clan members, were beautiful, though there was an odd sameness to their beauty. They were slender, with perfectly proportioned bodies. Most of their hairdos were like Miya’s, with gentle waves that reached until their waists. Most had heart-shaped faces, with skin tones ranging from as pale as hers to lightly tanned. Hair colours ranged from gold to tawny, though there were a couple of redheads.

They flocked around the two of them, offering curtsies and names. She paired names and faces in the back of her mind, trying to remember each one. Each woman, taken alone, would have dominated the room, but as a group, they were like a garden of roses. It was hard to distinguish each from the other.

Instead, it was their presence that differentiated them from each other. Miya practically glowed. Each of the other Mishalas carefully positioned themselves around her and, coincidentally, Yuriko. She felt a subtle pressure from each one, but they were nothing compared to Miya, or for that matter, Mum.

Idle chatter lasted for only a couple of minutes, before the Prima and Mum entered the room which caused everything to descend to silence.

“Baby, over here!” Sadeen beckoned with a wide grin.

Yuriko approached, followed closely by Miya. The other women separated to their places. The Prima gave both Yuriko and her Mum a sidelong glance, before she cleared her throat.

“Members of the Mishala Heart. Let us welcome Lady Sadeen back after her…brief foray into the Chaos Sea. I’m sure the Progenitor, were she here, would also welcome her most favoured child back. And,” she looked pointedly at Yuriko, “let us welcome the newest member of the Heart. Let us welcome Yuriko Mishala into the clan. She is Lady Sadeen’s daughter, and already, she demonstrates the Mishala Mien with great power.”

Here, Prima Elisha gave a wide smile. Yuriko thought that smile was the most sincere expression she’d seen from the older woman.

“I won’t speak further, and let us enjoy the midday meal. Early, instead of in the evening since Sadeen didn’t deign to tell us when she was due to arrive, but worry not, I’m sure we’ve nothing better to do.” With those barbs, the Prima nodded to Sadeen and gestured to the rest to take their seats.

Mum snorted coldly, but led Yuriko to her place. They ended up at the raised table, where Miya sat next to her grandmother while Yuriko sat beside Sadeen. There was a noticeable gap between Mum’s seat and the administrative clan leader.

As soon as they were seated, the rest of the women sat down too. Then, servers entered the hall bearing platters of steaming food. The music resumed, and this time, a muscular man positioned himself on the band stand and started to sing a crooning ballad.

All of the servers were men, Yuriko abruptly realised. Well groomed, muscular or lean, with clean shaven faces, or neatly trimmed beards. Each was aesthetically pleasing, and their tight breeches showed every curve of their legs and calves. Of those seated, there were only women.

The rest of the feast continued demurely, with no sharp words exchanged between the two older women. The girls enjoyed the man’s ballad, and after he was done, another replaced him, singing an upbeat song.

The food was excellent. It was the best Yuriko had ever tasted, she was sure. But the coldness between her Mum and the Prima bothered her enough that she couldn’t focus on the taste, let alone remember what she ate.

As the feast wound to its end, Sadeen stood up and caught the attention of everyone in the hall. The conversation and the music stopped immediately and all gave her their full attention.

“Thank you, Prima Elisha, for the wonderful feast. I will make sure to return the favour in kind when I hold a ball in my daughter’s honour to the rest of the Imperial Court. If you didn’t know, she’s only about to turn fifteen, and already, her Mien is stronger than anyone in her generation. I’m sure the Progenitor will approve.” She said that with a cruel smirk directed at Elisha, who sniffed but otherwise didn’t react.

Wait. A ball in her honour? What? To the Imperial Court!?