“Excuse you?” Gram said, his overwhelming shock that had collected from the last 10 minutes of his life finally overruling any sense of cool he might have had left.

Andromeda, for her part, didn’t find anything strange with what she said. She just went on with what she was doing. Which at this point was picking up a book and flitting too quickly to read, then putting it back on the shelf when she was done.

“Are you saying that because you didn’t hear me, didn’t understand me, or don’t believe me?” Andromeda said.

“What kind of fool do you take me for, The Arch Mages are a fairy tale that mother’s tell their children so they don’t act out at night.” Gram said.

“The Magister outside the door sure seemed to believe me. What makes you think I convinced him of anything. AM I RIGHT?” Andromeda said, her voice carried through, and the door swung open, the Magister from before stood at attention with a look of barely contained terror.

“Y-Yes, I have n-no reason to distrust you, Madam Arch Mage.” He said.

The look of this hardened Magister with a scar over his eye calling the young girl across the way “Madam” made Gram’s head spin.

“Still don’t believe me?” Andromeda said, barely halting her strange book glancing.

Gram walked over to the Magister and looked him up and down, the Magister tensed up when he got close. “Do you really believe her?” Gram asked. The man was silent, but he pleadingly looked over at Andromeda.

“Go ahead, tell him.” Andromeda said.

The man turned his eyes back to Gram.

“She knew my name, my superior officer’s name, the orders I received just this morning, and the pass phrase assigned for today. Then she told me how she got this information. No one but the highest in the country would have that information so easily.” The magister said.

“You may leave, you will not breathe a word of this to anyone.” Andromeda said, putting another book back on the shelf and grabbing a large atlas from a larger shelf. The magister nodded quickly, then swung around to shut the door in Gram’s face.

That story didn’t line up, she had no idea that the courthouse was closed off to the public, not only that, she didn’t even know the courthouse or the archives existed until he told her. But from all appearances, she breathed that man’s life back into his own ear like it was all part of the plan.

“If you’re confused, you could just ask. But you said you didn’t want to know the gritty details.” Andromeda said. Gram’s eyes exploded in his head at those words. Why would she have said that, in that exact way? She reacted like she heard his thoughts in that exact moment. She wasn’t responding to his general behavior. If she was, then she would have said that sooner.

Andromeda slammed a book shut and walked over to the door. “Alright, I’ve got what I needed. Do you want to head out, or should we stay here and talk?” Andromeda said.

“How could you be done? I know you didn’t read a single one of those books.” Gram said.

Andromeda turned around and reached her hand toward the shelf, a random book that she had looked at before dissolved into dust, then appeared in her hand.

“Pick a page, pick a paragraph, pick a word, I’ll tell you the exact word.” Andromeda said, then she turned around. She looked serious, but he didn’t believe her. He closed his eyes and opened the book randomly to a random page, then he randomly put his finger on a random part of that page and looked at the word.

“-in the grand scheme of things, the civil planning required to make the sewers of Aeroae not connect to any groundwater sources near Sond’s Breach is a-

“Alright. Page 84, paragraph 3, word… 17.” Gram said.

“Required, that chapter is talking about the various public works projects that took place in Aeroae in the last few years. I picked it up because I’d like to know what features of the city might be important.” Andromeda said. She took the book back and it dissolved in her hand, only to appear back on the shelf. She didn’t wait for a response, she just knocked on the door, and the Magister opened it for her.

Gram followed after, if shock could be in shock, that was the shock he was feeling. Nothing about what he was seeing, hearing, or experiencing made sense. They walked out into the foyer and once again nobody paid them any mind. Andromeda led him around toward the offices they came in through.

He shouldn’t have been surprised by that point, but she collapsed the wall to the side of the building and walked through the hole, prompting him to come along as well. Once he was through, she didn’t leave it open for anyone to nearly find like when they came in.

“Alright, I’ve mostly solved the being lost problem. Thanks for the help.” Andromeda said. Then she just… Walked off.

“What? Is that it? What’s got you so confident now? You looked like a wounded puppy last night and now you’re acting like you’ve got it all figured out? I don’t buy it.” Gram said. Nothing about this girl made sense from the moment he first sensed her to right this very moment. She acted erratically, every word out of her mouth was inconsistent, and she acted like she was hearing people that weren’t there.

As if to prove his point, she stopped at the end of the alley and he could even hear her say, “Do I really have to?”. He didn’t want to admit it, but she also seemed to have some awareness of his thoughts. That didn’t make things better, but even with that, he wasn’t sure if he believed the Arch Mage claim. The argument Andromeda was having with herself ended there, and she turned back around, she wasn’t upset, or annoyed, more neutral than anything.

“Look, I’m thankful for what you’ve done for me today, but you made it clear that getting the whole story isn’t in your best interest. You came to me and offered me help, I took that help, but you’re going to get involved in something you don’t want if you keep asking about it. I understand if you think that’s unfair, and I understand if you hold that against me. Now, unless you have something to ask me that you’re willing to hear, I should go.” She said.

“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?” Gram asked.

“I might be, but something you might want to keep in mind is that if I’m not careful, I could get myself killed. That’s even considering that I can do things like this.” She said, then she grabbed a nearby stone on the ground and made it literally dissolve into nothing in the palm of her hand. “So what does that mean for someone like you, who doesn’t even have that benefit?”

Gram considered her point, if she was being serious, and she was actually an Arch Mage, then whatever business that has her low right now was probably very dramatic, dangerous, and complicated.

To that point, Gram had only known of Arch Mages as superstition and legend. Theoretically capable of doing things that normal people and even Mages and Medea couldn’t. If there were people or forces that could threaten someone like that…

“So you finally get it.” Andromeda said.

“I do.” Gram said.

-----

“You’re a little girl, young enough to be my daughter, barely an adult. You’ve been placed in a situation that you can barely handle and you’re at the limits of what you can handle.” Gram said.

“Little girl?” Andromeda retorted, “I am far beyond a child at this point. Even then, I’m handling everything just fine.”

Andromeda…

“Are you? You can break down walls with a touch and fix a broken arm like it’s nothing. But you expect me to believe that you were so lost, so completely out of it that you fell asleep in a dingy alley down by the docks?” Gram said.

“You have no idea what’s happening right now. Don’t pretend-” She started, but Gram cut her off.

“Little Girl, I am at least twenty years your senior. I don’t know what you’ve seen in your days, but I’ve seen and experienced plenty of the worst of humanity. If I didn’t see it not when I was in the guard, then in the years since when I was barely able to scrape by. Do you think I haven’t been in danger of losing my life?” Gram said, then he pulled down his sleeve, to reveal a deep, burnt orange scar that went down the length of his arm, from wrist to elbow.

“I didn’t get inner city shift, I was out in the outskirts, I was put at the very edge of the city, I remember stomping out the last remnants of the mess that fool Sond made to the east. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a beast that had no soul as it tried to kill you? To feel its uncaring claws bury themselves into your flesh and wonder if your friends will save you?” Gram said. He grabbed her arm and wrenched back the sleeve. The same arm that was broken just a few hours ago.

“Do you know how many of my friends would still be alive if they had what you had? We aren’t Medea, we aren’t Mages, we definitely aren’t whatever the hell you are. We had to bleed and die, just so that people in the city didn’t have to. You may be in a difficult spot, but that gives you no right to treat me like I don’t understand what you are dealing with.”

Andromeda was silent.

“If you treat everyone like you’ve been treating me, then I don’t blame you for being alone. Now act like the adult you say you are and give me the same courtesy.” Gram said.

Take a vote?

>Aye.<

Yes.

“Fine…” Andromeda said. “Just don’t blame me when you realize you’re sticking your foot in it.”

“Glad to hear it, but let’s hold off for just a bit longer.” Gram said.

Gram suggested that even though there was no one in the alley besides them, it wasn’t impossible that someone would overhear something Andromeda said if she spilled the beans right then and there. His solution would to head back to the office. She agreed, and so they went on their way back to the port district.

Andromeda further proved her retention of the books she “glanced” at to Gram by taking them on a different route than they came in on. He watched in awe and Andromeda navigated the streets with the same ease that someone who lived their whole life here would. She cut through alleys and side streets without a single moment of hesitation.

In reality, what was happening is that her “glancing” was not just that, she flitted through the books quickly and allowed White to recreate them in their shared space. Once that information was cataloged and close to hand, it was just a matter of White telling her where to go. However, it was deeper than just “telling” her. White projected the base concept of where to go in the same way she could project a feeling or emotion. Together they worked to give Andromeda the impression of knowing where she was going. This meant that a trip that took them half an hour one way took them less tan half of that on the way back, all from sheer improved navigation. Once they were back, Gram unlocked the door and let themselves inside.

“Pull up a seat, do you want more coffee or should I do tea?” Gram asked.

“Tea, please, it's been a while since I’ve had tea.” Andromeda said.

Andromeda was reminded of all the times she and Alice spent in Alice’s tearoom, socializing and having fun spending time together. In all the commotion of the last few weeks, she hadn’t given thought to how the others were doing. She had almost been gone as long as she had been there so it wasn’t out of the question that they moved on without her.

“Here we go, hopefully it’s not that bad.” Gram said.

“Thank you.” She said, taking the small mug and taking a small sniff. Gram sat down in his nice chair behind his desk and pulled out a notebook.

“Alright. We’re alone, the door is locked, and we have my mediocre tea to call us both down. What do you have to say that you feel so strongly about?” Gram asked.

“One moment.” Andromeda said. Gram nodded hesitantly, and Andromeda turned her thoughts inward. “So, you both wanted this, where should I start?” Andromeda thought.

How about you introduce yourself properly like a normal person? He already doesn’t believe you about being Arch Mage.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll start with who I am. My name is Andromeda Noelle. However, over the last few months I’ve gathered enough attention to myself to gain a nickname and a title. I’ve had people in King’s Grove call me The Mending Mage due to my ability to mend with incredible ability, while at Cylas I frequently had people claim I was a prodigy, or a savant in magic in general. I don’t agree with that, but it’s what they say. Finally, I received the title and position of “Arch Mage White of King’s Grove” for the ability you saw me perform a few hours ago. I don’t understand it, and neither does any of the few that know, but I can heal myself and others using the Art of Mending.” She said.

“Then what are you, really?” Gram asked.

“I don’t know. I can do magic, so I’m a mage, but I can also heal. But I don’t think I’m a Medea. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some relation.” Andromeda said, she pulled her hood down to let her red hair spill out, then she put her hand to the necklace that rested on her chest and closed her eyes.

Before Gram’s eyes, he witnessed her skin and hair change. The vibrant red of her hair and pink complexion of her skin faded into stark white, blemishless skin. Andromeda opened her eyes, but when she did, they were not glowing and blue like before. They were red, and while not glowing, there was an intensity and distance that told him something had changed.

“I am called White. It is a name I chose after I was created. I am a part of Andromeda as much as she is a part of me. While she is able to heal, it causes her great harm. I, on the other hand, radiate an aura that makes all injured around me heal, and all damage around me restore. I am Andromeda’s partner, and I will see her through any trouble that I can manage, do not be trouble.” White said through Andromeda. She let the necklace go, and the color returned quickly to her.

“I can hear White in my mind when she wants, and it’s true. I think of her like a sister more than a mental illness. She is her own person, it just so happens she lives in my mind. However, you guessed last night that there were voices, plural. Which is true.” Andromeda said.

She held the necklace again, but this time instead of turning stark white. She shifted in the opposite direction. Her hair took on a deep, almost unperceivable dark hue. So dark that one couldn’t see each strand of hair, it was merely darkness. Her skin took on a very tanned shade, but the shade was almost unnatural. It was dark, but not in the way that skin looked when one would consider it dark. She wasn’t tanned, so much as her skin itself took on a darker shade of its normal, fair hue.

When this version of Andromeda opened her eyes, they were black. Instead of two colored and shaded cornea, there were simply two black saucers in the middle of the relatively radiant whites of her eyes.

“I was named Whisper by Andromeda. Until recently, I was a Xixial, a creature that ate the souls of the innocent. Despite my objective evil, she… Well, heh, she is mad that I called my evil. Regardless, she saved me from my eternal hunger and took me into her own soul. I don’t deserve such a face, but in return for her kindness, I do all I can to help her.” Whisper said. Her hand fell too, and the color faded back to its normal red and pink.

“Any questions?” Andromeda said.

“Infinitely many, but I’ll try to take all that on the wrist. We can talk about your two, uh, sisters(?) later. Let’s talk about your situation.” Gram said. This elicited an uncharacteristic chuckle from Andromeda.

“Of course, it all started when I woke up dying on a table…”