"Hey... Leon, are we seriously going along with her?"

Ethan raised his concern as he followed behind Lillian, who was being led by Irene out of the Akashic Record building.

Lillian had agreed to only take on the case after hearing what it actually was. Irene had told them it was confidential and would only explain everything at her office.

This created its own questions for Ethan and Cyan.

If it was confidential, why had she invited Leon at all? And why had she brought it up in a public place to begin with?

Cyan, walking beside Ethan, added his own thought.

"I have been meaning to ask..." He looked ahead at Irene and lowered his voice just enough for Leon and Ethan to catch it. "How was she in that portrait beside the Swordmaiden?"

He had directed it at both of them, but Leon felt it was meant for him specifically. He could not blame Cyan for that. By now Cyan had picked up that something was off between Leon and Irene, and he had also noticed Leon’s reaction every time the Swordmaiden’s name came up.

Leon had even switched his body to the Swordmaiden’s during the fight on the cargo ship.

Leon glanced at him. His golden eyes settled on Cyan for a moment, then moved to Ethan.

"Truth be told, I think something is wrong with this city."

"That much is obvious." Ethan said.

Cyan nodded. "The portraits, the timeline, all of it is off. According to them, the Calamity happened ten years ago. Ten years. That is absurd. I think this whole city has lost its mind."

"We can get information from Irene," Leon said. "That is the reason I went along with her. I will ask her directly when I get a clear opening."

Leon simply needed a moment alone with her, without any of the others around. Not even Cyan and Ethan.

Just a clear window to ask what he needed to askIrene all this time.

Inside his head, Leon turned to Rumi.

’Rumi. Did you manage anything?’

Her reply came after a brief pause.

’I am still trying. But there is something strange about the Astral Matter surrounding that girl. No matter what I do I cannot decipher it. It is too layered. What I can say is that it is definitely a cluster of memories. And branching ones on that.’

When Leon had first seen Irene sitting in the forest at her home, he had noticed Astral Matter drifting around her. He had quietly tasked Rumi with reading it.

Rumi had confirmed it was some form of stored memories, but beyond that she had hit a wall. Whatever it was, it was more advanced than anything she could decipher on her own.

’Leave it for now,’ Leon told her. ’I will go to the source directly.’

Ethan exhaled and narrowed his eyes at Leon from the side.

"You are already onto something, are you not?"

Leon did not bother hiding it.

"I will not deny that."Once they stepped out of the building and onto the road, Irene walked ahead toward the other end where her Voltstreak was parked.

Ethan took the opportunity and poked Leon’s shoulder.

"Have you fallen for her?"

"What?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "Do not be stupid."

Cyan came around from the other side and rested his arm over Leon’s shoulder casually.

"Ethan has a point though. She is older too, you know."

Leon’s eye twitched.

"And what exactly does her being older have to do with me falling for her?"

Cyan blinked. He slowly looked at Ethan from the corner of his eye with an expression that very clearly said ’is he serious right now.’

"What. Is. It." Leon said flatly.

Ethan was visibly struggling to keep a straight face.

"Well... there is a rumour going around Eclipse that you have a thing for older women."

"I heard it from Maria too." Cyan added helpfully. "She seemed pretty convinced."

"..."

This was genuinely the first time Leon had heard this. He did not like it even slightly.

"Who is spreading this? I want a name."

Ethan grinned. "You know her."

"Who." Leon’s eyes narrowed.

Cyan was the one who answered.

"Who else? It is Alice."

"That bitch—"

Ethan’s hand shot up and covered Leon’s mouth instantly.

"Hey. Do not shout out here."

"Mhm hmmm." Leon was working his jaw trying to move the hand off.

Ethan let go. Leon was still glaring at nothing in particular.

"Cough... you can settle your quarrel with her later. Pftt— doubt you can do much to Alice anyway." Ethan turned his head away.

Leon’s eye twitched.

"Oh Alice. Just you wait." He said quietly, with the specific expression of someone already planning something.

As all of this was happening, Irene’s Voltstreak pulled up smoothly in front of them.

"Alright. Hop on!"

Lillian was the first in, taking the seat beside Irene without hesitation. Then Ethan, Cyan, and Leon filed into the back seat one after another.

The back seat was not designed for three grown people.

"Hey, Leon. Move a bit. I cannot sit properly."

"If I move any further I will be sitting on the door."

"You are literally squeezing me."

"You are the one who sat first."

"So?"

"So you had the most options."

"That does not even make sense."

The door slid closed automatically, sealing all three of them in.

Irene glanced into the back from the front seat.

Three boys were sitting pressed shoulder to shoulder, practically on each other’s laps, each wearing the expression of someone trying very hard to pretend this was completely normal.

"Comfortable back there?" she asked.

Ethan was the one who answered.

"Comfortable is a strong word. And from which angle do we look fine? This thing is so tiny to sit in."

Irene’s expression shifted immediately. She turned back to the front, one hand on the lever. She pulled it right after saying. "Do not ever call my baby small."

Zzzzzzing—!!

"WHA—!"

The Voltstreak went from zero to full speed in under two seconds.

The three in the back were shoved deep into their seats by the force of it. Every muscle in their faces pulled backward. No one dared to open their mouth at this speed, because opening your mouth at this speed meant losing your ability to close it again.

This thing was fast. Faster than anything Leon had ever owned in his previous life. And he had owned things that were not supposed to be street legal in four different countries.

’Did she just break the sound barrier?!’

He was fairly certain he had seen it happen. Or maybe the speed was doing something to his perception. He genuinely could not tell at this point.

"Woohoo!!"

It was Lillian.

She was screaming with pure joy, with both her hands raised. She looked like someone who had been waiting for this specific moment and was making the absolute most of it.

Leon noticed her body was completely unaffected by the recoil force pressing everyone else into their seats.

He looked closer and found out that a thin translucent white layer covered her entire body.

It was Astral Matter, which was moving across her frame, channelled without a single word of incantation ever escaping from her mouth.

Leon was not surprised.

She was the princess of Evana afterall. Using Astral Matter that naturally was to be expected from her.