Dia and Noctave traded letters over the next couple of weeks. They spoke on many things, but Noctave didn't talk about her own life very much. She alluded to Urainia marrying again and her being his child. Dia pressed Noctave for more information about her dad, as in this excerpt.

"Even if he is dead, certainly if he was Urainia's 2nd husband after the nightmare that was Umbrum, you must know something about him. Talking it out with help you heal."

But Noctave either gave out vague hints, like "Urainia was only with him for a while before they had a big argument." Or she shifted the conversation entirely, usually to the herbs in her garden. In most letters, she didn't mention a father, or an extended family at all.

Dia saw no problem: Urainia was primordial, after all, born when the first stars appeared. Could the same be for Noctave, being born when the moon was created? But if that was true, why hide it? Why couldn't she just say so outright?

She jotted it down in her gilded diary. It had an embossed image of the sun on the cover. Writing it down made another, very scandalous possibility come to her mind.

Noctave doesn't like to talk about her father because she was born out of wedlock! That would make so much sense! she thought.

But that's better than being the child of Umbrum. The thought made her shiver. Noctave is so sweet and kind, there's no way they're related! Still, she jotted the possibility down.

Then Dia thought a very strange thought. The possibility that Noctave was not fully divine, mixed with another creature all together. Not human, but some sort of nature spirit. It was out there, but it was an option.

Dia was sure she'd find answers eventually, you can only keep secrets from your girlfriend, or a woman of interest, for so long. Maybe her parents would know.

Dayspring Castle was the thematic inverse of Eventide Castle. Dayspring was the "castle on the water", as the people in Illuminana said. Its architecture was best described as a cross between tidewater and Moorish. It was as bright and calming as a castle could be, with its murals of nature and big windows that let in as much sunlight as it possibly could.

Iris was painting the Midnight Maiden when Dia found her. Iris had the same dark skin of her daughter and loose curls. Her hair was cut right below the shoulder blades, wearing a transparent apron over her mini dress with bell sleeves. The Midnight Maiden was in the other room, able to be seen through a round window.

Dia didn't even bother with small talk. "Hey, mom? Do you know who Noctave's dad is? She's been dodging questions about the topic."

Iris didn't take her eyes off the canvas. "I barely know Urainia, so how can I know who Noctave's dad is?"

Dia watched her mother paint for a while before leaving to find Cumulus. She saw no reason to pry further.

Cumulus was in a meeting about how the mortal humans were using various methods to predict the weather. Dia was polite enough not to barge in and ask him, waiting for almost an hour for it to end.

Certainly predicting the weather isn't that interesting!

She spend most of the meeting staring out onto the water. She liked how it sparkled in the sun and glimpsed some sea creatures jump out from it so she wasn't completely bored.

After what felt like 20 eons, the meeting was, at long last, over.

Dia took more after her dad in height, but his hair was more tightly curled. He was far lighter than Dia, though, in addition much taller and much more muscular.

"Dia! How long have you been sitting there?!" Cumulus was a boisterous sort of man, "indoor" voices were a foreign concept to him.

"Far too long. I hope the meeting was worth the length."

"By the depths of The Abyss, no! But I think that you're here for more than small talk if you were willing to wait for that long."

Dia gained a slight smile. "Right. Do you know if Noctave has a father?"

Cumulus scratched his temples."Uh...well...I know know Urainia was married to Umbrum for a very, very, very long time. But I never heard of them having a kid together,"

Dia knew that only one other person could give her a satisfying answer. She wrote a letter to her best friend, Tellulah, Goddess of the Earth itself. She knew the secrets of every tree, river, animal, and stone on Earth, so she must know something, be it only a rumor. After only 1 day, she got her answer. Here is the letter in full:

"I only know the secrets of the Earth, Dia. I know where the streams turn into rivers. I know which caves have treasures long forgotten. I know how the sloths went from the seas to the trees - but if it didn't happen on Earth, I don't know it.

If anyone knows, it's Urainia, but I doubt she'll tell you much.

Noctave is hiding something, I know it, but you must wait for her to tell you. The great darkness of space is unknown and vastly unexplored except for by Urainia and Umbrum, the greatest of all secret keepers. Don't push any further, you might risk your relationship.

Remain patient, Dia, for secrets will reveal themselves in time."

Dia thought this was good advice, so she asked Noctave no further.