"Close your eyes," Luchinda commanded Astrid with a soft, velvety voice. Astrid did as she was asked, perched on the edge of a slim, wooden stool. Her paintbrush waited in her loose grasp as she stared at the white canvas in front of her.

"Now think back to when you were the happiest you've ever been. No anxieties, no troubles. A time you felt most at peace."

Astrid let out a gentle breath as her thoughts jumped straight to the lake in Strelle Forest. There, stood before her, was True and she had his light orb shining in the centre of her palm. A warm smile played on her lips as the love she felt within her heart at that moment, flooded back into her core.

"Now open your eyes."

Astrid obeyed with no hesitation, the white of the canvas grabbed at her sight like two strong hands. 

"With the colours sitting in front of you, paint what you saw," Luchinda instructed, making Astrid's breath catch in her throat.

"I - I don't know if I can…" the pressure Astrid felt from Luchinda was evident in her shaky words.

"You don't… Wait…"

Astrid sat in silence, patiently waiting as her aunt paced back and forth in front of her.

"Okay! Try this - look at the four colours. Memorise their order." 

With a puzzled scowl, Astrid did just that. She could not see where Luchinda's thought process was going.

"Alright? Have you got it?" Astrid nodded, and so Luchinda continued, "Most importantly, I need you to trust me." She then took her light orb out of her pouch that hung on her hip. "Do you trust me?" 

Astrid nodded again, but this time her movement was much slower, the light, clasped in Luchinda's hand, reflected her violet gaze.

"I want you to close your eyes again." 

Darkness swallowed the room as Astrid obeyed, just like she did before.

"Think of that same peaceful memory. Feel the atmosphere fill you, let it engulf you." Astrid did as she was asked and felt her shoulders, which she didn't realise that she tensed, relax.

"You are going to paint it with your eyes shut." 

A gust of air left Astrid's puffed cheeks, as she contemplated what she just heard.

"You can do this. Go on, find your place and your materials." 

With a quick shrug, Astrid clumsily reached out her hands to find the canvas and each individual paint pot. She dipped her paintbrush into the pot filled with green paint, carefully drew it out and made it hover over the canvas in anticipation.

"You can do it, let your memory guide your hand. Take it one brushstroke at a time."

As soon as Astrid's brush made contact with the canvas, she felt a heat penetrate the skin of her right hand and wrist. The warmth seeped into the tiny muscles within her fingers and pulled her hand in various directions. She knew she had no choice but to rely on this fire to dictate her movement. She soon got lost in the dance that it caused her paintbrush to perform.

Then all motion stopped. That heat travelled up her arm, across her face, and tapped at her eyes; forcing them to blink open.

There, before her, was an abstract, yet beautiful, painting of her memory. She could clearly pick out True by Strelle Lake within the acrylic paint that stained the canvas, in brilliant, bold colours.

"Wow…" Astrid breathed in awe.

"Wow indeed!" Luchinda piped up, making Astrid glance over at her. 

She was standing beside the canvas, still, like a statue, holding up her light orb that now shone with a violet glow. The violet light took a hold of Luchinda's eyes as she stood transfixed, seeming to be lost in a dream.

"Luchinda?" 

Luchinda squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. The purple then drained from her light orb. 

"Okay! Let's see if it worked!" Luchinda said with sudden enthusiasm. It was as if she had forgotten that brief moment of being in a purple trance. She skipped to Astrid's side and studied the painting that stood proudly in its splendour.

"Beautiful," Luchinda smiled. 

"Just beautiful." Luchinda's voice had suddenly melted away and True's voice took its place. As soon as Astrid heard him speak, Luchinda's small wooden art room in Natanstrelle disappeared. Before her now stood the door to her own living room.

After a small shake back to the present, she squeezed the handle, turned it and pushed the door open. 

"Mum! You're up!" Amber's cheerful voice filled Astrid's ears. "True was just telling me about light magic, and how he used to give you lessons by the lake! That is so cool! I want to learn light magic!"

A small smile played on Astrid's mouth but the look on True's face made it sink back. 

"What? What's wrong?" Amber asked looking at both of her parents in turn.

"You have every right to experience and learn light magic. But…" A lump came to Astrid's throat. "I'm so sorry, baby."

A tear fell from Astrid's eye as the reality of their situation crept into her mind. Her poor little girl will never know her true home. Although Natanstrelle had its problems, its beauty was undeniable and she wanted nothing more than her daughter to be able to see and experience it.

"Mum, it's okay, I have you and True, I mean Dad," Amber quickly corrected herself. "I don't need magic."

I don't need magic.

Those words didn't leave True's mind that entire day. They repeated and echoed deep inside his thoughts each time resonating louder and louder. He could not hide from the guilt that embedded itself in his gut. Every time he remembered the indifferent tone that those words were originally said in, that morning, it saddened his heart. 

His guilt was founded, not only in their lost time, but also in the secrets he had to keep from not only Amber, but Astrid too. He wanted the burden to be lifted. He hated keeping his girls in the dark, but it was what had to be done. Luchinda Fiosolim instructed him so. 

He cursed her family name for the unrest he felt.

I don't need magic…

Still those words repeated into the night as he lay in bed. They kept him awake. He listened to Astrid's steady breathing and tried his hardest to focus only on her. He needed his mind to drift, for the guilt he felt when he allowed himself to listen to the echo was slowly crushing him from within. He needed a release from the pressure that he put on himself.

True glanced to his side and made out Astrid in the darkness. Time was kind to her, he thought. She didn't look any different, not even after eight years! Her hair was still the same long, ebony blanket he longed to hide in. Her skin was still bright and smooth like porcelain. Her eyes still a shade of violet, however, this strange realm seemed to drain the vibrancy of their true colour- the same way the magic within his light orb had vanished. A thick sense of peace took over his mind and he closed his eyes with a gentle sigh.

But a scratching at the window made his eyes fly open again. His neck pulled slowly towards the direction the noise was coming from. He looked at the square of dim silver light trying to shine through the closed curtains. He heard that scratching again followed by a screeching, "Miaow!"

"Really? Now?" he groaned out loud to himself. He got out of bed and made his way to the window. Opened the curtains and there, trying to get in, was Jeeves.

"What's the matter, True?" Astrid mumbled dozily. True wasn't sure if she was awake or talking in her sleep. So he didn't reply straight away, but then she spoke again.

"Is that Jeeves?"

"Yes, he's been scratching at the window."

"Weird…"

Jeeves, then scratched the window again. He was not going to give up, it seemed. 

"Oh man, open the window, True, he obviously wants to come in."

True did as he was told, he unhooked and pushed the window out. Jeeves then slinked his way inside and leapt down to the carpeted floor with a thud.

Light flooded the room, causing True's eyes to sting with the sudden brightness.

"Woah, some warning please!" he moaned at Astrid, who decided to turn on her lamp without giving True the chance to brace himself. 

Jeeves bounded onto the bed and rubbed his friendly, furry face against Astrid's, duvet covered leg. 

"Hello, Jeeves, what are you doing here, eh?" Astrid asked, stroking her fingertips over his head and down his soft back. It was then that Astrid caught sight of the feline's eyes and what she discovered made her audibly gasp. "Oh!"

"What? What is it?" 

"Jeeves' eyes," Astrid said as she kept studying the cat's face, "they're purple…"

"What did you say?"

"Jeeves' eyes are purple, like, bright violet."

To Astrid's surprise, True dived across the room towards the cat. He held his tiny face between his hands and began to whisper to the creature. True's behaviour made Astrid slide out from under the covers and take a step back. She couldn't make out what True was saying, but the desperate look in his eyes haunted her. 

All she wanted to do was demand an explanation, but she couldn't find her voice. The strangeness of the moment clamped her mouth shut. Instead, she just stared at True's odd interaction with James' pet.

"Mum, what's going on?" the groggy sound of Amber's voice made Astrid jump, she was so focused on True's strange behaviour that she didn't hear her bedroom door open.

"Why's there a cat in here?" Amber asked the first obvious question. "And why is True… is that Jeeves?"

"Yes, it is," Astrid managed to answer, without taking her eyes off her husband.

"Should we call James?" 

As soon as this question left Amber's mouth, Jeeves' head snapped to look at her. 

"Yes!" True answered suddenly. "We must get James!"

"What's wrong with his eyes?" Amber asked, with a quiver.

"I'll call him in the morning," Astrid said raising an eyebrow towards True.

"No! Now! We must get him now!" True insisted.

"What? Don't be stupid, True, I'm not going to wake him up in the middle of the night." 

"He'll understand, believe me!" 

True's determination shook both Astrid and Amber to the core. He was making no sense. They both just stood there, gaping at his desperate face.

"What's going on, Tr- Dad?" 

"Amber, go and get James, go, now!" 

Amber, with a timid nod, ran into the corridor towards her room. In search of her phone no doubt.

"True, really? Is all this necessary? Will you just calm down?"

"No, Astrid," True responded. Adrenaline fuelled his speech, making it build in volume and pace. 

"It's Luchinda, L- Luchinda Fiosolim," he began in a rush. "James' sister, your aunt!"

"Yes, I know who Luchinda is, what about her?"

"She's here, she's been using Jeeves' to watch over James, and you."

"You, what?" Astrid's quick response made her sound more annoyed than she felt.

"Luchinda has been able to see through Jeeves' eyes and she's been working on trying to contact us. She's been working on it long before I came here," True fumbled through his explanation. 

"You knew this and kept this from me?" Astrid asked as she glared at the cat that wouldn't stop staring at True - it looked like it wanted to tell him something. 

"I'm sorry, Astrid, but she told me to not say anything, not until she managed to give me a sign, a sign that she was ready." True spoke so quickly it was amazing he managed to get any words out at all.

"A sign?" 

"Funny enough, that baffled me too! But I think a cat having bright, glowing violet eyes is a good enough sign, right?" True's mind seemed to be on overdrive. "It's still just a one way communication though, I believe she can hear us, but she can't get any message through."

True suddenly stopped and glanced at Astrid, who couldn't help the scowl that etched into her brow.

"Maybe that's it, maybe the violet eyes are an indicator to how she'll get a message to us!"

"What do you mean?"

"Jeeves has purple eyes, no, violet, like yours!" He reached out his hand towards his hesitant wife and beckoned her to join him on the bed. "Come here."

She slowly climbed onto the bed and sat down stiffly beside him. It was then that Jeeves jumped onto her lap. 

"What do you want me to do, True?" 

"Look into Jeeves' eyes and listen." 

The corner of Astrid's mouth involuntarily twitched at what she was asked to do. However, she knew that True wouldn't get off her back if she refused to give it a try. So, ignoring the sudden heat in her cheeks, she stared into the cat's eyes and focused her mind on the creature's gentle breathing. Her logical mind kicked at her, but she decided to ignore it.

"Astrid… Can you hear me?... Astrid?" A small, distorted voice called out her name. It sounded like it was shouting from yards away at first, but each time it repeated her name it became clearer and clearer. Soon the voice was unmistakable.

"Luchinda?" Astrid answered the voice.

"Yes, Astrid, dear. It's me!"