So many questions, so many thoughts that buzzed in Iris's mind, that she found herself rendered speechless.

"Anahita?" she finally repeated softly, keeping pace with Al.

The First Rank nodded, and the two continued in silence for some time after, before Iris broke it once again.

"How..." she started but couldn't seem to finish that sentence. Was Anahita younger or older? What had happened to her? Did she know of Iris's existence? "How long until we arrive?" she asked instead.

"Not long," was Al's brisk response, and the two fast-walked towards what sounded to Iris like the faint whispers of water crashing – a waterfall. The autumn leaves looked trampled, and where the ground sloped, there appeared to be scuffle or skid marks. Iris was no expert, but there was clearly enough of a disturbance that something had happened on this small hill. She wondered if her sister had been involved.

"So, she's in charge of the water district? Lympha, right?" Iris asked.

Al grimaced. "Hardly. Well," he said after she cast him a bemused look. "She's meant to be. But the four of you were all separated at birth and well..."

"The four of us?" she sputtered. "There's another?"

Al looked at her, a mixture of embarrassment and wonder at her lack of knowledge. "Well, sure. Four sisters, four elements. All heirs to our planet, Caedus."

"And the queen," Iris said slowly, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. "My... our mother. She controlled all four elements? She had all that power? I thought you were either one or the other. And four kids? She had four of us? Was that purposeful? Did she dedicate each one of us to rule different elements or something? How does that work?"

Al winced, as if there was something he wanted to say, but was refraining himself. "Kind of. That's a story you may want to take up with the C.O," he said, before adding. "Your highness."

"I don't see when Jasper would have the time to do that," Iris argued, though she was apparently meant to dine with him again very soon. "Can't you just tell me?"

Al hesitated, looking uncertain whether his duty was bound to the Commanding Officer, or to his princess, until eventually he shook his head and apologised.

"I truly think this is a matter to discuss with the Commanding Officer instead. And anyway," he gestured with a sweeping motion towards the brilliant blue water that cascaded over the cliff's edge and into the river below. "We're here."

Al was walking towards the far stone wall, closest to the waterfall, and Iris breathed in the scent of fresh, spring water mixed with a strange aroma she couldn't quite place. She bent and picked up a crushed leaf, taking a whiff and realising the source of the smell. It was a strange scent, like eucalyptus, but sweeter, and Iris wondered if Al was just as intrigued by the sights and smells around him, or if he'd been cooped up far too long underground to care.

By the way he was carefully feeling the stone wall, his eyes set on the thin sheet of water flowing down the wall's face, she guessed he was here purely for duty purposes, and didn't care much about 'stopping to smell the flowers'.

Frowning, she dropped the leaf and followed him, furrowing her eyebrows as she watched him step out into the water and... the water only reached the souls of his shoes. He appeared to be walking on water.

Was that yet another trick she was supposed to learn?

She was about to voice this thought, when he took another step forward, wobbling slightly, and Iris peered into the water, realising, to her humiliation and stupidity, that steppingstones lay just beneath the surface.

She followed suit, one step behind him, and when they finally made their way to the last stone, Al took a large step forward – through the waterfall, or more accurately, behind it. He disappeared from sight, a silhouette vaguely visible behind the glimmering water, and Iris followed suit, pressing her body further towards the wall so as to avoid getting too wet. She held her breath as her feet landed on hard soil, and she marvelled at the cave before her.

People lived here. Her sister lived here, she realised. Iris ran a hand along the moist walls, which became harder and dryer as they progressed deeper into the cave. Al scanned a few side entrances, crafted to look like doors, and Iris's heart sank at whatever foul thing had happened behind this waterfall.

Objects and flora were strewn across the little rooms. Shattered wood and cracked granite littered the ground, and the three beds she spotted in the separate caved rooms had been tipped upside, wooden cupboards flung open, cabinets on their hinges, tools, books, all personal belongings just lying in clutters, as if a strong gust of wind had whipped everything up and chucked a tantrum. But the imprint of boots on the dusty soil beneath claimed otherwise.

"Who did this?" Iris's throat tightened. "Did..."

"No," Al responded gruffly but quietly. "It wasn't us. This was the Lymphans."

Iris knitted her eyebrows together. "The Lymphans? But aren't they on Anahita's side? Doesn't she rule the water district?"

Al didn't respond. Instead, he took off down the darkened corridor, and Iris only remained behind a second before continuing on after him. When she saw the shadow of a figure, she halted, opening her mouth to warn Al, but the First Rank raised a hand to greet the stranger.

"Evan," he called out. "What happened?"

The figure looked to be spoon-feeding an injured person, lying on their backside. Evan stood, leaving the bowl and spoon on the ground beside him.

"Al," the man named Evan grinned, but his brother didn't return the smile.

"What were you thinking?" Al hissed when he approached him close enough to club him over the head in a rough, almost playful manner.

"I was thinking that someone had given Princess over here a far larger dosage of Nox than necessary," Evan shrugged. "So, I mixed together a batch caffeinated strips I found in this medical room to help wake her body."

Al didn't look impressed as he repeated, "What were you thinking, coming in here before even getting the boss's approval?"

Evan winced. "I wasn't. I'm sorry."

"You know you should be demoted effective-immediately for your reckless behaviour, right?"

Evan's wolfish smile returned. "That's why I told you, and only you, big brother."

Al's gaze seemed to travel elsewhere at that moment, and Iris's heart drummed against her chest as she took one, two, three hesitant steps towards the still body.

Was she... dead?

A tingling sensation started from the tips of her toes, travelling up her legs, up her spine, until she felt a familiar buzz in her head and in the air.

No. She was very much alive. She wasn't moving, but Iris couldn't explain how or why she knew it; she was just certain of two things: that girl was her sister, and she was most definitely still living.

The girl had her eyes closed, and Iris didn't realise she had been holding her breath until the girl's eyes snapped open and she suddenly scrambled up, each movement seeming to be an effort for the girl, as if she were fighting some force that made her bones stiff and ached to let gravity take over.

Iris reached out to help steady the girl, but her sister glared at her with a wide, feral gaze, full of weariness and anger. She staggered backwards like an injured animal determined to escape, and Iris had only just opened her mouth to reassure her when she bolted – or at least, attempted to do so.

She barely reached the curb of the corridor before Evan was upon her, yanking at her arms roughly and blocking her way.

"Get away from me!" she screamed; her words slightly slurred.

Iris felt the static in the air increase, and she stared at her sister in awe, entranced by the grey-cloaked figure before her – skinny frame clad in browns and greens which blended so well with the autumn forest outside. The girl was shaking in her tight, knee-high boots as she attempted to kick out, but her body seemed to protest at the movement, and she almost collapsed into Evan instead.

Evan pulled her gruffly by her long hair as she attempted to run again, and she let out a cry. Her hands were outstretched desperately towards the bend in the wall, as if she was willing to claw and fight her way to get around the bend, as if all she wanted was to just see something behind that corner...

"Wait," Iris said, stepping forward, but Evan either didn't hear her or paid no attention to her command. He gripped her slender arm, tugging on it roughly as the girl continued to struggle against him.

"Let me go!" she screamed at him, spitting in his face.

He grimaced and grabbed a fistful of her hair again.

"I said wait," Iris said loudly, more firmly.

Again, he refused to listen, and Iris wasn't sure if it was anger boiling up inside her, or the static of magic that was coming to a dramatic crescendo. In some way, this felt more powerful than when it had happened the first time with Mazikeen. But she knew what to expect this time, and she somehow knew what she had to do.

Iris reached out a hand, and she faintly heard Al protesting, far away, as if he were mere background noise. All she saw was her sister and Evan, who was holding her back, restraining her, and Iris came to the sudden conclusion that this wasn't just her anger, not just her magic, but both of theirs, and whatever electricity was buzzing between them was charging their emotions, their elements.

The girl was becoming increasingly hysterical and tears brimmed her eyes, completely oblivious to Iris as she fought to get away, to step towards whatever was waiting for her around that corner. Evan was shouting abusing words at her, his knuckles white against the clump of blonde hair he held on to, and Iris wasn't sure what spark had lit up in her, what emotion had gotten her so riled up that she said with a deadly, uncannily calm voice, "I. Said. Wait."

Evan only had a brief moment to register that Iris had spoken before she reached out and gently touched her sister's tear-stained cheek.

A flash, and Evan was blown backwards, caught between whatever static had coursed between the two sisters in that instance. The two girls stumbled backwards, and Evan flew metres back before he landed on his backside, letting out a cry as pain shot up his spinal cord.

Iris heard Al shout in surprise, heard footsteps hurry over to help his fallen brother, but she kept her eyes on her sister, who stared right back with that same, unblinking gaze that seemed to suddenly register who Iris was, what they were: sisters.

Iris swallowed and stood up calmly, ignoring the wobbling in her legs as she made her way towards her sister and held out a hand.

She didn't take it straight away.

"Iris," Iris said, her hand still outstretched. "I go by Iris. I'm... we're sisters." Iris half-choked the last words. This was her flesh and blood. She could sense it more than see it, but she was sure. Raena was her little sister.

The young girl reached out, taking her hand, and Iris could still feel the faint buzz as their hands made contact. Iris's heart skipped a beat at their joint hands, and for a split second, the aforementioned prophecy flashed in her mind and she thought: reunited. Iris was finally meeting her family, reuniting with her siblings. And that longing, that deep desire for warmth and security and love she so sought after, that she kept so deeply buried within her during her orphaned life... it was over. For the first time in her life, Iris dared to hope to be reunited with her flesh and blood, to find her family, her sisters.

"Raena," the girl said quietly, standing. "I go by Raena."

Why she went by a different name didn't matter much to Iris in that moment. The two didn't let go of each other's hands immediately, neither saying a word to one or the other, until a faint moan broke whatever trance they had been in, and Raena suddenly tore her gaze away, hurrying down the rest of the corridor and turning the corner.

Ignoring Al's warning protests, Iris followed her sister around the bend and found her leaning over a boy's body, lifting up his shoulders so that she could cradle his head and hug him, whispering words into his ear and sobbing quietly.

The only sentence Iris was able to make out was, "I heard you, I heard you in my dream." Over and over again.

In the distance, Iris was aware of a faint horn sounding, signalling the end of the day. Iris crouched beside Raena, not wanting to interrupt whatever precious moment was between these two. Lovers? Friends? Raena's carer, perhaps? She wasn't too sure.

Iris carefully took in his features, beaten and bruised and bleeding. His dark hair a dishevelled mess, both of his dark eyes straining to stay open as they looked at Raena with such fierce protectiveness and relief and love.

Finally, Raena looked up at Iris, acknowledging her with pleading eyes.

Iris nodded once in understanding and carefully brushed aside some of the boy's hair so that she could see his features more clearly. His nose ran with blood and his jaw jutted out slightly at her hand's touch, then instantly relaxed, as if she truly did have some kind of calm aura she suspected Trevet to have the first day she arrived. She noticed the pool of blood beneath Braedon's body. She didn't know if it belonged to him, or the few blue-uniformed men that had collapsed around him, also stained with blood. But that freakishly dark red liquid sent vivid flashbacks of Amira, and Iris gritted her teeth and sucked in a breath. She couldn't help Amira. She couldn't help her best friend. But she would help her sister now, and this boy. Whatever means necessary.

"It's okay," she murmured reassuringly, glancing between both Raena and the boy. "You're both safe now, I promise."