Heavy rain, like daggers, poured down from the sky. A young woman rushed away from soldiers, yelling orders in a now forgotten tongue. Roughly their orders translated to, "Don't let those rebels survive! Slaughter them! The boy too!"

The two ended up cornered by a cliff as the soldiers surrounded them.

"Vel!" The young woman cried. "Please! Wish for something! Anything!"

The soldiers lifted their hands and prepared to Craft...

Vel wished and-

...

Vel snapped awake from this nightmare in a cold sweat. She wiped tears from her eyes. "A war with no victor what did I expect?"

A guard knocked on her door. "Vel? We have a problem!"

"Is it urgent?" Vel inquired getting dressed.

"One of the heroes was seen approaching Jince," the guard replied.

"Stars..." Vel groaned. "Really? OK I'm on it. I... need to speak to them anyways."

"Why do you have their face," Odile demanded. More forceful this time. She tried to maintain composure, but the mix of concern and betrayal was growing each second she didn't get an answer. Was this an attempt to replace them? To replace Siffrin?

"I..." Loop tried to stammer out the words. "I'm... I'm not him. I'm not them I..." Loop tried to explain but began to cry, begging for forgiveness. Every thought screaming at them to explain before Odile hated them and abandoned them. This panicked rush came out as. "I'm not them. I'm not them I'm not replacing them I'm sorry I'm not I promise I'm not I'm not replacing them I-"

Odile tried to comfort Loop, hugging them. "OK. OK. I know that. But I still care about YOU. I need to know why you LOOK like them."

Jince began to approach, sneaking up on the duo, winded but unwounded and sneering. A perfect chance to strike down both of them. He cracked his knuckles and-

"You're dismissed," Vel snarled as he approached.

"But they-" Jince protested.

"You. Are. Dismissed." Vel growled.

Jince and Vel glared at each other. Vel made the sign of Scissors, a final warning before he resorted to drastic measures.

"Degenerates," Jince muttered before storming off.

Vel approached the duo and cleared her throat. "I can answer that actually."

Odile jumped and turned around to see Vel smile at her. "Loop's... appearance stems from their own wish long ago."

Vel made eye contact with Loop. He was asking permission to elaborate. Loop nodded and turned away in shame and the fear of rejection.

"What wish?" Odile demanded. "Loop, do you know Wishcraft?"

"Not well but a little," Loop admitted. "Not enough to like, revive the dead but..."

Vel elabroated. "Enough to hop to another reality though. See, Loop is from another version of our wok world. Where they wished to escape the loops and ended up helping your Siffrin. They however are not Siffrin. They are someone else. Someone..."

Vel turned away.

"What's wrong?" Odile demanded.

"Loop, may we speak alone?" Vel inquired.

Loop looked back into her eyes. They saw that she looked... ashamed. There was more going on here.

"I maybe did want to replace him at some point," Loop admitted. "But I'm not him! I'm me! And I just... didn't think you'd accept me."

Odile sighed and shook her head. "You're right. You're not him. You'll never replace him."

Loop turned away in shame before Odile adding rustling their hair with a gentle smile. "But... you're someone else, right?"

Loop smiled with relief. "Yeah..."

Odile sighed, "I... will need a bit to process this. Should I tell the others or-"

"I should," Loop admitted. "I... I need to introduce myself as... me."

"Who... are you anyways?" Odile inquired.

Loop thought for a moment. Who they were. Who they were accepted by their new family as. Who they always were. The true name of their soul. The soul tied so close to the stars. The name...

"Aster." Loop replied.

Odile nodded in understanding, "I'll cya later Aster."

Odile walking away, losing her composure as soon as she was out of sight. She started crying, thinking about Siffrin. The memories of their demise echoed in her head. That old Ka Bue wisdom echoed in her head. This feeling of guilt and self loathing. Like she was going to fail and lose Aster as well. Maybe even Bonnie.

Her heart and thoughts raced potential dangers. Jince, or Vel or...

She didn't want to relapse into the way she was. Not after it hurt her family. She had to talk to someone. Anyone. She couldn't talk to her family though. Not like this. She knew they could try to take the blame onto themselves and that wouldn't help anyone.

She knew one person she could talk to however.

Odile left to go to her...

Vel used craft to patch Aster up. He sat beside Aster and explained. "I needed to speak to you actually."

"I haven't told them," Asterdeflected.

"Are you hoping I'll change my mind?" Vel inquired.

Aster looked away, not answering.

Vel sighed, "It's quite the opposite. That's why we needed to speak." She took a grim and serious tone and declared. "Wishcraft dies with me."

Aster didn't understand, but they felt an unease as Vel glared into their soul. They felt threatened. Something was wrong. Vel had a shame in her eyes, but her resolve stayed strong. "I don't understand."

"You know Wishcraft," Vel continued. "I... I'm afraid that means I can't allow you to leave."

"Are you threatening me?" Aster demanded, readying a fist for Rockcraft behind their back.

"I'm telling you to get your affairs in order," Vel confirmed while downplaying his own sin. "Nothing more. You have until the festival to do so."

"I don't even know Wishcraft well," Aster pleaded. They could tell by Vel's resolve they had no chance against her in a fight. They knew if she attacked, they were going to die. "I used it by accident a couple times! It's not like I remember detailed rituals!"

"And what happened when you did?" Vel retorted.

Aster fell silent and turned away. Like it or not, he had a point. However an inconsistency arose, one Aster tried to use to escape Vel's judgement. "What about the Housemaiden?"

"I only told her Wishcraft exists not how to use it," Vel assured. "I forsaw Siffrin using it, so there was no need." Her eyes glowed blue. "I've foreseen that and reacted accordingly. She will never discover the actual methods."

"Can't you trust me not to use it?" Aster begged.

"Can you trust yourself to not use it by accident?" Vel demanded.

Aster fell silent. They had run out of options and knew Vel could slay them easily. If he had anything to fear from them he would have struck while they were wounded rather than healing them.

"Look I don't wanna do this," Vel sighed. "You're a good person I just... may I see your hand?"

Hesitantly, Aster accepted. Vel gently took it. It was nice in a way. Aster wondered if they could have been friends if things weren't so...

"What colors are those two veins on your wrist?" Vel demanded.

"Two shades one darker," Aster replied confused.

Vel shook her head. "Red and blue. See, our nation when it fell was in... a crisis. I made three wishes for myself over the course of my life. The third, as you know, was for safety granting me foresight. The second was to for no one to ever have to see the color of blood again. This is why the world is colorless. This is why Wishcraft is to dangerous to be kept around. I made a wish I thought would protect people from the traumatic sight of red, and it ruined the world. Wishcraft. Dies. With. Me. Do you understand?"

Aster turned away and said nothing. They weren't going to die. Not without a fight.

"Four days," Vel reminded letting go and walking away. "Cya later Aster."

Vel left Aster alone, thinking. Thinking of how to survive. How to introduce themself to their family.

They weren't dying. Not now. They were determined to survive with their family no matter what.

Yancy heard a knock on the door and answered to see a shaken Odile. Odile requested, "Can we talk? Please?"

Yancy could tell Odile was shaken and nodded. "Of course come in. I'll make tea..."

Credit to @ thatlifebloodvessel on tumblr for suggesting the name of Aster and just being a pretty cool friend.