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We're running... Huff Huff "Ah! Ouch! Wait up!"

And runnin'

And runn-

"A- ow!" Thud I toppled over into a heap of bushes, while Praxina had her head in her hands with disappointment.

"How- just how are we related?" She said as I straightened myself, dusting off the leaves and tiny thorns. "By blood?"

"Ugh, just- whatever! It was a rhetorical question, brother!" She groaned, blowing a hair out of her face, and continued to walk off without me.

We've been through a lot together, therefore makes sense we'd be annoyed to see eachother's face as the first thing in the morning everyday. "Hey! Wait up sissy! - okay I'm sorry... I didn't understand!!" I ran after her.

"How pant are you pant so pant fast - for a thirteen year old?!"

"You're just lathergic. Nothing surprising." She rolled her eyes, before they brightened at the sight of something afar.

It was Willow - the tree, I mean. (A tree we, as in I, named so brilliantly) Its vines having drooped so low as to touch the blades of grass, Praxina pushed away a gap for us to take our entrance in the area hidden under.

"This is someone special - so be on your best behaviour! - we don't want any unwanted first impressions, do we?" She eyed me and I nodded vigorously "No ma'am!" Trust me, you would do not want to get on her bad side. Oh ho ho, no.

She elbowed me in the gut just when we heard shuffling around the other side of the tree trunk. A boy walked out. Shoulder length, white hair - dark gray shades and reds with accents of cyan clad him - bright red shining eyes - numerous freckles scattered over his milky white skin. He was the most beautiful boy that could've existed then.

"Good evening, friend! And friend's friend - who wants to presumably be my friend too?" His eyes grew babying at me too irresistible to decline the proposal.

"I'm Mephisto, thirteen." I stretched out a hand to un-awkwardize the moment any further and he accepted it.

"Kade, fourteen." He smiled but in an almost - eerie way. A crippling feeling still lingered upon my senses, days after our meet.

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"Hey Meph!" I heard a voice say, presumably to me, from the nickname. I turned to face Kade, the eerie kid from my nightma- I-I mean realities. (Reality or nightmare - what's the difference anyway?)

"Aha- hey! Creative nickname- I guess... " I rubbed my neck in uncertainty. The guy seemed to have changed his personality from the inside out, including the beauty that was the first attraction - only to change into disgust, after knowing I'd be used as the worthless pawn for their (Kade and Praxina) darker plans. I've been the brains for every one of their 'so called pranks' that were merely harmful physically, but soul crushing mentally, for the people who they pulled them on.

Mentally draining the confidence, self esteem and intelligence out of others was annoyingly fun for them. I'd tell the headmistress of our school, if Praxina wasn't my beloved sister who everyone adored - because of her skills in dark magic, and her vast knowledge in spells. Who would ever believe a complaint against her from her useless, last in class brother?

"Sooooo.....-" Kade continued, "We just made another amazing strategy to physiologically irritate someone, till they're at their tipping point. After that- well you know what happens after." He laughed. "It only takes a spark for a wild fire, doesn't it now?" He smiled, leaning on the locker door.

This was my last chance to confront Kade one and for all. Our finals are around the corner and Praxina doesn't need any distractions to keep her from acing her exams. Kade shouldn't be the one to decide what she wants - if she wants to study or bully others.

Though Praxina is so much more advanced than the whole of her class, she still needs practice to keep her record. No overconfidence potion can keep that for her. Me on the other hand - ... we'll get to that...

"Sigh Kade, you're seventeen and Praxina is sixteen - these are your golden years. Why waste it on bullying others?! This isn't the time to be taking others out of the competition, it's time to focus on yourself. These- these pranks are driving everyone insane! Why can't you just leave everyone alone?!" I drew a breath,"And if still continue, then atleast leave Praxina out of it. She doesn't deserve your company. She was the finest student until you stepped in. She's needs that time to regain her pace and get her place in the leaderboard - and you have no part in that. Deep exhale I should've known from the personality shift!- you had so much more on your mind when you befriended me and Praxina back when we were thirteen. I've had enough of this. Leave us both alone, or else-"

"Or else what? Huh? - you're the worst of your class. Look at Praxina. She deserves so much better than some whimsy little brother like you. - someone like me, who's better than you." He poked at my chest before shoving me into the lockers. "Oh, and if you want that type of 'or else' then you stand no chance." He smirked, raising a first in the air before clenching his jaw at the ringing bell and stormed off.

Highschool years can really change someone.

Then I heard footsteps approaching,"Ugh this again? Can't you leave the poor guy alone?! What did you even fight about this time? Test scores?-" Praxina raised an eyebrow at me unsurprised. Me? Fight with him? Was she just blind or am I dreaming? "- focus on your studies brother, you'll need it." She patted me on my head despite being shorter than me.

"He doesn't need any stress on his schedule now and nor do you. Forget the - err .. disagreements - in our past and take this advice, if you want a better future, focus on yourself and your studies." She said, and shut the locker door, books in hand, and simply walked away.

"-Dark Crystal Magic is not an easy subject to major in!!" I hurriedly said before she turned the corner.

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"And that's all you can say about what you know about Kade?" I asked to confirm. Mephisto wasn't always the clearest of all, for one.

"Yeah. And the most helpful. - atleast we know he has freckles! - ugh. What a waste." Lyna scoffed. In reality, she was right, but she wasn't the nicest at proving it.

"So you two didn't interact anymore after that?" Talia questioned in all seriousness, hands on the table top. "- no hi-hello? No mutual conversations regarding the best of your sister?"

"No- we had out final exams coming up after that so less people started attending classes and eventually they announced a preparation leave for a month or so before the exams- and we didn't really have phones to get through to eachother either- then the whole Gramorr thing a few months into the next year, when we turned seventeen.. and now we're here."

"But that doesn't tell us anything about him or why he's here now - after your very intimidating threat- or why he's helping Praxina destroy Planet Ephidia when there's no benefit for him?!" Auriana exclaimed suddenly making an obvious point.

"There may be a few reasons - one, there could be a benefit for him which we can't tell from our point of view." Talia said, pointing off possible causes of such disaster.

"Two, Praxina might have affected him with a certain spell which could only be possible with dark crystal magic - otherwise it would've been obvious for us to know if it's a spell." Talia sighed, bringing her head into one arm resting it on the other as she stood straighter and regained her regal posture.

"Three, - and may be the worst of all - This might not be Kade afterall." Everyone gasped, well actually Auriana, Lyna and Ellora, while Mephisto just batted his eyes and changed his expression to confusion and slightly offended. "- I mean, it may be Kade's body without his actual mind. It's similar to the second reason but not completely. - Praxina may be somehow controlling him from Ephidia herself, hence the mask."

And it made absolute sense, except the mind control part. Then I interjected," orrr- hear me out now - he could just be genuinely helping her out, feeling her whatever pain she's feeling? I mean, he could just like Praxina in the you-know-what way, - based on what we heard from Mephisto." I made eye contact with Mephisto and oh my cladsnick, have I never seen his anger burn any brighter than the flames of the sun. He looked back down at the table and I turned away, hoping he wasn't hurt at what I said. "- but whatever, that's very unlikely anyway. How could he like her when he treated her like that? It has no probability to occur."

"Taking that into account. Now, who's turn is it?" Iris said aloud for Dana who'd been anxiously knocking her nails on the wooden table the whole time. Carissa sat beside her and even if I did know any better, I'd probably say they're holding hands under anyway. Carissa elbowed Dana who flinched at the touch before realising everyone had been staring for an explanation.

"Hah.. so - it went like this..."

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"Dana! Let's go! We're gonna miss it!!" Irene whispered to me from the top of the staircase, though the whisper stretched through the tower in echo.

"I'm trying! - but you know huff - that I hate stairs! Huff Phew! Ahg-" I breathed hurriedly rushing up the stairs. "And why are we whispering?! Wah-"

"For the feels! - Oh! Careful there..." She breathed, pulling me up from my fallen position. "Everyone in Solarus loves Solar Eclipses and you're a Solarian! You don't need any other reason (because from implied, I can't think of any other reason anyway) So hurry up now...." Her voice faded as distance gained between us.

Her said remark was, in fact, true. Solarians do worship the presence of the Sun. The belief of the Sun guiding us through the darkest depths takes a toll on every Solarian's superstitions. And, afterall, the Solar Eclipse happens once in every many years, bringing along a flood of festivities into the kingdom. It's a time of merry making and joyous experiences.

Using all the rest of my might, I reached the top of the tower where Irene stood frozen in awe. "This is the perfect spot, the kingdom looks beautiful from here... - just like you!" She turned to me and smiled which I returned.

She sat down on the tower's edge, keens tucked in and said,"We're all beautiful! That reminds me... ..I'm glad I'm apart of your family now .. after everything that happened.." she shivered at the recalling.

"Hey, it's your family now, we're all the same, made from the same Stardust as every being. You're a part of the royal family of Solarus. They love you no matter what happened back at the village. It's all good and I'm glad to have you as a sister - I could never ask for more." I reassured her to which tears formed in her eyes.

"Especially since you're not the stereotypical annoying lil' bratty sis that runs around pestering me." I added to which she snorted.

"You're ridiculous.." she breathed through lesser giggles before regaining posture.

I noticed the layer of tears forming in her eyes. "Hey hey hey.. Don't cry now - you're an official princess now. Think of everything that you can do! - Forget about them, they weren't meant for you. They treated you like bashed up guitar when you're really the Stradivari." I smiled.

She laughed a bit at my musical humour. It was really all that described me."But.. they were still my family... What they did... I never expected them to- to leave me to perish alone like that. I-I never thought that even after how they despised me or called me names, that they'd still have th-the unloving eye to throw me into a wind of false belief to save themselves - I knew they used illegal methods to suffice below the poverty line, but thi-this?"

She took a breath and continued, pulling away from the hug,"... And my brother - I never found out where he ended up after being kicked out of the house. But I still think - what if I'm in the wrong?... maybe they did it for the best? They are my parents, whether I approve or not.."

In the name Solaria, How could she think that?

"Whatever happened then is now the past, and-" A sudden bang reached our ears, abruptly snatching our attention.

A large crater had landed itself right in the center of the castle courtyard. Standing up, both of us peered down over the edge at the face of the monster who'd eventually crumble our lives into dust. Gramorr.

I was young, and not so sensible when it came to battle. I never thought through things back then. Our kingdom was one of the smaller kingdoms in the Ephidian empire, hence it was understandable that Gramorr would take his time at its destruction. Ephidia, Xeris and Volta had long perished by then but he took the smaller kingdoms as pockets of entertainment. He used to crush one or two per year, leaving false hope for people to believe that he'd spared then - when in reality, he was just feeding on their desperation.

I was a victim to this trick of his, thinking he'd left us to be, but I was merely ten or eleven at that time, yes, kingdoms remained many years after the collapse of Ephidia. Because I know you'd be confused knowing I'm two years older than you but still had a kingdom till I was ten. I'm sorry.

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"And that's the first time I thought to come to Earth. Especially since I never saw Irene or anyone of my family after that. You see, I had a huge injury on my forehead - here..." Dana said, brushing away her front bangs as she revealed a scar at least three or four inches wide across her left eyebrow.

After all those tales and background analysis, one by one people left the living room, leaving me, Mephisto, Carissa and Dana at the table. Talia and Lyna left for the library while Iris and Auriana went upstairs.

"So..." I began wanting to lighten the atmosphere. Especially two of four of us had only just voiced their lives out to us like literal documentaries. "We never really named our trip." I said, leaning back in my chair slightly shrugging my shoulders.

The three looked at me in a 'really' glare before Mephisto broke the state contest," Maybe it should be 'the stupid leader's trio' " and rolled his eyes at me.

"Did you just admit that I'm the leader?"

"Ye- wait-"

"I mean, you said it. I ain't calling the shots there."

"No! I didn't mean that- you know what I meant!-"

"Oh?"

"What about Jasper triad?" Carissa said out of nowhere. We fell silent. "The gemstone, I mean."

"I- that sounds almost therapeutic for me." I exclaimed. "Anyway- are you sure? you don't specifically mean red Jasper?" I raised a playful eyebrow.

She blushed a flaring red. "You littl-"

"Red? I thought Calix's signature colour was purl- Wait.." Dana interrupted eyeing me then turning to Carissa. "Do you-"

"have a crush on-.." Mephisto began to spit out in utter surprise before I shoved his face out of the discussion.

"Anyway, the name is absolutely fitting! But does it have like a meaning to it? Since I heard every gemstone has its own meaning." I said, holding Mephisto's nuthead bashed against the hard table before releasing his head resultantly boinging up like a spring.

Carissa looked a bit stunned. I assumed that she thought no one would question that.

She regained her unbeatable posture and replied, "yah! Duh, It does. And I specifically meant the Purple Jasper - The gem of bonding." She rolled her eyes in annoyance as things calmed down and continued," It's called that because it's a mixture of red and blue Jaspers. It's believed to bring different energies together to form one. And since y'all are so comically chaotic, it fits - ignore the fact that it's the only gemstone I know of because, well, purple? Also because I know my onions bout' my birthplace." She gestured to herself.

"Makes sense."

"That's a good analogy, Ms. Valiant."

"Ow ow ow ow, ow..."

"You have some great potential to be a writer!" I interjected to literally no one's interest.

"I- uh, thanks? Not really m' absolute sleep deprivin' dream but still."

"Alright - that settled it then. Jasper triad it is!"

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ A/N ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Sorry for keeping y'all lovelies waiting but the major reason for my disappearance was writer's block and genuine hate against this specific chapter.

I mean i absolutely went the the 5 stages of grief with this one vital chapter and now that that's done, I'll be able to work on more of my more 'attracting' ones.

Thanks for reading and please vote, comment!