§ I have developed a liturgy of sorts, a ritual of all the things I need to do before entering into combat. I draw Durandal and a magic focus (the Starfire Jade Writing Brush, this time), I inform him whether he’s going to shield automatically or wait for me to call it out, and I begin the [Body Fortification] skill …

§ “Big Sis fast fast!” I received this faint praise from my little sister as she flew upside-down with her arms crossed behind her head while looking up at me. It made it difficult not to believe she was making fun of me. “You could at least pretend that you have to make an effort at this speed!” I retorted. …

§ The entire time we had sat in this little circle around a blanket spread with Dorian-style hors d’oeuvres, Durandal had quietly nibbled on one or two and otherwise remained silent. But when Mother– Fairy Mother– appeared at the entrance to the Pavilion, he sprang to his feet. “Deharè,” he blurted out in surprise, crossing behind me and Kanon toward …

§ Sound is only one of the means by which we communicate in the Immortal Realms. Even in the Fundamental Realm, it is a mode mostly used out of habit, because the Human Clade immortals (and certain other sapient clades) used it as their mode in the Mortal worlds where their kind originated. But we also communicate direct thoughts, which …

§ I stared down at the barbie-sized pixie lying spread-eagle on my bosom with confusion. Thanks to the design of Fan Li’s Imperial Court dress, the area that would have been exposed by a low Orestanian neckline was covered in cloth, but she was rubbing her cheek on my bare skin above where the garment ended. “Kiki? How did you …

§ Curator politely guided this scholar through the grand “gallery” where the entrances to the many training scenarios hung on display as artworks. Having more access to the memories of the immortal Senhion who was our great predecessor, it had become possible to recognize that many of these were her own work, having enjoyed an Immortal Realm method of painting …

§ When switching incarnations, one requires no time to acquire information about the current situation from the prior personality. After all, it is information one already possesses. But the time taken to formulate a plan must necessarily be longer. The thoughts, theories and suspicions of our various personalities are unique to each of us. One must absorb and process the …

§ I think Rod could tell that I was feeling cornered. I was being all but ordered to get married, and as he had pointed out in the past, an arranged marriage was a normal situation for a person of my station to be in. But the concept in the indefinite future is a whole different animal than an imminent …

§ Anguish. Frustration. Indignation. Anxiety. Bitterness. Doubt. Uncertainty. Anger. The emotions roiling my mind just kept washing through me, one after another. Actually, add resentment to that list. What kind of nonsense was Rod spewing? Start treating yourself like a pregnant woman, my ass! Okay, although he was agreeing with them, he was only relaying the words of the Fairy …

§ Back in the Royal Grove, before we departed for Narses, I met briefly with the captain of the fairy warrior group escorting us. We discussed the pair of mages that Oberon was sending along as a countermeasure against Demon Blindness. She found it frustrating that her people couldn’t be trusted without having mortals along to keep an eye on …