"I pretty much had Arcadia Vox's ghost helpi the whole time," I quietly expined.

  He froze for a sed, staring at me as his tablet slipped out of his hand.

  "Wait... wait. You... what?"

  I grimaced. "It sounds insane, I know, but-"

  He stood up, blinking in disbelief. "But... that... it's..."

  I sighed, closing my eyes.

  "So you're saying you... somehow..."

  "Just... just hear me out, Al."

  He took a deep breath, sitting back down on the bed. "Okay. I'm listening."

  "So, I do o tell you something else reted to that. Something important and crazy."

  He frowned. "What is it, Sienna?"

  "The st of Arcadia Vox's presence evaporated when I performed my Prismatic Radiant Requiem, but she did tell me... something."

  He stared at me, his eyes bulging. "Yes?"

  I breathed. I trusted Al more than anyone in the world.

  But this felt crazy, even to me.

  "Arcadia Vox had a daughter."

  He frowned. "That'd be one hell of a pregnancy to hide from the publid world."

  I chuckled nervously. "And... she and I probably share a father."

  "You... what?!" He yelped, jumping to his feet. "Arcadia Vox's daughter and you?! Nightingale Eclipse's... What is this, a soap opera?!"

  I sighed, palming my face. "I'm not sure what to thiher, Al. But that's the truth of the matter. Red Masque had me dead thts, and my mother forced a Dream Shift ohat saved my life. But in that process, I came into tact with... someone or something that implied she was Arcadia Vox.

  He rubbed his , studying me carefully.

  "So you're saying that the legendary magical girl turned champion, world hero, and founder of the League of Starlight had a child that she hid away from the world. And she came to you as a ghost or some preseo help you defeat Red Masque and then the Shadow Masque thingie."

  I nodded slowly. "Right. Kind of. Sorry, I had to do a lot of processing just to work through this on my own. And holy, I still feel like my brain is ready to explode."

  He stared at me for a few seds. "Okay. Let's say I buy it pletely."

  "Yeah. Like I said, I trust you unditionally. And I know how ihis all sounds, but before she... disappeared, Arcadia told me I had a half-sister explicitly. And if the pieces fall into pce as they are, it's... Eris."

  Albert blinked in disbelief. "But she's a..."

  "Yeah, a dark magical girl. Who's been right under our he eime. I know. It seems like a dream, but I'm serious, Al. I just don't know how to prove it or- or find out if it's true. Like, the only clue I got is that Eris is looking for me for whatever reason and she could use Arcadia Vox's moves. Plus, she made an off-hand ent that she's good with barriers. And guess who else slings them around like dy? Yours truly. It all seems like too much of a ce to be just that."

  He slumped ba the bed, sighing. "Sienna, what the fuck? That's just... Wow. I'm at a loss for words here."

  "I know, but it's all I've got. And if that's true and Eris is Arcadia Vox's daughter, then-"

  "Then it means Eris is actually trying to reach out to you for help et to know you or something. I agree, it sounds nutty, but what else could it be?"

  I sighed, pushing back my hair. "Like, let's say she's not looking for me specifically, she's just trying to get me to notice her, but the easiest way to do that is by starting a fight at the academy. She didn't know she'd find me on her first try, but that tells me she was willing to take a colossal risk to get my attention."

  Albert frowned. "You think it has something to do with the cataclysm?"

  I bit my lip. "Maybe? It's weird timing to say the least. Maybe she needs me bad for something. Like, fast."

  "Still... just to flesh this out a bit," Al furrowed his brows. "Let's keep ying out the theories. So if we work off the assumption that she really is your sister, she might have e to Pewterstone in the first pce looking for you and your mother. And if our w theory that she adopted the Dark Princess Eris persona because she was ed and/or just ag out is true..."

  I felt my heart drop. "This whole time, she just wao get our attention or reach out. And this whole time I just... didn't know. My mother likely didher."

  Sitting down with Al after that fight was defihe right call. His mind was amazing, and he always seemed to pick up on things I didn't.

  He nodded. "Either way, she could have a family situation where it was a long shot worth taking. Maybe she did her owive work and realized your mom was hiding ierstone. Maybe she saw your silhouette using your Prismatic Radiant Requiem on that viral video and was desperate enough to chase down that lead."

  "If that's true, it's heartbreaking. It's like, okay yeah, maybe we've had totally different lives and have no clue about each other or whatever, but still... fuck."

  Arcadia Vox's st words to me came back to haunt me once more.

  I closed my eyes, drawing in a breath. "Family... well, it's a plicated subject."

  Al nodded. "It is. But hey, at least we're learning more about Eris. Keep in mind it's all just our tinfoil hats w overtime here, so we don't have anything crete yet. But at least we're paring notes and ing up with some possible sarios expnations."

  "True. Just what do you think I should do?" I asked, folding my arms. "Because it's not like I approach her and just straight up ask if she's Arcadia Vox's kid. She clearly wants to keep it a secret for some reason."

  He nodded. "Yeah, something like that may just tip her off and make her keep her distance. Oher hand, maybe you could approach her and work on building a retionship with her totally separate from that. Maybe... just keep the first half of all that speg we just did. I think it isn't too unreasonable of an assumption to think she's just a regur girl who may be experieng some family issues. Maybe she needs a friend and she's reag out in her own way. You never know."

  I nodded. "Maybe. I just... don't know what I should do here."

  Al frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, me too holy. This whole thing is crazy. I just... don't think we have enough evideo fully take it seriously or brush it off entirely. It's worth at least looking into, especially if she's still messing around in Kaleidoscope City."

  "And at least try to strike up a versation or something," I said.

  He smiled, nodding. "Yeah. Maybe it'll be a tough nut to crack, but if it's really possible, it's... worth looking intht?"

  "Yes." I chuckled, shaking my head. "ho would have thought a dumb fight with a supervilin would lead to a potential family drama mystery."

  "Life's full of surprises, Sienna. Guess it just depends on how you navigate the pu throws you."

  "I'm just gonna roll with it then," I sighed.

  It wasn't the best option, but it was all I had. Just holding onto that spark of hope that Al had just given me would at least give me something to hold onto.

  If there was a ce that Arcadia Vox's child. My... sister was out there, I wao find out the truth and do what I could for her.

  I bliurning my gaze to Al. He was smiling fidently, his raised and his posture straight. "Something on your mind?"

  I shook my head. "I'm fine, Al. It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

  He nodded. "Yep. Definitely."

  I smiled, staring down at my hands. "Well, just so you know, you've been a lifesaver. Seriously. You have no idea how important that was for me to sort through this with someorust."

  He shrugged. "No problem, Sienna. I'm always happy to help. If we don't have each other's backs, who will?"

  "Ain't that the truth," I smiled, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Thank you, Al. You're the best."

  He nodded in agreement, fshing a thumbs up.

  "Still, it's a bit ay-indug to know I 't get into tact with her," I muttered, folding my arms. "Guess I wait and see if she pops up here again, huh?"

  Al nodded. "Give her space. I mean, that's if she's going to approach you at all. But if the tinfoil theory we just id out is true, I'd bet my right hand that she'd be pag around w how to handle all this as well. Just... wow, fuck. Stepping into her shoes for a moment, we don't know how she was raised or lived her life until now and 't make any assumptions. But if I were her and wao find my long lost... stepmother? Half mother? Whatever, just me, I'd probably be freaking out. And dealing with all sorts of emotions. It's just... yeah, not easy, Sienna."

  I smiled sadly. "Yeah. I know."

  But it was o get it off my chest and out in the open. At least now I had someoo bounce my thoughts and ideas off.

  It wasn't a plete picture, but it was a start.

  "Family... what even is that shit, anyway, right?" I sighed, leaning back.

  Al looked down, twiddling his fingers and shaking his head. "Whatever it is... I be real with you for a sed? Like, seriously?"

  I nodded. "Um... Of course, fire away."

  He sat up in his bed and leaned forward. Then, he looked away for a sed, letting out a deep sigh. "You're my family, Sienna. Always have been, and always will be. And if it's just the two of us against the world, well, at least I know I have my best friend with me. So, let's just... focus on finding a way through this mess together. As always. Kay?"

  Then he blinked, wiping his eyes. His chubby cheeks were flushed red with emotion as his eyes began to leak. "I... I fully expected to die back there. Several times over, actually. Like... fug hell, dude. I 't believe you actually came bae, and theed all those monsters and, and... yeah. Sorry, just caught up in a moment. I..."

  I felt my own eyes well up, and I couldn't help but smile. "I couldn't have left you back there, Al. Not after all we've been through. And if you fot how many times you've bailed me out of whatever disaster I stumbled into, you've got a short memory."

  He ughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Nah. Just having a moment. But seriously, you get it, right? I 't imagihe absolute hell you must've gohrough to get to me."

  I nodded. "Yeah. I do. And I'm not going anywhere. And I'd fug do it again. So know that I've got your back, okay?"

  He smiled. "Good. And likewise."

  "Forever and ever."

  He stood up and stretched his arms out, and I took the opening to jump at him and throw my arms around him in a big hug.

  He blinked, freezing in surprise, then hugged me back, patting my back with one hand. "Hey, don't get sappy on me now."

  I giggled, my eyes leaking as I buried my fa his shoulder. "That goes for you too."

  He nodded, sniffling. "Right. Cool. Rock-solid."

  We held each other for a minute, and I felt warmth and fort I hadn't felt in a long time flood through me.

  It was like we were ba our hideout, just pying around and enjoying the sun. I had my best friend in the world, and we had each other. My mother hadn't been swallowed by the bottle, and my life wasn't a steaming pile of crap.

  It was simpler, and easier, and I had nothing to fear.

  Just the two of us.

  A pair of shitheaded kids ughing and living in the moment.

  "Thank you, Al. Seriously. You're the best," I whispered.

  "Anytime, Sienna. You deserve it," he answered softly, squeezing me gently. "Damn, but seriously, we've got a lot of mileage to go before we settle this messy family stuff, don't we? How scary is that, huh?"

  I chuckled nervously. "At least we're going to do it together. And hey, I haven't always made the best choices, so I'm ting on you to keep me from making a big mistake."

  He spped me on the back. "Easy peasy."

  "Yeah. Easy peasy."

  I sighed, breaking away from the hug.

  It felt good to talk and ugh. And maybe all of it was just in my head.

  But still...

  Something told me that what Al and I had just uncovered was more than just specution and loose theorizing.

  If only I knew just how plicated the whole family thing was going to get.