Erina had a headache as they pulled their luggage off the big conveyor belt. Her legs were stiff after hours and hours on the plane. She couldn't read any of the signs in the airport. Maybe she could eventually piece the letters together if she stared at them for a while, but the words would barely mean anything to her. She had no idea what the customs officer said either. All she did was look calm, copy whatever Akira did, and hope nobody talked to her directly.

  She was sweating bullets hoping nobody looked too closely at the passport Akira gave her. There wasn't a single chance it was legitimate.

  But they made it out in one piece. Akira seemed perfectly comfortable even in this foreign land, guiding Erina to a taxi to set out for their destination.

  "I didn't know you could speak English," said Erina.

  "Hm?" Akira looked away from the view in the window. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I? English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Portuguese… okay, I'm probably rusty on the last few."

  Erina was dumbstruck. "…How?"

  "What, you think knowing just one language will even last you a few hundred years? Gotta pass the time somehow." A smug grin crossed Akira's face. "I'm not even counting the dead languages or we'd be here all day."

  "I… see…" Time and time again, Erina was always surprised to learn something new about Akira.

  The taxi dropped them off at a hotel first. Akira paid extra for the car to wait until they had deposited everything and set back out to their true destination. When the taxi dropped them off again and sped away, they stood in front of a magnificent manor.

  "" Erina had never seen anything like this before. It was gorgeous, the bricks looking as bright and new as the day they were laid. Lush green hedges lined the perimeter and gave structure to the large yard leading up to the building. Tall trees with wide thick branches offered cool shade to the carved stone benches and tables in the garden. Beautiful flowers of all shapes and sizes lined the path and decorated the yard. Ornate fountains were topped with statues of fishes spewing water high into the air from their mouths.

  The chirping of birds and the sound of flowing water greeted Erina's ears as they approached the door. Large banners bearing coats of arms hung from the walls, swaying gently in the wind. They depicted a golden sword first and foremost with intricate patterns around it. Erina couldn't identify whether the most dominant pattern represented a set of wings or a laurel wreath.

  Akira knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a maid, dressed in the traditional black and white attire.

  The maid said something Erina couldn't understand. Akira replied in turn. After a few more sentences, something changed. The maid paused, looked over their heads, and then said something else to Akira. Erina didn't understand the words, but she could tell it was a touch more covert than the pleasantries that preceded it.

  The door closed.

  "She's not in today," said Akira, leading Erina away. "Not for civilians, that is. The real house…" She guided her to a fountain and finished, "is over here."

  Erina looked. Her reflection looked back from the large pool of water at the fountain's base. "I don't understand."

  "Isn't it obvious?" Akira ribbed her lightly. "Figures that the modern Merlin would rather spend her time on the Reverse."

  "Oh." Erina looked again. She took Akira's hand, and then a deep breath. She felt nervous every time she did this with just a regular mirror. She reminded herself repeatedly—she was going to the other side, she wasn't going to stuff her face into a water basin.

  Erina dived into the water and sank through her reflection, crossing into the Reverse with Akira in tow. She stumbled landing on the ground on the other side before finding her footing while Akira landed smoothly.

  This time, someone else greeted them when they knocked. It was an older woman in a beige dress with a long navy blue coat that reached to her ankles. Her long hair was equal parts black and white, the colors peppered and streaked. She had kindly brown eyes. A faint hesitation in her movement told Erina her prime may have been in the past, but not so long ago as to be fragile today.

  Akira talked to the woman. Erina could pick out their names and the gestures Akira made—introductions, it seemed like.

  "I'm Aileen Lohrs," said the woman with a smile. That much, Erina could understand.

  Akira said something else.

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  Aileen lightly brought a hand to her mouth in mild surprise. "Oh, please excuse me!"

  Erina blinked. Just like that, Aileen changed languages.

  "That's rather rude of me, then." Aileen smiled at her. "Erina-san, is it? It's very nice to meet you."

  "Ah…" Erina bowed her head politely. "Likewise. We'll be in your care."

  "Please, come inside."

  A statue of a Western dragon with four limbs and two wings stood in the middle of the spacious lobby. Its body glistened, made of a translucent crystal that refracted the light in a way that glittered like diamond. It lay curled around a mound with a sword planted blade-first in it, both hewn from the same material. More fountains lined the walls. The ambient sound of running water filled the room.

  "Lohrs," whispered Erina to Akira as they walked. "Then, she's…?"

  "Darius' mother," she confirmed quietly.

  Erina thought about it. The white-clad foreign ace of the Association who wore a large hat and a long coat, carried a revolver, and strutted around in cowboy boots… "He's not American?"

  "I know, right?"

  Aileen led them to the kitchen and beckoned for them to sit. A cabinet filled with expensive glassware lined the wall. Two clocks hung above it, one for the local time and the other set four hours off. A tray of biscuits sat waiting on the table, free for the taking. Akira helped herself without question. At least she didn't put her feet up on the table, Erina thought.

  "So what brings you to Scotland?" Aileen set a cup of tea in front of each of them. Erina noted there was no kettle. Aileen didn't turn on the sink or use a jug. She simply picked up dry teacups and gave them full teacups. "How is Darius? Is he doing well?"

  "He's doing fine," said Akira as she dumped a fistful of sugar cubes into her cup. "Erina studies mythologies as a hobby and she wanted to learn more about his background."

  What was she talking about? Akira seemed to know what she was doing, so Erina decided it was better to keep her mouth shut. For now, she'd sit there and look polite. The tea scalded her tongue.

  "You seem like a smart little cookie." Aileen smiled as she sat across from them with her own cup of tea. "I'm glad to see a young girl like you taking an interest in history. He was like that too for a long time… but it seems he didn't talk to you about it?"

  Akira shook her head.

  "I'm happy he's made friends close enough to visit his mother, but it's a shame he's not here." Aileen sipped her tea, clear blue eyes drifting to the open window. "I suppose I can't blame him too much, but I would've appreciated a notice ahead of time! The house is so messy right now, I'm very sorry you had to see it like this."

  It's spotless… thought Erina. But she was starting to get an idea of the angle Akira took to get them an audience with Aileen. The older woman acted more like a grandmother than an influential High Magus of an international organization.

  "I take it he must be busy overseas," said Aileen.

  "A big incident just happened about a week ago," said Akira.

  That's the truth, thought Erina.

  "He wanted to come with us, but he was too busy with work."

  That's a lie.

  "Could you tell us more about him? He's pretty hush-hush about what he did before the Association."

  "I'd be delighted to," said Aileen. "By the way, would you like some crumpets?"

  "We'd appreciate it."

  She didn't have to get up for them. Rather, a blob of water rounded the corner and made its way to the end of the table. It stretched, pushing three plates onto the table, and then vanished in a puff of steam. Erina watched in awe. The mana signature it gave off felt like the most basic water manipulation spells. Erina could probably cast something given a week or two of study, but that kind of control, and without even lifting a finger to boot… She had an idea of Aileen's primary ability now.

  "Please, dig in," said Aileen. As they began to eat, she continued, "He wasn't always a part of the Association. In all honesty, I had somewhat hoped he would never come near the Association or the Reverse side of the world. It started… oh my, when did it start? I believe it was…"

  The crumpets were freshly made and delightfully soft. Small raisins were baked into it and butter melted over top. Erina ate quietly, internally marveling at the taste as Aileen reminisced on days past.

  "Yes, it was when he was applying for university. He received an offer from a university in Japan. Now, Mathias—it was thanks to him that Darius knew enough Japanese to feel confident going." Aileen laughed lightly. "Darius never appreciated it. He always loved his old-fashioned cowboy films, but all those classes he dragged him to as a teenager came in handy! I'm sure Mathias didn't let him hear the end of that."

  "Mathias," repeated Erina. "Is he your…?"

  A slight hint of pain revealed itself behind Aileen's eyes. "He was my husband—Darius' father."

  Was. Erina lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."

  "It's quite okay. It's been a few years since then." Aileen closed her eyes and sipped her tea slowly before continuing any further. "Darius and his childhood friend moved there to study. He always invited Karin over to play when they were kids, I was told. Ah, but… as much as we hoped he would stay out of trouble, trouble went out of its way to find him."

  Akira reached out and pulled a cupcake from the tea tray. Her eyes met Erina's. The girl sat a little straighter in her chair and paid extra close attention.

  "It was an old mage who went by the name of Eve," said Aileen. "She wanted to cast a spell that would bring the world to an end. For that, her ritual needed four souls to act as hosts for the power that would take. The Four Horsemen, she called them. Three of the seats had been filled. She decided Darius was compatible as the fourth."

  Erina suddenly felt an urge to squirm in her seat.

  "It was rather cute." Aileen leaned back, eyes drifting to the ceiling. "She even had nicknames for all the Harbingers. Julian? No, no, he was Ehud while he was in her care. Goukei was named something else for a while until he demanded she rename him to Samson. Lazarus was there for so long, she stopped using her original name and forgot it altogether. Darius never did receive a codename, though." The tea swirled in her cup. "He killed her before he could receive one."

  Akira made an odd movement—reaching for the cigarettes in her coat pocket before remembering not to. Erina sat quietly and listened intently as Aileen continued. Here, at last, was a shard of the truths she wanted—not just about herself, but about the world she lived in. A modern-day legend that shaped history as they knew it.