He struggled against the might of her growing chokehold. "What are you doing?"

"You felt how they treated you, and I'm not going to be around to hold your hand forever. Fight me off."

His breathing grew worse at every second, losing energy to think. The last words he could think about, staff, compelled him to make a hilt of his hands, imagining a blade of fire to get him off, but nothing occurred.

Sehki swallowed, lifting his head up and kicking her staff into the wall. She let go of her other hand to acquire it, he reached for the hand, pumping in as fire energy he could muster to burn her hand enough. She winced a little, giving him to wiggle out of her grasp.

"Ouch," moving his head around. "What's wrong with you?"

"Let's test your recovery speed," dashing head first. He could barely block her fists striking him with fiercely fast precision. He ducked as she swung her staff, seemingly about to elbow her. She stepped back only for him to pull the staff away from her.

"You called out didn't constellations. Aquila!" He expected a blast of wind, but nothing came out. She laughed.

"Oh silly Dumbki, the staff resonates with my Cosmi-Shakti, not yours," calling it back, twirling it and stopping a inch from his head. "Your combat abilities are low for your age. Delphinus!" Out of her staff, freshwater blasted into his mouth. "But you're about-low level high school student."

He swallowed. "I don't feel confident in that at all."

"Oh don't worry. I won't break you, but, you spoke to Nurse Chiron about getting stronger," leaning in with an intimidating grin. "Didn't you," tilting her head.

"How did you know?"

"You've always been a book I can read. Now I get to make sure you write those next steps."

She ordered him to exercise: situps, pushups where she climbed on top of him, jumping jacks, and calling out Antlia as he had to predict her pump of air blasts, getting pelted with enough before he was forced to bob and weave several times until he couldn't move any longer.

"Alright you weak baby, you work hard enough," blowing him up to her bed, where he rolled over as she joined him.

"You're," yawning, "enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Just a little," grinning. "It's okay to be weak," getting stern, "not to stay weak. It all depends on your drive," reverting to her calm, upbeat persona. "Let's make Professor Delta proud."

"Delta, she's a family friend of yours?"

"Just a little," grinning. "It's okay to be weak," getting stern, "not to stay weak. It all depends on your drive," reverting to her calm, upbeat persona. "Let's make Professor Delta proud."

"Delta, she's a family friend of yours?"

"She took me in after the incident. I didn't have anyone or anywhere else to go, but I traveled around each of the kingdoms and Cusp Central so we could connect. And I traveled through all of the schools with them at some point."

"Geez, it's almost like you're the fifth heir."

He looked away. "Just trying to fill the hole you left behind."

"To replace me?"

"No, far from it," waving her hands back and forth. "Although, there's a group I've always wanted to lead...more than rule anyway."

"Be honest, do you think I could really befriend them all?"

"Probably not," singsonging. "Xia's probably complaining about you being here as we speak. But," pulling him by his chin with just two fingers. "I can ignore that if it means I get you to-"

Before he could ask if she was teasing him or serious, an explosion cut them off. The two opened the curtains outside to see a message in the fire.

Get Out Evil Prince! We never wanted you back!

He sucked his teeth. "I don't want to be here either," about to leave when her grip overpowered his entire body.

"Hold on."

"I'm not living in the same place where someone wants me dead, that's suicide! If the house needs renovations, I'll ask Lumin to speed it up or do it myself...i f I can."

"Okay, fifty-fifty then. Every night you alternate. It's just important I help you as best as I can this semester. We might not have the same courses and you've been gone for so long," breaking her usual calm attitude. "Besides," her voice lowered. "You'll need a guide. And, I miss my friend. I missed you."

Her grip lowered and he turned back, sighing. "If you insist."

"Fine," lowering themselves on the bed. "Can we eat though?"

"Um, let me order take out," showing him a list of options not too dissimilar to ones back on Earth. "I'll show you the dining halls tomorrow. Sides' I get to teach you about all the constellations you need to know."

He shrugged. "Calypsa, you're definitely interesting," curious at what non-anthropomorphic centaur meat was like.

—

Around that same night, Ainsley yawned once the other heirs approached them.

"We all got the same message?"

"I thought you sent it," Rigal said.

"Yeah, you know not to interrupt my bath time with the ladies," eying Rigal. "You could've shown up."

"Had to separate the House Vulturnus Alphas from the Betas," high up his own ego.

"Please Rigal, we all know I'm the most Alpha out of the four of us," Xia smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you want a rematch."

"The enemy you shouldn't be fighting isn't each other."

A voice from a cloaked figure in a white and gold garb completely took them for a loop.

Ainsley's eyes widened. "That outfit. You're the Astrovoid?"

"Now now, no reason for violence. Prince Sehki is why I brought you here. As I've spoken with your parents already, they want him gone just as much as you do. And he's a living magnet and puppeteer us Voids we can't resist. Help me remove him off the board, and you can prevent the same tragedy that resulted in you all losing your powers. Deal?"

"We can't let him become king anyway," Xia said. "If he can't read our warning signals, he'll learn the hard fae don't play," extending her hand.

Taylor and Rigal did the same. Ainsley hesitated, stomping the ground and constructing a miniaturized golem to attack the masked prophet.