They were all just a year younger than me at eighteen. Yes, I slept for two centuries, but my heart (if I had one) and soul (if it was ever still there) still felt nineteen. I could still remember the day I turned the same age as these three apostles. It was the year I truly became a witch.

The moment I stood in front of them, I knew I had to be more careful. These were no ordinary witches.

"This is Akira Katama," Cedric introduced. "You've met his sister."

My eyes met the young man's angled ones. If his black hair was longer and his height was five inches shorter, he'd be the replica of Akiko. Even the angles of his face were as soft as that of his sister.

"Akiko has been such a great help since I woke up," I said to him. "And she has a brilliant mind."

Apparently, he did not seem as proud as I hoped he'd be. His face remained unreadable, although his eyes studied me with questions like I was an experiment he wanted to start on as soon as possible.

"Tiff Powell," Cedric continued, eyeing the black girl standing in the middle. "And Lexie Black." He gestured at the other girl.

My eyes remained on Tiff Powell because she was wearing a wrap around her head. It was white, meeting the unspoken color standards of the society, but she styled it by creating a bow. Her glimmering, light brown eyes and small smile gave me a hint of her personality.

Lexie Black had blue eyes and dark blond hair hanging just above her shoulders. And of the three of them, I should be wary of this one. Akira and Tiff both had a strong presence, but nothing like Lexie. She was pulsing with power. Ominous, young, barely controlled, which was both exciting and alarming.

"I'm pleased to meet you all."

Tiff and Lexie smiled. Akira remained blank, but he joined the other two in a small bow of greeting.

"On behalf of the Saint Council, we're hoping that you, Astral Aster Byrne, will reach astounding success with your first apostles at your side," Cedric said, turning to me, his playful smile back. But his words were nothing but a hum behind the whispered warnings of my own thoughts.

Smile frozen on my lips, I swallowed.

Apostles. Who would have thought I'd have three?

"Be ready," I heard Cedric say to the apostles. "Your lives will forever change from this moment on."

Tiff smiled, excitement in her eyes. Lexie swallowed, face pale and anxious. Akira merely stared, gaze boring into me, as if he knew something I didn't.

"Your apostles are going to stay and prepare the place for you," Cedric told me, hand on my back to guide me back outside. His hand traveled lower, and I expertly moved away.

"I would like to have a word with them alone," I said to him, stopping.

Cedric looked surprised, but he nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him.

I returned to the apostles with a smile. "I know the four of us will be stuck together for a long time and I'd rather we forego the awkward phase. Please be comfortable in my presence." When they just stared, I broke into a smile. "After all, we're practically the same age, are we not?"

"You're a year older," said Lexie, voice soft and hesitant.

"Plus two-hundred," Tiff added, wincing when Akira elbowed her side.

"I remember nothing of those two-hundred years," I said with a wave of my hand. "I woke up with the same memory as my nineteen-year-old self."

"Oh. I've wondered about that since the news that you woke up came out. But didn't you have dreams? I mean, we sometimes do before the halo's spell takes over and—"

"Tiff, you're babbling," Akira said, warning in his low voice. His eyes were on me the entire time. "We are pleased to be assigned to you, Astral Byrne. We will do our best to assist you in any way."

"And learn from you," added Tiff, eyes wide with wonder and eagerness.

"Thank you. And please call me Aster."

I was not great at making friends. My mother pushed me many times in the past; my uncle, the priest, tutored me on how to do it, but it was the only thing I was never good at. People just didn't like me. Or if they did, they were afraid of me. The very few I had eventually walked away after they discovered the truth—that I was just using them—thanks to Harald Evensen. Since then, I learned to live with the two who stayed and whom I really cared about: Brie and Bellatrix.

Making small talks to break the ice was not my specialty. "How long do you reckon we will be together?" I asked.

They looked at each other. "Until we pass the Bishop or Astral assessments," Lexie said.

"And you all aspire to be Astrals?"

"Oh, no," said Tiff, shaking her head. I glimpsed curly strands at the edge of her head wrap. "I just enjoy making potions and happen to be really good at it. The best I can do is to be a Bishop. Astrals are on a different level."

"I heard it's also difficult to be a Bishop."

"You only need perseverance and practice to be a Bishop," Akira said. "But to be an Astral, you need quite a powerful gift."

"Like Lexie," Tiff said, proudly nudging the other girl by the shoulder. "Everyone expects her to be an Astral."

I nodded, staring at Lexie with interest. Her head bent to hide her flushed face. "You can cross realms." She nodded. "Which realm?"

My question instantly caused Lexie to freeze. She peered through her blond locks, tried to answer, but no word came out of her mouth. She was afraid of her gift and I wondered why.

"Lexie can enter the realms of the gods." Akira's answer brought a chill up my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood.

"It's not something I can control," Lexie said, shaking her head. "I mean, I can't enter them on a whim. It just happens."

I stared at her for a while in awe. Good Lord. The realms of the gods. "There is no gift uncontrollable," I said, addressing the three of them. "With the right tools, it is possible." I smiled at Lexie. "You have the right Astral in front of you, Lexie." A hint of hope sparked in her eyes. "If you want, I can help you control this gift before it does."

Fear and desperation mixed behind her blue globes. "That would be wonderful."

Turning to Akira, I tilted my head to the side. "What about you, Akira? What are you good at?"

"Marks and symbols."

"Interesting."

"He'll never say it, but he's the top student in Vampire Studies in the history of Windsor," Tiff eagerly relayed, while Akira groaned beside her and murmured something about Tiff's tongue under his breath. "He's currently developing a more powerful feral trap. A powerful vampire can easily break the current ones us have. Am I right, Akira?"

Again, Akira just murmured under his breath.

"He has a trap under his bed back in the university dormitory."

I frowned. Even though I knew how to make a vampire trap, I would be the last witch to do it. I never had any use for them. Well, mayhap to torture, but there were other places for such messy activities, like my father's cabin in the woods. I never fancied doing it on a bed.

"Then I hope to teach you more about marks and symbols, Akira. I know quite a few passed down my family, and they are quite rare."

His black eyes glinted with interest, but he said nothing. He just nodded as I turned to Tiff. "And I love potions. They're so simple and complicated at the same time. Rightly prepared, they are powerful tools... and weapons. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes. Most definitely."

"I'm eager to share ingredients with you."

I had to step back because the burning in the pit of my stomach came so suddenly and it was crawling outward, inching to the tips of my toes and fingers in a crescendo of blazing pain. I swallowed hard, hand shakily grasping my crux inside my pocket. "Well, I won't keep you. I know you have to get settled," I told them.

Tiff frowned at me with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I've had a long day." I forced a bigger smile. "I'll see you all soon."

I rushed out of the room, surprising Cedric. "Aster, you look pale. What happened?"

"I must have eaten something bad," I lied. "Can you arrange for my ride back to Windsor, please?"

"Of course."

Not long after, I was in the same vehicle and Felix Katz was staring at me through the mirror. I closed my eyes, gripped my crux tightly.

I should probably start looking for a permanent fix on whatever was wrong with me. My body wasn't sick. It was merely responding to something. The only thing that could explain this was a spell.

But what kind? Was it done to me before I fell asleep? Or was it during?

***

I had to stay in Windsor for a few more days. Akiko was concerned about the fever, but the Council was eager to get me settled as an Astral. Brenna had no choice but to sign my release.

My last days with Akiko and Spinett stayed the same.

"If don't feel well, come and see us at once," said Spinett. "We've already updated your apostles of your current health status and they'll know what to do if something goes wrong."

"Brenna won't make it today, but she said this is not goodbye. We'll still see each other," Akiko added. The way she was looking at me, I knew she was holding something back. "I know it's going to be a little challenging dealing with younger witches, but they're the best apostles the university can offer."

"And she's only saying that because of her brother," Spinett said, giving me a gentle smile. "But she's right. You have three of Windsor's best students, Aster." He reached for my hand and squeezed it. "I can't wait to see the wonders you're going to make as an Astral."

And I couldn't wait to get out of this prison, I wanted to say.

I looked around my room, my gaze lingering on the view outside the window. I knew every tower name, where every cable that carried the air trams led to. I knew the exact moment they stopped operating, the time the windows turned off their lights. For months, hours before midnight, while waiting for the halo to take effect, I had nothing to do but stare at that window because they always locked the doors.

To Spinett, Akiko, and Brenna, I was just an artifact they meant to study. And now, they're releasing me to the wild to see if I'd survive.

And I shall. Because this was just the beginning.

There in the wild, I would find the answers they could not, or refused, to give me. I'd find out what really happened two-hundred years ago. I'd hunt down the people who started the fire that killed my family.