My eyes burst open to the light of the early dawn. I noticed Mollie and Adele asleep near me, while Cristiana was nowhere to be found. I slowly climbed out of my bed and placed my feet flat on the floor. I maneuvered around Mollie and Adele carefully and snuck out of the bedroom. I crept down the stairs as cautiously as possible, not wanting to wake Eliza who slept beneath them. I quietly passed through the sitting room and kitchen, stepping around my other sisters who slept in various areas. I opened the door as softly as I could and rushed outside, closing the door as softly as I had opened it. I turned to run off, but my eyes met with those of Shiori, her arms folded across her chest. I shifted away from her, but she grabbed my arm and heaved a heavy sigh as she began to pull me. I planted my feet into the ground, and she sighed once more.

"Come with me," Her eyes were filled with dreariness and defeat as she tugged on my arm.

I looked between her and the forest, but her tugging on my arm caused me to follow her cautiously. I felt my heart jump as she pulled me into the forest. We walked together for some time before we came to a small house in the middle of a clearing that appeared to have been transformed into a sort of homestead. Shiori walked ahead of me and opened the door to the small house. She looked at me for a second before motioning me inside. I went slowly into the house and she was quick to follow me, closing the door to the house tightly behind me. She gestured towards a set of chairs with her hands, and I scurried to take a seat. As I sat, I noticed two rooms adjacent to each other. A flame lit brightly in my mind as my memory recalled that Shiori had two children, the twins, Takemune and Yura--both born before I was. I could see her son, Takemune, sleeping in a hammock hanging from the ceiling, while her daughter, Yura, was in a bed. Shiori swayed into their rooms and woke them up as sweetly as she could and I heard them as they rolled out of bed, making all manners of noise. As Takemune and Yura creeped out of their rooms, their shiny white hair caught my eyes and reminded me of their mother, Shiori. They slumped into chairs beside me as Shiori portioned out bowls of porridge and bread to the three of us. We ate in complete silence, but that silence did not stop Shiori from humming hymnals as she tied Yura's hair to the base of her skull. Takemune rose suddenly when he finished eating and pulled a white linen shirt over his head before traipsing off outside. Yura finished her meal with speed as she watched Takemune leave the house. She rushed to the door and pulled on her boots before she grabbed a basket and ran outside after her brother. My eyes followed them curiously as Shiori spoke up,

"They are going to do chores."

"Chores?" My eyebrow raised.

"Yes, chores. They live here with me and will help me thus." She smiled slightly.

"How old are they?" I cautiously asked her, drowning in curiosity.

"They both just turned thirty, but Takemune stopped aging at twenty, while Yura was eighteen. They work well together despite the occasional fight." She explained.

"What do you mean, 'stopped aging," I began, "No Von just stops aging, we just age slowly. Mother is about one hundred and fifty, she looks forty. The same with Father."

"That's enough about my children, Violet. Now, I have to show you something." She changed the subject as she took a hold of my arm and gently pulled me from the chair.

She took a hold of my hand and led me to the back of her home. In a backroom, hidden behind a curtain, was a claw-foot bathing tub, already filled with steaming water. There were two chairs situated against a wall, as well as a hanging mirror. My attention was drawn away from the small room as Shiori began to unbraid my long, cardinal colored hair, and began to remove my dress. I turned around quickly and stared at her with a twisted face, but she only smiled and continued to remove the clothes I was wearing. She pushed me slightly towards the bathing tub and smiled. As I entered the water, the warmth soothed me and I quickly submerged my body beneath the water, leaving my head above it. Shiori pulled a bucket up to her shoulders and I could hear something sloshing around inside of it. Suddenly, she dumped the bucket over my head and I squealed at the freezing temperature of the substance. She scrubbed my hair roughly with the substance and scrubbed at my body with a tattered cloth. She pulled out another bucket and I groaned as she dumped the cold water over my head. Shiori left the room abruptly, leaving me naked and confused in the bathing tub. She returned within a few minutes, carrying a towel in her hands. I rose from the water and shivered as soon as I felt the cold wind rush past my nude figure. Shiori was quick to wrap the towel around my body and held onto me as I stepped out of the bathing tub. She led me into a side room, and I stalled at the doorway. My eyes landed on what appeared to be a new set of clothes sitting on a sort of human figure. A white, off-the-shoulder blouse with bell sleeves went down into a black leather skirt that hit just above my knees in box pleats, and leather boots which laced upwards sat beside them.

"Do you like them?" Shiori questioned me from inside the room.

"Yes," I began, "But why?"

"It is yours," she smiled softly.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, my eyes glued to the clothes.

"Mother and Father ordered me to make your armor for the upcoming battles. I could not bear to put you in heavy metal, so I put together this simple outfit. Your advanced agility will be best utilized in the outfit." She explained as she took my hand and brought me further into the room.

As I entered the slightly dark room, Shiori led me to what seemed to be a place to sit. I lowered myself down on a small stool as Shiori began to comb through my hair. She partitioned it into two sections before braiding each section tightly and pinning the braids like a crown on my head. She pulled up from my seated position and ripped the towel away from my body, causing me to gasp at the rush of wind. She pulled a chemise over my head which fell just to my mid-thigh, and she started to remove the clothes from the object with a human figure. She helped me to pull the white blouse over my head, and she yanked the bottom of it so that it touched just below my behind before she gave me a pair of small, tight shorts. I wiggled my nether regions into them and peered down to ensure that they covered what they were supposed to. I chuckled as I noted that they had indeed covered the region they were meant to and reached out as Shiori handed me the leather skirt. I placed it on the floor before stepping into the center and raising it onto my hips. The skirt fell about two inches above my knees, and I subconsciously attempted to yank the hem downwards. As I yanked, I felt Shiori strike my hand. I retracted my hand and held it to my chest as I glared at her. Her head was buried in what appeared to be a of trunk by the door. She was digging through it when heard her vocalize a sound in her throat. I tried to peer over her shoulder, but it was useless as she rose and walked over to me. She held a corset and what appeared to be a small, curved metal in her hands. She slipped the small and curved metals into the tips of the boots and replaced the laces in the corset with swiftness. She easily snuck up behind me and pulled the corset over my head until it sat firmly under my bosom. I jumped to my feet as she began to lace the corset. I fell forward and grasped onto the object that was like a human figure and held onto it as she laced the corset tightly. I yelped as I felt the air in my lungs catch onto my ribs,

"What?" Shiori momentarily stopped lacing.

"Why are you lacing me up so tightly?" I asked her in an annoyed tone.

"One, for modesty, and two, so that you will be safe and won't have everything shaking about as you fight." She listed as she began to lace the corset once more, "Now, take a deep breath," She commanded as she began to pull the laces.

I heaved as she continued to tie the corset and whined constantly until she was finished. I stood out of breath, and turned towards her, staring with a glare in my eyes when she suddenly pushed me backward. Surprisingly, my backside landed on a bed and I bounced slightly as Shiori pulled my ankles towards herself. I looked at her with confused eyes until she pulled the boots over toward us. I reached out and pulled them onto my feet myself, but when I tried to lace them, she smacked my hand and laced them herself. She backed away from me, allowing me to stand up on my own. I shook as I stood and looked immediately downward at my body. I could feel a heel in the boots, most probably made of metal, and as I beat my feet on the floor, I could hear the hard sound hitting the ground. My eyes widened as I felt Shiori tying something around my waist. I lifted my arms and glanced down to see that she had tied a black and red ribbon twice around my waist. As I looked at her, Shiori smiled and clasped her hands in front of her heart. I touched the fabric of the leather skirt with my hands as she smiled, and nervously messed with the hem until Shiori put her arms on my shoulders and whispered to me,

"You, Violet, are a new woman now. You are strong, and you are brave, and you will win this fight."

"What do you mean, Shiori?" I inquired out loud.

"There are many things that you do not know, Violet, but you must trust me when I tell you that everything will work out, for I have seen it." She explained quietly before she sauntered out of the room, leaving me entirely alone.