Return to Familiar Ground

The girl had a dream.

She still remembered that moment: her father's departing figure, while she stood rooted to the spot, completely unaware of what had happened.

Did I do something wrong?

Why did Father abandon me?

The girl couldn't understand, but soon, a hunched, gaunt figure appeared before her.

"From today onward, forget your mother and your sister. You have nowhere to return to. This is your home."

The old man's dry, withered voice echoed in the girl's ears, filling her with fear and making her tremble as she tried to curl into a ball. Yet no matter what she did, she couldn't escape. Darkness seemed to surge from all directions with the old man's voice, almost swallowing the girl whole... But at that moment, a large, warm hand reached out and stroked the girl's head. She opened her eyes and saw that tall figure...

"MASTER?"

"Mm..."

The voice beside her made the girl open her eyes blearily. She looked out the window and saw the same sky covered in white clouds.

"What happened? Is something wrong, ASSASSIN?"

"No. You just don't look very well... Are you experiencing any physical problems?"

"No, I just had a nightmare."

The girl—Sakura—shook her head, then sat up and looked out the window. Reflected in the porthole, she could clearly see the figure of a beautiful girl with long, smooth, deep-purple hair. She was no longer the small, bewildered girl she had once been. Sakura had grown considerably. Her appearance and figure both far exceeded what she had once imagined.

"The plane is about to land..."

Speaking softly, Sakura withdrew her gaze, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath.

Eight years had passed.

Those eight years hadn't been especially good or bad for Sakura or the El-Melloi Family. At first, when