Yūki opened his mouth.
That was a lot to take in.
The original owner of this body had an embarrassing childhood history like that?
More importantly, this spirit really had met him.
The last lingering suspicion in his mind was settled.
Unless her bond with his parents had been deep enough, a spirit would not have remembered a child still in swaddling clothes, much less recognized him by his presence alone three years later.
"Then you really are my parents' spirit."
The girl nodded gently.
"My name is Snowstorm Princess."
She lifted her skirt and gave Yūki a perfectly proper curtsy.
"Fujiwara Misaki was my duelist, and my most important friend."
Yūki looked at her.
Snowstorm Princess still wore a trace of joy at their reunion, but when she mentioned his mother's name, her fingers quietly tightened around the hem of her skirt.
He was silent for a few seconds, but asked the question anyway.
"What happened in the ruins three years ago?"
Snowstorm Princess did not answer immediately.
She turned to look at the stone door.
Those golden bands of light hung quietly in the darkness, like strings that had been stretched taut for three years.
"That day, we discovered the stone tablets."
Her voice grew quiet.
"They were very special. There were many spirits inside them that hadn't been born yet. Misaki said we couldn't let people touch them carelessly, much less forcibly analyze them with research equipment."
"Shūji agreed. Together with Trance, he set up protective spells around the tablets."
Yūki noticed the name she had mentioned.
"Trance?"
"Magical Swordsman, Trance."
Snowstorm Princess raised her eyes, the stone door's golden light reflected in them.
"He was Shūji's spirit."
"A very skilled swordsman. Shūji always said that although Trance usually seemed quiet and reserved, no one was more