The moment she touched the barrier…it rushed at her.

  The sights, the sounds, the sheer delight…

  Had she ever thought of anything so wonderful before?

  A pastel swirl breezed past her. She tried to cup it in her hand—only for it to flit away.

  She smiled—before the weight of what she had done crept to the forefront of her mind.

  Mihira opened her eyes with sorrow in her heart.

  The sky was not as bright as her dreams. Drained of colour, the atmosphere was dull and lifeless. All of the clouds had become swollen and grey, sinking to the bottom. Her wings were fully expanded, but Mihira heard no wind. The world was frozen.

  She flew on, in spite of herself.

  No calm gust caught her. It was a fantastical place, she remembered, full of life and love and beauty above all. What happened here?

  She swooped down lower, almost to where the clouds were. The haunting emptiness of the world made her shiver. The only sound was her chest rising and falling.

  Eventually, she spotted a building amidst the clouds. Landing before it, she looked upon the copper gate. It was straight from her dreams: cherubic figures with small wings blowing trumpets at each other while magnificent swans bowed their necks and stretched their wings. A copper scale, identical to the one Mihira held in her hand, crowned the top of the gate. It wasn’t polite to fly over the white marble walls, so Mihira knocked on the gates.

  The gates suddenly crashed onto the ground with a loud clang.

  Was that supposed to happen? She treaded carefully over the fallen gates.

  A persistent fog covered the area. Even her strongest gales couldn’t diffuse it. The Scales in her hand wobbled slightly. There was a whitestone path winding through a dead clearing. What would Hua-san do in this situation? She would probably follow the trail.

  The path stopped at a large door wide enough for her wings. She knocked on it. Ascertaining that no one was behind there, she opened it.

  Her eyes strained to comprehend the inside of the structure. Mihira was standing in the middle of a large hall decorated with Greek columns. Two life sized marble swans on pedestals, one about to fly up and the other ready for the attack, were posed directly opposite each other. The floor was white, and marbled with black veins. Dark wooden seats on each side flanked her. She had to squint because of the fog obscuring it, but she glimpsed a seat. Mihira flew a little closer, spotting a giant blue and pink marble glyph on the floor.

  “Hello?” she called.

  Only the echo of her voice answered.

  “Is anyone there?” Nothing.

  The Scales had been wildly swinging. Mihira clutched the Scales tightly.

  You can’t escape the inexorable burden of your actions.

  “Who’s there?” Mihira flapped her wings. Some of the fog in her immediate area dispersed.

  No one answered. What was she supposed to do? She knew that she was supposed to save the Seventh House, but…it looked unblemished.

  Decisions, decisions…

  There wasn’t anything wrong with the place…other than the fog and the fact that she was completely alone. Mihira hunched her shoulders.

  “Wind? Are you there?” The air didn’t shift.

  She was starting to get worried. Mihira was used to the humdrum of city life, her friends calling her up to hang out, and the wind occasionally dispensing sage advice. The isolation she felt in the stagnant hollow court with no one at her side…she had one last option.

  “Scales?” Would they—he answer? The Seventh House was beauty incarnate, but it was a cold and unfeeling beauty. Mihira felt no love lost or warmth here.

  Did you think he would answer you?

  The fog swirled above Mihira. On instinct, she shielded herself. Peeking through the small space between her pastel pink and sky blue tinged wings, she watched as the mist coalesced into a humanoid figure—resembling her. Grey wings that frayed at the edges rose upwards and Mihira caught glimpses of a cloudy elaborate outfit resembling her own.

  The figure wore her face.

  “You thought there would be someone to save you?” That figure sounded like her.

  “What do you want?” A slight tremor wormed its way into Mihira’s voice.

  The clouded figure manifested a longsword from midair. “To break through your lies.”

  Without warning, the foggy version of her rushed at her. Mihira abruptly ascended with her copy quickly following.

  “He never liked you. He had constantly belittled your abilities, disdained your goals and desires, and you rewarded him with a desperate plea for companionship?” The copy rose up to look her in the eye. “I hate him, just like all the others, but we agree on one thing: you’re no Lady.”

  She moved to strike Mihira with her sword, but Mihira dived behind a pillar. One swipe of the sword and the pillar was sliced in half, sending marble fragments across the floor.

  “You claim yourself to be a diplomat, yet your last intervention left thousands dead.” The cloud girl looked into Mihira’s eyes. “I can see your heart—don’t try to cover it up.”

  Mihira wanted to say something back, but all of her words died on the tip of her tongue.

  “Nothing to say.” The sword thrust close to Mihira.

  She blasted a forceful gale at her counterpart. “I know I made mistakes in Amsterdam, and I take full responsibility for them.” She tried not to linger on it but it was too late. All of those people…broken, desperate, horrified…Mihira had caused all of that.

  “You’ll take full responsibility for strangers you will never see again, but not for your so-called friends?” When she spoke, her words didn't match with her lips.

  “I helped Sinaka-san out of the rubble and when she helped—” She shouldn’t say her name now. “We’re together.”

  “And where is the Controller now?” Another strike, this time scratching her glasses’ frame. “Why isn’t she here now?”

  She wasn’t supposed to come with others, Mihira wanted to say, but that’s not the true reason. Ever since the Peace Palace and seeing everyone’s pasts…who was Sinaka-san? Why did she think of Mihira as an instrument to be used at her pleasure?

  “You’re trying to trick me.” Mihira dodged another blast. “My friends are safe and sound—”

  Her copy dissolved into grey clouds. “You’re forgetting someone…or two.”

  Mihira started floating—and gazed into Hua-san’s cold eyes. “I—she said that it wasn’t worth it—”

  “To look for the woman who guided you, kept you grounded?” Hearing Hua-san’s voice cut deeply into the winged girl. “You left two of them for dead. You’re such an amazing friend.”

  There was no time to look for them…they needed to get out of there quickly—

  Justifying her decisions with flimsy excuses. She abandoned them there, with the guns pointed at them and after the Palace collapsed—

  A swift whoosh, and the blade of Hua-san’s copy nearly skewered her. Feathers burst from her wings as Mihira dove down and narrowly avoided crashing headfirst into the veined marble floor.

  “Where are you going?” Hua-san’s double let out a false, sharp laugh. “You can’t flee your sins. Stand trial for your crimes.”

  Mihira sped across the circular room—but the copy of Hua-san had closed the distance.

  “Liar.” SWING. “Indecisive.” SWING. “Coward.” SWING. “Ignorant.”

  Mihira cried out as more of her feathers fell away. “Leave me alone.”

  She turned invisible. Hopefully, that was enough—

  Suddenly, two great cloud chains snapped over Mihira’s wrists. Within a second, she slammed onto the cold marble surface.

  “Look at me.” The tip of the blade lifted Mihira’s chin, staining it red.

  The voice changed again. Her vision was beginning to fade, but she knew whose voice that belonged to. “Kaori…”

  It wasn’t her, but the creature’s voice cut her all the same. “Why didn’t you bring her and Hina and Kaede with you if they were your truest friends? Do you just want them around to stave away the inevitable isolation?”

  Mihira bowed her head.

  “You wanted peace to come to this forsaken world, you wanted to bring your friends to a hollow dimension, and what do you have to show for it? Broken wings…” She knocked aside Mihira’s wings. “A broken self and a broken peace. Your indecision led to consequences you couldn’t bear to face, abandoned your friends when they needed you the most, and now…” The fake Kaori hefted her sword above Mihira’s head. “Now I will pass the sentence.”

  At home…yes, she was alone at home. Hearing about Kaori’s latest crush or Hina’s next impossible goal made her feel something inside. She could only loop her favourite songs playlist a few times before the unbearable weight of it all got to her. Mihira had wanted a partner all her life…because she wanted someone at her side all the time. Someone to love and trust, someone to hold her at night, someone who would always be there no matter what. Mihira loved her friends, but she couldn’t ask them to stay forever. She failed everyone.

  “Not everyone.”

  Mihira blinked. Her vision was swimming but…was that Najwa?

  “I’m not her.” The woman smiled slightly. “I’m you.”

  As Hua-san would say, the blood loss was getting to her. “If you’re me…then why aren’t you hating me for what I did…”

  “What’s done is done.” The woman tucked a strand behind her ear. “You didn’t fail everyone.”

  “All you have to—” Hua-san? “Is to do better next time. We’re all constantly growing. People make mistakes.”

  “Life’s a series of challenges.” Urantsog-san stepped onto the floor. “It’s up to you to surpass them as they come.”

  “Don’t lose sight of who you are.” Sinaka-san knelt down beside Mihira.

  “Remember who you once were, and the people who guided you on this path.” Mihira was surprised to hear Noortje-san’s voice.

  “Look, we’ve seen tons of magical girl shows together.” Kaede! “You know what is the most powerful weapon?”

  “The power of—”

  “The power of love!” Hina whooped. “You still need to introduce me to the gorgeous Dog, you know?”

  “I will.” Oh Hina…

  “You’ll find a partner eventually.” Kaori placed a hand on her shoulders. “Even if it takes weeks, months, years, a decade. But don't count us out yet! You’ll never be alone. I told you that all those years ago, and I’m not repeating myself.”

  The air imperceptibly shifted. In these halls, she might be physically alone…but in her heart, she never was. She thought about the first time she transformed, how she was awed by her wings and her dress…and what she dedicated herself to. Love, justice, friendship, harmony—those were the principles she swore by.

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  Under her discerning eye, she gazed into the eyes of the false Kaori. Lifeless, lacking vitality, merciless…

  Buried deep inside her soul, an old awareness stirred—

  This was a mockery of the Clouded Courts of the Seventh House. She would not, will not, abide by this flagrant violation.

  Justice must be served.

  When the sword swung for her neck, a gust of wind knocked the blade away out of the fake Kaori’s hands.

  “End this now.” Mihira’s voice echoed with the tone of someone used to handing out judgements. “I’ll give you three chances.”

  The fake Kaori summoned her sword back and charged at Mihira, who sidestepped it.

  “One.” Mihira shot upwards.

  The copy Kaori sprinted up the walls and tried to stab her abdomen.

  “Two.” Mihira turned invisible and gained altitude.

  Somehow the copy of Kaori kept up with her and stared her down. Raising one hand, it retrieved its sword and pointed it at Mihira’s face.

  “Three.”

  She knew that this was not a person, but a copy of her deepest insecurities made real. Ancient intuition guided her hands as she prepared for judgement.

  As soon as the copy dared to take another step, its limbs were severed from its torso with frightening precision. The lost limbs reverted back into fog as the copy slowly regrew its legs. Mihira swept up the fake Kaori in an updraft and drew closer, making sure that the sword was nowhere close to her.

  With a voice that reverberated across the marble pillars, she spoke with the gravitas of a seasoned judge. “You tell me that you wish for me to seek atonement for my crimes—yet your presence is itself a transgression. This I can not abide. She—I gave you three chances to lay down your weapons. You did not obey.”

  The wind churned around Mihira as it cut through the fog. Clarity restored to her mind, Mihira’s hands were guided by an unknown force. A cry, and the air burst across the court, scattering the heavy fog to the deepest corners of the room.

  The copy Kaori closed her eyes. “A seeker of justice…if that is what you call yourself.”

  Mihira trembled when the other girl started to dissolve into mist and dispersed across the white marble floor. Taking the Scales of the Four Winds, Mihira felt an ethereal hand clasp them alongside her own pale hands.

  Know this, O Peril, you have committed a grave trespass. In the name of the Seventh House of Balance and the Muse, I hereby banish you from the Upper World for your crimes.

  “Know this, O Peril, you have committed a grave trespass. In the name of the Seventh House of Balance and the Muse, I hereby banish you from the Upper World for your crimes,” repeated Mihira.

  The Scales started to glow blue and pink and Mihira felt a familiar yet foreign sensation above her head. A halo surrounded her head as the Scales started to balance themselves—before levelling and unleashing a powerful gale force that swept the fog and stray feathers away. Once the atmosphere calmed, she noticed the fog had completely disappeared. The wind reappeared, its refreshing touch caressing her bare arms.

  Did she—she made that decision. Yes, she thought as she cast away the memory of someone else, she did.

  The statues of the swans caught her eye. She landed in front of the statue facing her. The swan’s neck was stretched upward, facing the now sky blue ceiling. A small indent marked the pedestal. Mihira picked up the Scales and examined the base. Almost identical. Looking at the other statue with its swan facing downwards, she stared at the perfect circle at its pedestal.

  “I wonder…” She summoned a sphere of spiraling air in her hand.

  With a wordless gesture, Mihira directed the ball at the swan looking downwards while she placed the Scales at the base of the swan looking upwards. For a moment, the air stilled—until the marble started shifting to pure white feathers. Slowly, the marble rescinded on both statues, leaving two white swans flexing their necks and stretching their necks.

  The swan behind her craned its neck. “You’re—I’m—myself?”

  The two of them sprinted towards each other and entwined their necks together.

  “Indeed I’m…back in my own body.” The swan previously in front of Mihira stared at her. “This is surprising. I thought you wouldn’t succeed.”

  Mihira raised an eyebrow. “...hello? Nice to meet you?”

  “All of this could have been avoided if you had listened to me in the first place.”

  The other swan lightly pecked him. “Don’t be rude to Mihira. She’s getting used to everything.” She walked up to Mihira. “How are you dear?”

  “I…I’m adjusting.” Why did Mihira feel like she knew both swans?

  “Oh, we should introduce ourselves. You knew me once as the wind, but that wasn’t who I truly was. This is my true body, and my true name is Eschamali.” She turned to her partner and nudged him with her wing. “Can you introduce yourself, darling?”

  “Very well, I suppose some decorum must be followed. Elgenubi, prosecutor of the Clouded Courts and chief bailiff.” He ruffled his feathers.

  “How did you both get separated from your bodies?” Mihira stared at the Scales.

  “There was a ritual.” Eschamali-sama curved her neck. “I pleaded with her to not go through with it. I wanted to find another path…but she had already made her decision. The animating force split from our inanimate bodies. At the very end, she—”

  “It was the right decision,” Elgenubi-san stated. “Zuben was our better, and I still can’t fathom why you still question her choices.”

  “Zuben?” The name sounded familiar to her and an ethereal sensation overcame Mihira. “Who is that?”

  Elgenubi-san fixated at Eschamali-sama with a hard stare.

  “It’s complicated,” both of them replied.

  Mihira didn’t press further, though she sensed that there was more to it.

  Elgenubi-san walked out of the double doors, promptly returning with what Mihira thought was a frown on his face. “The Courts are grounded.”

  “Should it not be?” Her dreams always had them high in the sky.

  “The lack of ambient energy has caused the descent of the Clouded Courts. Without them, the Seventh House is nonfunctional and can’t communicate with any of its peers,” Elgenubi-san replied.

  “How do we get it to float again?”

  “With a distinct lack of such, we need a power equal to Zuben’s to sustain the Clouded Courts.”

  “They used to be called the Courts of Harmony,” Eschamali-sama muttered. “Mihira should be able to generate a self-contained whirlwind to lift it upwards.”

  Mihira looked at Eschamali-sama. Could she? She called for the wind and created a small ball…but she knew that it wasn’t enough. A large updraft? A huge gale wind? No…that wouldn’t be sufficient.

  Pink pinpricks showed at the corners of her vision. Mihira remembered Elgenubi-san’s words. Her vision for control of the Scales. She blinked and took off her glasses. It had always worsened as she got older despite the multiple treatments and surgeries by the doctors. Now that she was here…she could be less selfish.

  “Elgenubi-san?” Mihira spoke up. “If I give you my sight, would that be enough?”

  Eschamali-sama lengthened her long neck quickly while Elgenubi-san blinked.

  “If you give up your sight, you won’t be able to see much. At best, you’ll only see a few colours and retain a small amount of light perception,” Eschamali-sama pointed out.

  “I want to bring my friends here one day. If it helps in any way, I’ll do it.”

  Elgenubi-san nodded. Was that…pride in his eyes? “You will have to take on the mantle of the Seventh House. Follow me.”

  Mihira took flight, followed by the two swans. All three of them landed close to the wooden bench, where Elgenubi-san pulled a lever with his bill. A large leather-bound pink book rolled out of the light wooden panel. She opened it, showing raised lines and dots across each page. Eschamali-sama pushed on a small button with her feet, popping up a lectern. Both swans and Mihira carried the book to the lectern.

  “I, Eschamali, in my capacity as court reporter and Left Scale of the Clouded Courts, bear witness to the ascension of Tenhou Mihira to the seat of the Seventh House of Balance. I can testify that she is of good character, a peacekeeper, and of sound mind.” She produced a white feather and started to write with her bill.

  “I, Elgenubi, in my capacity as chief bailiff and Right Scale of the Clouded Courts, bear witness to the ascension of Tenhou Mihira to the seat of the Seventh House of Balance. I can testify that she has a strong moral fiber, excellent judgement, and knows when to compromise and when to not.” Elgenubi-san actually liked her? Sort of?

  Mihira put her hand on the bottom right corner of the page with the raised symbols and let the words flow. “I, Tenhou Mihira, will abide by the law of the Seventh House and the principles on which it was built. I will seek justice whenever possible and judge in fairness and moderation. I will uphold the harmony of the Heavenly Houses and the Earthly Gates and support the ties between them. I will love all wholeheartedly and seek peace among others.”

  The book started to glow in pastel tones and the air shimmered around Mihira. From her lower back and eyes, she felt energy flowing outwards and breathed deeply. Spectral wings formed behind her back and a larger halo illuminated her head. Mihira closed her eyes as a cool refreshing sensation overtook her. The world seemed like it was rising higher and higher—the experience of weightlessness left her with a sense of wonder and giddiness. Finally, it stopped, and Mihira opened her eyes—

  To white.

  Where light shone, she could see more of the pillars and walls. The details were fuzzy and when she took off her glasses, she made out a faded golden colour. Mihira put them back on and touched the pages…she understood them, but the words were too complex. It reminded her of those old law textbooks Kaori used to buy before she found out becoming a lawyer was too much work.

  “Can you hear me?”

  Eschamali-sama! Mihira had had to navigate school and talk to her friends without her glasses before, so she had experience gauging where voices were coming from.

  She turned to face the source. “Yes I can!”

  “Good,” Elgenubi-san’s deep voice echoed off of the marble. “...I want to thank you. For the restoration of the Seventh House. I…was too harsh on you.”

  “I knew I would lose my vision in time.” The doctors had been warning her for a while. “I didn’t want to sacrifice what I had because I knew I would miss everything that came with it.”

  “Eschamali informed me duly about her knowledge of you. I may have misjudged your willingness to part with your sight, and I apologize for that.”

  Mihira reached out to where she thought Elgenubi-san was. “It’s alright.”

  “All is not lost. You should be able to see light and extremely faded colours. Your mastery over the air should allow you to perceive objects in motion, but you must exert force to perceive stationary objects.” Elgenubi-san tapped his feet on the ground.

  Mihira was reminded of the judgement. “Like that?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry. There are always those who will support you, no matter what. That said, most humans are adverse to being perceived by the air—but a future partner would be amenable to your desires and help you acclimate to being blind,” added Eschamali-sama.

  A partner… “If you both know about the Gates and Houses…can you tell me more about them? Kaede told me that Libra is one of twelve signs, but I only read the horoscope for Libra.”

  Eschamali-sama spoke first. “The Houses are representatives of what you call the zodiac in the Lower World, but you are not one of the twelve. You were split from the Eighth many years ago…and the Seventh & Eighth Houses have always felt the weight of that connection. We are the House of partnership after all.” Najwa…

  “The Mistress might have been our origin, but she was not the one meant for Zuben, nor are you meant for the black hearted woman called to be the seat of the Eighth House.” Elgenubi-san spat out with venom. “If there was anyone who understood the duty shouldered upon us, then it is the bonded partner of the Seventh House. I’ve seen your past, and it is clear the Eleventh Gate still holds true to their oath. She demonstrates all of the values suited for partnership: courage, altruism, honesty, integrity, loyalty—”

  “As someone who has spent the most time with Mihira, I think she would prefer the scorpion over the dog.” Eschamali-sama sounded slightly flirtatious. “Considering her age and their shared bond, I think that they are the better pairing.”

  “The Eleventh Gate had been tied to the Seventh House ever since Zuben and the Watcher knelt at the feet of the Muse and the Emperor. If anyone can assist her in her duties, it would be the Dog.” Elgenubi’s feathers made a soft ruffling noise.

  “What about the others?” Like Hua-san!

  There was a hollow silence.

  “It could work, but I don’t believe that another relationship would be suitable given both of their…perspectives on exclusivity,” Eschamali-sama pointed out. “There can be discrete arrangements in the future if needed.”

  There were some noises outside. Based on the echoes, the two swans were walking ahead of her and one of them opened the door. Mihira walked through the door and a soft pastel light filled her vision. She wanted to try to describe it, but everything formed transparent circles. At best, she could tell the difference between the sky and the land.

  “The Seventh House is fully restored,” Eschamali-sama whispered to Mihira. “You can’t see it, but you can feel right?”

  Mihira reached out and felt it. The air froze and surged in all directions. Stretching her consciousness across the Seventh House, passing through swaying bridges and closely knit threads, between the soft feathers of other swans, over parting clouds with cooling droplets of water—up to a strange celestial sphere. The Morningstar, she knew innately from her dreams.

  “It’s—beautiful.” That was truth, written deep within her very essence. “I—think it is.” She couldn’t see it.

  “It is beautiful.” She heard Eschamali-sama sitting down. “Do you want me to describe it to you?” Mihira nodded. “All of the clouds are tinged in pastel tones. Think light blue or pale purple or soft pink. All seven towers gleam brightly against the airy backdrop, and everyone’s animate now.”

  “Did I make the right decision about giving up my eyesight?” She was hoping to show her friends the Seventh House.

  “I can’t say for sure. I don’t know your heart, nor do you know mine.”

  “If Zuben was here, would she make the same decision?”

  “Zuben…” Eschamali-sama sighed. “She never had a choice. You are not her, and I trust your judgement. Don’t compare yourself to her. If you find yourself faltering, remember we’re here. Me and Elgenubi-san, even if he’s distant.”

  “What is

  “Elgenubi-san is informing everyone what’s going on.”

  “Do I need to be here?”

  “No.” Elgenubi-san approached her. “The Eleventh Gate has been recently restored, but the others remain dormant. The Keys of the others should be your main objective.”

  Mihira turned her head to where she knew the sky was. She’ll bring Kaori, Hina, and Kaede here—when they meet again. She was sure of it, but first, she should meet her partner.

  Rushing back to the centre of what she remembered of the Clouded Courts, she turned the pages until she found the page about connections between the Gates and Houses.

  “Open a way to the Eleventh Gate!” she shouted.

  A loud whoosh answered her call, blowing her back. Mihira heard metal sliding against cold marble and a muffled cry from a human. Soft fur like hair touched her legs and her senses told her this person was familiar—

  “Hello!” She waved. “My name is Tenhou Mihira! We’ve met before!”

  “Ummm, hi.” Mihira discerned shuffling and weighed boots stepping on the marble.

  She took the figure’s hand and linked it with hers. “We should head back to Earth. This book should tell us how to—ah, here we go!” Elgenubi-san wouldn't be mad if she took the book with her, right?

  She heard the familiar woosh of another portal opening and Mihira took the lead, dragging her partner with her.

  This wasn’t the end. Eschamali-sama was right—there would be more people to meet. It wasn’t going to be easy, and she wouldn't be perfect, but she’d be the peacekeeper that they need.

  That Zuben was.

  It was why she leaped into the unknown with a smile on her face.