Chapter 10: A New Dawn at New Zenith

The day Starling stepped off the sky-ship in North America, she stared at the man supposedly sent to pick her up and fell into a prolonged silence. Before her departure, her mentor, Professor Alaric, had messaged her: "I'm tied up, so I'm sending your magician brother. He's strong, don't worry about the luggage." But the man standing before her now had his head wrapped in bandages, leaving only his eyes visible, and he was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches. Starling was at a loss for words. "...Are you sure you have the right person?" she finally managed. "Positive. Professor Alaric showed me your photo, little sister." His voice was muffled by the gauze but held a cheerful tone. A year ago, her mentor had paused his research to visit her, but ended up rescuing a man on the verge of death and never made it. Investigations revealed the man was the student of a deceased, cherished friend, so Professor Alaric had poured