Arcaios casually descends upon a floating cloud and slouches over on Caitlyn's throne.
"So you all finally stopped arguing about who called the meeting…" he says.
The man sitting in the farthest chair on the left from Caitlyn stands and says aloud,
"Arcaios, what is the meaning behind bringing an outsider into our meetings…? We made a deal with you on this."
Arcaios responds with a flicker of rage,
"Outsider!? Who dares claim my incarnation to be an outsider!!"
The stars above shine brightly as he continues,
"Let me remind you that I am your king! You were mere constellations before I breathed life into you… Now you can freely traverse the world on your own two feet!"
The others glare at the man who spoke up, then turn their heads toward Arcaios and say in unison,
"He doesn't speak for the rest of us… Almighty ruler of stars."
A woman from the right side speaks up:
"Is she truly your incarnation, or are you messing with us and pulling one over on poor Scorpio?"
Arcaios laughs, then says firmly,
"You caught me, Libra. She is not my incarnation—but you can treat her as such, since she is my #$#@#$##$"
Caitlyn looks up at Arcaios, baffled, as she thinks to herself,
"I can't understand what they're saying… Nothing makes sense."
She mutters aloud,
"I can't understand you, you know…"
Arcaios looks surprised for a moment, then laughs and ruffles Caitlyn's hair.
"I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you."
He reaches into the sky, grabs a star, and molds it into a small bag.
"Here… It doesn't look like much right now, but as you go further down the path you're currently on, it will give you access to better versions of your current skillset."
Caitlyn looks down at the bag and begins tearing up. She slowly looks up at Arcaios and says,
"I don't know what to say—"
She sees his eerie smile as he slowly whispers,
"You don't have to say anything, my adorable child…"
Caitlyn reels back in horror and wakes up panting, covered in cold sweat. The crystal ball glimmers beside her. She slowly reaches over and picks it up.
"Why does it feel lighter than before…? And what was that dream? Wait—"
She shifts her gaze to the mark on her hand and screams aloud, jumping for joy:
"I finally have one… I finally found my path!!"
A sudden knock on the door interrupts her celebration. The silhouette of a maid can be seen through the crack in the door.
"Milady, are you finished packing? The carriage is here to take you to the station…"
Caitlyn holds her head as she rushes to pack.
"Don't worry, I'm done packing, I'm just getting ready right now, Ellie…"
"Oh, alright," Ellie replies. "Just remember your fully packed suitcase is downstairs…"
She walks off, and as she goes, a mark resembling a scale can be seen on her hand.
Caitlyn pauses for a moment. The realization hits her like a sledgehammer.
"I'm a noble woman… I don't pack my own stuff. That's what my maids are for… I've been played."
An hour passes. Caitlyn walks down the stairs with a defeated look on her face, her hair in a ponytail, dressed in training gear.
Charles looks visibly distraught, his tone filled with sadness.
"I know she has to spread her wings to the open world… but why couldn't she stay for a few more days? The academy doesn't start for a month, and it's not like she needs to attend orientation…"
Caitlyn makes her way to the carriage—only to find an interesting scene awaiting her inside.
Scarlet stares dumbfounded at Ellie, who is also inside the carriage.
Caitlyn puts her hand to her face and says,
"Dad pulled another prank again, didn't he…"
Scarlet exclaims,
"What's going on here!?"
After Scarlet had left the room earlier, she had accidentally overheard the conversation between Duke Charles and Fiona. Feeling guilty, she had gone looking for Ellie to apologize for stealing her spot—but found no sign of her.
Back in the carriage, Ellie explains the situation.
"You see, the duke wanted you to attend the academy with Caitlyn, so he prepared multiple methods to make you want to go there of your own free will. But he never expected you to actually want to go without any interference, which kind of ruined his plans. So, to still get some fun out of it, he made it sound like Caitlyn needed a maid to attend the academy—which you just so happened to overhear."
"He knew you wouldn't want to give up your title as knight captain under normal circumstances… since he's the man who raised you, after all."
Caitlyn, having had enough of the situation, says aloud,
"Coachman, drive us off to the station already—"
The coachman responds,
"Yes, ma'am…" and the carriage sets off.
They arrive at what appears to be a regular train station, but something feels off. There are no train tracks—just a single straight line—and the train has two strange holes at the front.
Scarlet and Ellie look excited as they both say in unison,
"We're going on the cloud train!!"
They jump up in excitement.
"Most nobles aren't even allowed on one. It's usually exclusive travel for royalty or guests of royalty!"
Caitlyn turns around, shows off three golden tickets, and says,
"I got first place in the entrance exam—specifically for this reason."