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Chapter V: Shadow Aspect
The sun also rises,
On those who fail to call
My life, it comprises,
Of losses and wins and fails and falls
I've been observing the new member, Number IX. The way she looks reminded me of someone from years ago – someone I only ever saw in passing, walking the roads of Radiant Garden. Never even knew her name. I'd seen her heading towards the castle sometimes, which baffles me to this day. What business would a child have at the castle? Surely she wasn't a credible enough person to be allowed entrance, but that is something I am sure I'll never know. The more I think about it, it both continues to add up yet fall apart at the same time. Purple hair, red eyes and fair skin. If she lost her heart recently her age would be accurate, she couldn't have been much older than 10 or 11. The only thing is the difference in personality. The few times I saw more of that girl than just a glance on the street, she carried herself with contrived dignity for her age, but still was sharp in the mind – as well as a young girl could be I suppose. She looked like she tried to act more mature than she was, but she was by no means stupid. She of course carried the same follies any child her age would, but like I said... such a polarizing difference is bizarre. Xirena is an idiot, plain and simple, she is surely less mature than the one I knew. Rexvir has taken to her, but it seems he treats her more like an underling than a friend and Xigbar enjoys picking on her if she happens to cross his path. He played that “got your nose” trick on her and she chased him for an hour on the verge of tears trying to get her nose back. How could someone be so dim? And as for Axel, he seems to like her too. It doesn't matter – as long as he keeps his focus. He always got bored of new toys rather quickly, so I'm not concerned about him taking some time to play with her... Part of me thinks her behavior is an act to get the members to endear to her, but her behavior doesn't offer wide appeal. I don't find her enjoyable to be around in the slightest, and I relish in the quiet of her absence. Despite all this, it's impossible to ignore the similarities...
Wildly colored animals and fantastic flora decorated the aptly named Lotus Forest in the world of Wonderland. A variety of exotic creatures could be seen within the forest, all with unique calls that resonated almost like a rhythm. This world was easily the most beautiful that Xirena had seen so far in her short life; the vibrant visuals had enraptured her in a whirlwind of girlish giddiness. The songs of the birds made her want to sway and dash around, but even she knew better... She made no attempt to mask her simple happiness as she walked along with her mission partner for the day: Zexion. He had only heard of what she was like from others and never spent a mission with her yet, so he was sure she would discard her distractions when he asked her – because that's what he would do, although he wouldn't be distracted from his objective in the first place, so it's not much more than a baseless theory.
However, he wasn't above a little bit of pushing. He stopped walking and turned to face his plucky follower.
“Do you remember why we're here today, Xirena?” He asks in a calm voice.
