“Alright kid, here we are.”

  “Wow, this is Tenmai!? The Hinanhoro is so big!”

  I hopped off the back of the strange feathered beast, before turning around to face Belle and Luna, still perched on the gryphon’s back.

  The older woman scooped the child into her arms and jumped down, bidding farewell to the gryphon rider as they nodded and flew away.

  “You gonna be alright, Estelle? Didn’t forget anything?”

  I laughed at Belle’s concerned expression.

  “Mother, it’s alright. You’ve asked that twice already when we left the house and got on the gryphon. I have everything, I’ve checked.”

  I shuffled my bags higher up onto my shoulder and clutched my winding oaken staff to my chest.

  “Uh, yeah…” Belle scratched her head awkwardly with her free hand while Luna wriggled around excitedly in her other.

  “Wow, look! Are those houses up there on those branches? Do people really live all the way up there?”

  “Sure do,” Belle gave her other daughter a quick glance, “Well, guess I gotta show Luna around before she runs off on her own again. You gonna be fine, Estelle? Know your way around Nindo?”

  I smiled wryly.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I was a lifelong traveller. You couldn’t live that lifestyle if you had a terrible sense of direction.

  I waved goodbye to my sister and mother and as Luna hopped down from Belle’s arm and dragged her away off into the city underneath the Hinanhoro’s colossal shelter.

  I turned around and looked up at the towering branches, swaying gently in the spring breeze despite their unwieldy mass, paradoxically providing me with cooling, comforting shade while also letting the sunlight mystically stream through the leaves, basking the world in a bright glow.

  The past three years were tough, but I was finally here, at the gates of Nindo.

  I was going to go to school again, that was a strange thought.

  And strangely, I did feel really out of my depth.

  Even with the expert tuition of Belle, a pioneer amongst witches, the exams for Nindo were brutally difficult. I guess that was to be expected, since Nindo was apparently one of the most prestigious school on the entire continent, and one the ordinary folk actually dreamed of attending, unlike the infamous schools of the Citadel.

  I was barely able to scrape a passing mark, if I was honest. I imagined the test was of a similar difficulty to that of medical school, except thirteen-year-olds in this world were expected to somehow be able to pass that.

  I was mostly just saved by my marks on the practical side of the exam. Luckily, for healers, you only had to pass through basic survival skill checks and a quick mental resiliency test to make sure you didn’t die out in the wilds or panic during a bloody battle.

  It seemed like most of my fellow test-takers were able to prepare for the theory side well enough, but handled actual practical situations rather poorly.

  I was extraordinarily fortunate that I signed up to become a healer. I had heard dreadful things about what the practical exam for fighters and combat mages looked like.

  I shuddered, thinking about Luna’s future.

  I hope she didn’t get injured too badly when it was her time to take the entrance exam. Even though she was nine years old now, she was still rather frail and thin.

  I sighed, before shaking my head to clear those thoughts.

  I tightened my grip around my staff, adjusting the white jacket around my shoulders as I stared up at the intimidating campus of Nindo.

  It was a massive, spiralling complex of buildings and fields, trailing all the way up a mountain. There were dense, tall spires where the mages learned, endless colosseums and training fields for the swordsmen, and an overwhelmingly colossal library that shadowed all of the other buildings around the academy’s signature building.

  I couldn’t see it from here, but I knew that behind the spiralling mountain was a massive, treacherous forest filled with all sorts of dangerous wildlife, which was the school’s preferred location for practicals and field trips.

  I needed to get going before everyone started to flood in for the entrance ceremony.

  I made my way up the mountain towards the central campus.

  Shadows flitted by overhead as seniors leapt and jumped across the trees, chatting and laughing as metal weapons clanged against one another in the distance.

  I heard explosions rumble from the training grounds, followed by quakes, then screams, cheers and laughter.

  I smiled wryly. It seemed like I was in for a chaotic few years.

  Before long, I found my way to the relatively empty auditorium, arriving a bit early.

  It seemed I had misjudged how long it would take me to ascend the mountain.

  Great, now what was I supposed to do?

  I looked around the empty hall, bored out of my mind.

  Huh, there was only one other student here.

  I blinked.

  There was a girl sitting in the corner, sitting peacefully with her legs crossed as she meditated calmly. Cobalt blue hair scattered into messy locks that roughly fell down to her back, wild threads hanging over her forehead and covering one side of her face. She wore what seemed to be a tattered Japanese-style robe, starting off as faded whites and greys engraved with arcane sigils before slowly becoming painted by blues as the edges grew worn and frayed.

  Was she doing alright? Her clothes seemed rather damaged.

  I made my way over to her, smiling politely.

  I hoped I wasn’t intruding too much on her meditation.

  “Hello there,” I greeted her, paying only a small amount of attention to the strange floating blade in front of the girl’s closed eyes.

  “Um, I hope I’m not distracting you too much. I just wanted to say hi, since no one else is here.”

  “...”

  I received no reaction from her, not even a frown of annoyance.

  It was like I was not even there.

  I smiled awkwardly.

  “Umm… we’re here quite early, aren’t we?” I chuckled, “it’s strange, I thought the students of Nindo would be more punctual… I expected a few more faces to be around at this time. But it seems like it’s just you and me, isn’t it?”

  That finally elicited a reaction from her.

  A frown pulled onto her face.

  “If my peers fail to practice diligence, then that will be thine own peril. It is not my concern whether thee lacks the studiousness or ambition to carve thine own path in the Realm. It is only those who wake at dawn who shall harvest the fruits of time.”

  I blinked.

  That was… a strange way of speaking.

  Did everyone in Tenmai speak like this?

  “It appears I will not be alone in my strive for excellence. It pleases me to know there lies at least one other mindful student amongst these halls. Now, pray tell, art thou friend or rival?”

  …Was she telling me to introduce myself?

  I think she was?

  “My name is Estelle, Estelle Symphonia, what’s your name?”

  The strange girl’s eyes snapped open, her hand flicking across her blade as she flourished it and held its tip to my chin.

  I froze, looking at her emerald eyes.

  “My name is Setsuna, remember it, for it will be the name of the first elf on Manusyara to cleave the Heavens with naught but steel.”

  The thin, curved blade, chipped heavily and covered in rust, adorned with undecipherable arcane markings, hooked into my chin.

  “Thou art a witch,” she frowned.

  I chuckled, not feeling any harmful intent from her.

  If there was one skill I had, it was that I was pretty good at discerning the intent of strangers. You met all kinds of people while travelling, and you had to learn pretty quickly how to differentiate the harmful from the harmless.

  “I’m not a witch yet. My mother hasn’t given me the right to wear the hat yet…” I chuckled, “maybe when I graduate from Nindo.”

  “Nevertheless, thou art a practitioner of the arcane arts, not a swordfighter, nor another who dares to climb the martial peak,” the strange girl appraised me harshly, before flicking her hand and spinning the blade back to her side.

  “Thy path shalln’t cross with mine, then. It seems thou will simply be a passerby in my path for perfection. A pity, I was hoping for a worthy rival. I had heard many praises sung about this school, yet all that is to be found are tardy children.”

  I smiled, sliding my many bags of personal belongings, necessities and clothing halfway down my shoulder.

  “Well, I guess I’m glad I’m not going to be going into the swordsmanship department then… you seem rather intimidating, crossing blades with you seems rather dangerous.”

  “A wise choice, to be certain. Only the foolish and ignorant would dare stand in the way of mine ascent.”

  “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

  “Do as thou pleases,” she nodded simply, before going back to meditating, letting that strange dulled blade of hers float in the air again.

  I sighed, letting my luggage collapse and thud onto the floor as I sat down next to Setsuna.

  She was a strange girl, certainly, but she seemed nice enough.

  Well, assuming I would never have to fight her, as I was a healer.

  Why was her blade rusted, chipped and dull?

  How did she get into Nindo with a sword like that?

  I didn’t know, and I hoped I would never find out how she beat out all the other examinees with a blade that was probably in much worse condition compared to some of the other fancy, pristine masterpieces I had seen on a few of my peers.

  I scanned the strange girl up and down.

  “Hey, do you not have anything else on you?” I frowned, sweeping my eyes across the auditorium, “I don’t see any other bags or cases around. You know we’re going to be living in dorms, right? You had to have packed from home.”

  Setsuna frowned, not moving from her meditation.

  “‘Tis all a fleeting distraction from my pursuit. I have nary a need for such paltry things. I carry my sword, and that is all I have need and want for.”

  I reeled, looking at her dirty clothes weirdly.

  “Do you… not have other clothes?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Do you at least shower?” I blinked incredulously.

  “I am an elf, a wayfaring stranger living amongst nature. Meditating underneath waterfalls is sufficient for purging the impurities from my mind and body.”

  I sighed, feeling a bit of pity for whoever her roommate would end up being.

  Weren’t we supposed to wear uniforms as well?

  I really hoped she would be able to keep those intact…

  I tapped my fingers on my cheek, trying to find something to do to pass the time.

  It wasn’t like I was at home, where I could always tend to my garden or go out on a hike if I was bored.

  I guess I might as well brush up on my notes while I was here.

  I had studied a lot on herbology and biology across Manusyara as a whole, but I was still a bit unfamiliar with some of the more exotic species native to Tenmai.

  I reached into my bag and dug out an encyclopedia on native Tenmai flora to pass the time while waiting for the entrance ceremony to start.

  Strange.

  No one was coming.

  After maybe half an hour, I heard a curious amount of noise from outside.

  “Unhand me, you brute!”

  “Haha, just a sec, we’re almost there!”

  It sounded like… stomping feet?

  Before I knew what was happening, the massive double door to the auditorium burst open, forced aside as two figures came barrelling through into the hall.

  One of the figures, notably masculine in its lean musculature, rolled onto the floor, dropping the other person roughly onto the carpeted aisle, springing up with a wide smile.

  “See, look, we’re here!”

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  “Was handling me in that manner really necessary!?”

  A boisterous laugh echoed.

  Setsuna frowned next to me at the noise.

  “Of course it was! You were taking too long doing your silly prayer ritual thing.”

  “For the last time, Hayate, it is NOT silly!” The second, female voice seethed, stomping her foot on the ground as she brushed the dust off her white sleeves and straightened out the ends of her long, luxurious brown hair, coloured a bright shade of cherry-blossom pink on its inside.

  She wore a simple sleeveless white robe over her chest, her entire lower body obscured from view by a scarlet trouser-skirt. The middle portions of her shoulders were briefly exposed to the open air, before disappearing into a pair of long, elegant detached sleeves.

  “It is the sacred rite of our people, it is meant to be laborious and delicate! It is the only way to properly respect the World Tree and receive its blessings!”

  “Eh,” the boy just grinned cheekily and shrugged, “look, I like the Hinanhoro as much as the next elf, but that ritual stuff isn’t for me. If you ask me how that big ol’ tree wants to be respected, I’d say it would rather we live our lives underneath it to their fullest, and pay it no attention and just let it do its thing and protect us!”

  I got up from my rest against the wall and approached the two newcomers.

  The boy swung around, his wild red hair shaking in the air as it did so. He was dressed rather lightly, wearing a simple plain white shirt, black pants, fingerless gloves and some light leather armour covering his arms, legs and shoulder.

  “What about you, huh? How do you pay your respects to the Hinanhoro?” he smiled cheerily at me, staring at me with bright blue eyes, which glowed radiantly alongside his companion’s similarly coloured irises.

  “I wouldn’t know, sorry,” I shook my head, “I’m a human from just outside Tenmai, from the Yrd’ll Mountains.”

  “Huh?” The boy blinked.

  Then he laughed.

  “Oh, right! Yeah, sorry. I forget, Nindo’s open to everyone on the continent, isn’t it? Sorry, forget about that sometimes… never travelled outside Tenmai ever.”

  He paused, considering something.

  “Wait, you said you came from the Yrd’ll Mountains?”

  His smile widened and his eyes brightened.

  “Does that mean you’re from Arden!?”

  “Well, not quite, but close enough, and I’ve visited it quite a bit, yes.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet! I’ve always wanted to go! Is it really as clean and futuristic as they say!?”

  I laughed.

  It seemed Belle’s work for the former frontier city had given it quite a bit of a reputation across the mountains.

  “Sure is, the energy generators in the city are something to behold. The technology makes the seasonal Evaluations a joy to watch all the time.”

  “Damn,” the boy smirked, “I can’t believe you guys get to watch something like that four times a year. I’ve heard some of the stories about the wild stuff that goes on there, I’ve always dreamed of getting my Registration done there.”

  He held his hand out confidently.

  “Names Wadatsumi Hayate. That girl over there is my cousin, Tsukiyo Kagura. How about you?”

  I received his firm handshake.

  “I’m Estelle Symphonia… ah, sorry. ‘Estelle’ would be my first name, and ‘Symphonia’ would be my last name.”

  Hayate frowned, bringing a finger to his chin.

  “Hmm… Symphonia, have I heard that name before?”

  The girl behind him bristled, flushing lightly as she slapped the boy away.

  “Hayate, you dolt! That’s the last name of one of the members of the Black Moon Expedition, Belle Symphonia, the Black Matter Witch! How do you not know about her when you dream so much about going to Arden!? She’s the reason for that city’s miraculous modernisation!”

  “Ah, oh right, Lady Symphonia!” The boy clicked his fingers.

  He blinked.

  “W-wait!” he looked at me with awe and surprise, “Y-you’re Lady Symphonia’s daughter!?”

  He laughed and guffawed.

  “Wow, man! They really do have all sorts of geniuses and talent in Nindo, huh? Never thought I’d get to meet someone related to such a famous person… well, outside of a ballroom, anyways.”

  I smiled wryly.

  “I’m nowhere near as impressive as my mother, sadly. Don’t expect too much of me, I only really passed my exam because my department’s practical exam was rather lenient.”

  “Nah, don’t sell yourself short,” Hayate grinned cheesily, “Nindo’s the toughest school in this country to break into. You must have studied your ass off to get into this place-”

  “Hayate, watch your language!”

  “-only the best of the best can get into these halls. Trust me, I know. A lot of the rich and noble folk think they can get in, but they take one look at the exams, and they flunk out immediately.”

  His eyes eventually trailed away from me, going to the only other person in the room.

  “And uh… who’s she? That your friend?”

  I smiled awkwardly.

  “Um, not quite, I only met her just now. That’s Setsuna, she’s a… swordswoman. Strange, but nice enough, I think.”

  Kagura sent the odd girl one look before immediately scrunching her nose in disgust.

  “Ugh. She looks disgusting, how did such a filthy rat get into these noble halls anyways? And what’s with that katana of hers, why is it so… decrepit and broken? How did she get accepted into Nindo with a weapon like tha-”

  Everyone blinked at a sudden gust of wind, and by the time we all opened our eyes again, there was a freezing stillness in the air, emanating from the cold, rusted blade suddenly pointed at Kagura’s dainty nose.

  The girl froze immediately.

  “Because…” Setsuna started slowly, her voice icy, “whilst you nobles were frollicking and dallying about, spending thy worthless time dressing in pretty fabrics and worrying over hairs, my time was spent furthering the bond between my blade and I. Let this be a lesson to thee, worry about thyself and thine own education first.”

  She withdrew her blade from the stunned girl’s chin, holstering it by a small loop around her waist, letting it dangle loosely.

  “Though I suppose thou art fortunate. Thou dost not appear to be a practitioner of martial arts. A shrine maiden, perhaps? Then my blade will not cross with thee either. A pity, I had want to teach this sheltered maiden a lesson.”

  She frowned.

  Kagura snapped back into reality, shivering and pointing a trembling, dainty finger at the strange girl.

  “T-that’s right! You better watch your blade, knave! I’m not just any shrine maiden in training, I’m the successor of the noble lineage of Tsukiyo, the Royal Family’s desig-”

  Setsuna just flicked her head away, ignoring her and looking towards the boy that accompanied her.

  Kagura just squealed as the girl’s wild hair flung towards her, desperately recoiling back to not let the dirty girl’s body touch her own.

  “But thou,” Setsuna’s gaze barreled in on Hayate, “Thou most definitely seeks to fight on the frontline of a war. Thine eyes are bright, ambitious. We will cross blades, undoubtedly. Do not disappoint. I expect a worthy fight.”

  Hayate just frowned, unaffected by the ordeal or the girl’s words.

  “Are you okay? Why do you speak like that? Not even the really old-timers sound like that anymore.”

  Setsuna just glared at him, her hand slowly wrapping around her blade’s weathered grip.

  “W-woah! Easy now!” Hayate backpedalled, placing his arms up besides head in a show of peace and defeat, “You do you… I’m, uh… not that interested in finding out what kind of monster could get through those exams with nothing but a rusty sword, assuming you went through the same practical that I did.”

  “A pity,” Setsuna frowned, but nonetheless retracted her hand from her sword, “I was wondering what kind of place Nindo was to gain such a famous reputation, but it seems that there is little more than tardy simpletons and sheltered fools.”

  Kagura huffed at the insult.

  “Thou showed more vigour than thy compatriots, I was hoping thy martial spirit matched thine energy. It seems the time to challenge thy spirit will come later in this cycle of tuition.”

  Hayate just chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

  “Oh, man… yeah, I really hope I get placed on the same team as you. Would absolutely suck to be on the receiving end of that sword. Would much rather be fighting besides that rusty thing instead of against it.”

  His ever upbeat gaze flicked towards me.

  “That goes to you too, Estelle! I really hope we can be on the same team together, then we can be friends and you can show me around Arden when vacation comes around!”

  I nodded graciously, silently accepting his words.

  Setsuna just frowned in confusion.

  “Teams?” she muttered silently to herself.

  “Huh, you didn’t know?” Hayate blinked, “Nindo splits its students into teams of four. It’s based on the standard unit size of Adventuring Companies. You live in the same dorm as your teammates, you work together, spar together, study together, the whole thing!”

  He laughed.

  “One of the main reasons I wanted to come to this school! Really needed to get away from those stuffy nobles, meet some other adventurous guys and girls my age. Nice to make some friends outside of the ballroom that aren’t constantly trying to ask for my hand in marriage, y’know?”

  Setsuna’s brow furrowed; the young swordswoman seemed rather displeased with the idea of working alongside others.

  “Then my future ‘teammates’ best not disturb my training and meditation.”

  Kagura just huffed, skittishly retreated behind her large cousin.

  “I doubt they’d want to, considering how filthy your clothes are.”

  Setsuna just narrowed her eyes, gripping the worn leather handle around her waist again.

  “Keep thy tongue in thy mouth. This robe was a precious gift from my mentor. You shalln’t disrespect it.”

  Kagura opened her mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by someone peeking into the door.

  A uniformed senior looked into the auditorium with a raised eyebrow.

  “Hey uh, you all first years? Saw two of you heading up here in a hurry.”

  “Uh, yeah, is there something wrong?” Hayate frowned.

  “Right, uh… I should let you all know… the uh, entrance ceremony and initiation isn’t in the auditorium this year. They’re trying something new. You must have all missed the sign at the front office that said the first years should head to the Twilight Forest along the back of the campus grounds.”

  I blinked.

  Was that why the auditorium was so empty!?

  Kagura screeched, shaking her cousin furiously.

  “LOOK AT THAT, YOU MADE US LATE TO THE ENTRANCE CEREMONY! YOU MADE US LATE ON OUR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL!”

  Hayate just laughed sheepishly.

  “Hey, if anything, I made us less late! At least we’re halfway there now, if you were still stuck doing your prayer, we wouldn’t even have reached the mountain!”

  I panicked, scrambling towards my luggage.

  I groaned as I hefted it all onto my back, watching as the other three students all dashed out the doorway.

  Fuck, why did I pack so much!?

  And why didn’t those two have any luggage on them!? Was it because they were Tenmai nobility? Did they have dedicated carriages or something with their luggage just sitting in them, waiting to be collected?

  Just as she was about to leave the door fully, Setsuna paused, turning around and looking at me with a frown.

  She briefly considered something, before running up to me and snatching my bags.

  “H-huh?” I blinked, not expecting the strange girl to do something so nice, “T-than-”

  But before I could properly show my gratitude, she had already run off.

  “W-wait!”

  I clutched my oaken staff to my chest and ran alongside everyone else.

  At the very least, I wasn’t that slow, not compared to Kagura, who seemed to have never run a day in her life.

  “Oh, come on, Kagura. Tch, damn it.”

  “W-wait, what are you doing, you brute, n-no, get your hands off of- Ah!”

  The boy lifted his cousin onto his shoulders in a fireman carry, eliciting an embarrassed yelp from her.

  “G-get your hands off of me! This noble Tsukiyo shrine maiden can’t be seen being carried around like a log on a lumberjack’s shoulder!”

  “It’s less embarrassing than watching you try to run, just deal with it!”

  It was strenuous, but I was able to keep pace somewhat, using my magic to keep my stamina up as we sprinted, aided by the fact that Setsuna was slowed down carrying my luggage and Hayate was slowed down carrying his cousin.

  Finally, we arrived at the entrance to the forest behind the campus grounds, only to find that it was empty, hundreds of suitcases and bags scattered about the field.

  “No, we’re already too late!” Kagura bemoaned her fate.

  The only person left at the clearing, taking down the makeshift podium the headmaster presumably made their welcoming speech, was a teacher.

  They blinked at the sight of us four latecomers.

  “Oh,” they rolled their eyes and groaned, “come on, I told everyone that the signs were a bad idea. We should have locked the auditorium entirely!”

  Setsuna heard that and bristled, blushing.

  I blinked.

  Did-...

  Did she cut down the lock?

  Also, wow, she was capable of showing emotions, like embarrassment.

  “You’re all first years, right?”

  “Uh, yeah, sorry teach,” Hayate chuckled sheepishly, electing himself as our little ensemble’s representative, “I was in a hurry because we were already scraping it as far as time went, must have missed the sign on the office and just ran straight past it.”

  I just looked away.

  I didn’t really have an excuse. I just didn’t see it.

  “Ah, crap,” the teacher scratched the back of their head, “Okay, so you missed the whole deal and the part where everyone sorted themselves into teams already. Luckily, there’s exactly four of you here, so you’ll all have to stick together for now. Don’t worry too much, if you don’t work together well right now, you’ll get shuffled around by the end of the day, we have a whole bunch of faculty watching and analysing everything.”

  “And what, pray tell, are we supposed to be accomplishing, exactly?” Setsuna frowned.

  “Okay, the real quick rundown is that everyone split up and went into different parts of the forest. Just gotta fight through the monsters and make your way east to the giant river and look for the huge bridge. That’s where the headmaster is waiting for you guys, and where you’ll receive your first evaluation, sound good?”

  Setsuna said no further words, dropping my luggage onto the floor right then and there as she leapt into the forest ahead of all of us.

  I spluttered.

  “H-hey, Setsuna, wait for the rest of us!”

  I ran forward, hoping that I could catch up to her.

  She seemed rather strong, and it was probably much safer staying by her side compared to anywhere else I could be hiding or running.

  “Oh, for the love of-... more running?” Kagura grumbled, before withdrawing a wooden ritual stick, white folded crossing strips of thick paper hanging from its head.

  Hayate just grinned, smashing his fist into his open palm in anticipation.

  “Oh, sweet! Combat on the first day!? Man, should have kept my spear with me, but I guess my hands will have to do for now.”

  And with that, our hastily assembled impromptu team wandered into the Twilight Forest, hoping we all weren’t too far behind our peers.

  GAME | STRATEGY | LORE | MEDIA

  |This article is about Estelle Symphonia in her young, playable form. For the White Witch found in the lore, see this article.|

  Estelle Symphonia

  ‘?’

  Order: ?

  Elements: Fire, Earth

  Class: Healer

  Series: Remembrance

  Exclusive Oath: ?

  Estelle Symphonia is a Seeker of unknown Rarity and Order. She is primarily a healer with a slight secondary focus on crowd control and debuffing.

  She is currently only playable in the story missions in the Event Story ‘The Moon and the Stars’, particularly during Episode 3. She is unattainable for regular play.

  She is the adoptive older sister of Luna, and was adopted by Belle Symphonia. Later in her life, she is known for [SPOILERS FOR MSQ CHAPTER 11]

  Basic Info v

  Stats v

  Skills

  [?]

  Passive 1

  Remember your oath. ‘At any cost’.

  LOCKED

  [?]

  Passive 2

  Do you think you can pay the price?

  LOCKED

  [?]

  Basic

  Estelle brandishes her staff, summoning sunlight to heal her allies. Upon being healed, allies are granted the [?] buff.

  [?] lasts for 2 seconds and grants allies the following effects:

  Regenerates a portion of their Maximum Health over the duration of the buff.

  LOCKED

  [Cooldown: 3s]

  Multipliers & Costs v

  [Tags: Fire, Spell, Restoration, Buff]

  [?]

  Auto

  Estelle uses sunlight to rapidly accelerate the growth of nature, summoning a tangle of vines to a target location, leaving behind an AoE that lasts for [5] seconds, dealing Earth Damage and applying a Slow every second to all enemies inside of it.

  [Cooldown: 15s]

  Multipliers & Costs v

  [Tags: Earth, Spell, AoE, Duration, Debuff, Control]

  [?]

  Active 1

  I await.

  LOCKED

  [?]

  Active 2

  All is impermanent. Formlessness is inevitable. You will return to me eventually.

  LOCKED

  I'm sure there's nothing ominous about the blocks of flavour text in Estelle's kit.

  We’ll start to see a lot more of the ‘game’ come out now.

  I’m not sure how I would actually do it, but I’m considering cutting away from the action in some later chapters to explore what the battle looks like from the game’s perspective.

  I dunno, maybe like a boss/dungeon mechanic guide, or something? Not exactly sure if I would put it before or after the scene either, whether or not it goes into its own little interlude or not, etcetera.

  I’ll think about it. It'll be a handful of chapters or two before I actually have to decide for certain.