Noble still recalled the message from Umbei eight months later.
"I have been asked to relay this message to you: Hey professor. It's Tan. My monster meat experiment did not go exactly as planned. Don't worry, though, I'm not giving up. My quest to make the world love orange food has only begun…"
Months later, Tan was still mastering the perfect recipe and setting up his shop in the Dream Realm. His fundraising for his products had even managed a small investment from Fort.
"You never know," the Deputy Director had said. "Stranger things have made people rich."
The others in her group took longer to return. Catphine and Hamish reentered the waking world together a week after Tan. The pair had managed to find each other and scraped by until being spotted by a sentry in one of the citadels.
Their trek had been perilous, and the armor which Catphine had borrowed was destroyed in the process. But it had also saved her life.
Of course, Noble had tried to return the Portcullis Key to its rightful owner, but Catphine had refused.
"I spent what you gave me. It is only fair you keep it."
Noble could sense the girl really didn't want it back, so she had not forced the issue.
The dynamic duo had almost immediately joined the military. Last Noble had heard, Catphine had chosen to lead a Mech Unit and Hamish had joined a squad of other Awakened.
Most of the others whom Noble had mentored were finding their place in the world either by returning to school or finding a job.
By now all had come back safe and sound except Hectare.
The Legacy had been moved by his clan to a different facility where his body still peacefully slumbered. Noble did not count him out yet.
The Forgotten Shore survivors had proven that one could return after years as a sleeper. There was still hope.
'I hope he is well,' Noble spared him a thought.
But that was really all she could spare at the moment. Noble was under attack.
The dark-haired girl across from her held a sharpened sword. The two ladies did not train as often anymore, so Noble wanted to take the opportunity to see just how much Honey had grown.
The fifteen-year-old had grown considerably in her skill and moderately in her stature.
As Noble had warned, the girl's shape had changed. Her waist was thinner and any bit of childishness was gone from her face.
Thankfully Honey had taken the differences in stride and adjusted as they came. Her fighting strategy had not suffered.
And her strength had grown.
Because of her work, Honey had earned the right to try out one of Noble's Memories. It was a dormant sword with an edge like a saw. The smaller size of it made it a good option for the petite teen.
After the initial protest that she didn't want to hurt her mother, Honey had gone all out in her attack.
Pleased, Noble deftly defended herself with a shield she had recently acquired.
"You would have more power if you didn't bend your elbow so much…a touch too high on that hit, I could have knocked it high and slammed you with the shield…"
Honey took the words in stride and tried again and again. The clash of metal was very loud, even in the sound-proofed room.
Noble had three reasons for this playful spar.
One was that she missed her daughter. Bouts like this were a good way for them to bond.
A second was to obviously help Honey get better. More practice meant more opportunities for her to learn.
And the third reason…was entirely selfish.
Noble had tried for months to recreate the strange visions that Thorai had brought forth during their battle.
After much reflection, Noble believed they were a facet of her Ability to sense emotions. The professor theorized that Thorai's confidence had triggered something inside Noble, allowing her to see in the middle of the blinding light.
But despite her best efforts, Noble had been unable to recreate the phenomena inside the Dreamscape arena. She hoped that a lower-pressure situation might allow her to better focus.
So far, that theory had proved false. 'It's fine. It was worth a try.'
A side-swipe by Honey made Noble need to lower her shield. She looked over the buckler at her daughter with a grin. "Not bad. Again."
At the sound of yet another metal clang, the door to the dojo cracked open, and Fort peeked inside. "Everything alright in…what are you doing with that sword?!"
"Practice," the ladies answered as Honey landed a solid hit.
Noble spun around and blocked the door with her shield. She gave her husband a short kiss. "Don't worry. No one will get hurt. We will be out in a moment."
Fort's eyes remained wide as he shut the door, causing Noble to chuckle.
"Last chance." The Awakened raised her shield for a final hit. "See if you can get past my defense."
Honey widened her stance slightly to ground her attack. She flexed her fingers around the sword as a smile bloomed on her face.
Then she rushed forward, avoiding the shield as it moved to block her path. Honey pressed her foot on the flat surface of the buckler and then rebounded off of the ground.
The resulting jump gave her the height to attack her mother from above.
But the Awakened was ready. Noble shifted her weight to the side and grabbed Honey's wrist.
Then, sliding her grip down the girl's arm, Noble wrested the sword from her daughter.
When Honey's feet touched the ground again, she found the sawlike edge pointed squarely between her eyes.
"Bold move," Noble dismissed both Memories in a rain of sparks. "And it might have worked if I didn't know you so well. The element of surprise is a powerful ally."
"Like you and that wrist trick?"
Honey rubbed the spot where her mother had grabbed. It stung a little but would recover quickly.
"One of these days you will have to tell me how you know all this stuff," Honey narrowed her gaze suspiciously.
Noble pressed her lips together and smirked. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me!" Honey laughed at her mother's mysteriousness.
The professor thought for a moment. "I'll make you a deal. You keep studying hard and on your next birthday, I'll tell you my secrets."
"All of them?!" Honey's mouth opened slightly.
Noble hesitated. "Well, at least the ones that matter."
The professor thought of her flaw, her first nightmare and her alter ego. At some point, it would be a good idea for her daughter to know it all.
Preferably before Honey had the chance to succumb to the first Nightmare herself. 'Which will hopefully never happen.'
"It's a deal!" Honey smiled broadly.
Shaking hands, the two ladies exited the dojo. Fort was more than a little relieved to see that both of them still had all of their limbs.
"So...how did it go?" he asked tentatively.
"Mom won, of course. She's better than she lets on." Honey went to the kitchen to get herself a fresh glass of water.
"You aren't too bad yourself," Noble beamed when the girl returned with two glasses.
Honey sipped from one and handed the other to her mother. "I'm going to do a little homework and then watch something."
"Sounds good. Love you, sweetheart." Noble gave her blessing.
"Love you too," Honey blew her mom a kiss before ambling toward her bedroom.
"That was...frightening to watch," Fort shivered slightly. "Our daughter holding a weapon with such ease and determination…it was…."
"Impressive," Noble smiled and kissed her husband.
The man shook his head with a weary grin. "She takes after her mother."
"I hope not!" Noble held her hand over her heart.
Fort laughed at the woman's offended expression. Then he checked the time. "Was that little sparring match a warm-up?"
The professor shook her head. "I'm only observing today."
"Hoping to find weakness and exploit it?" The blond man asked with a wink.
"It sounds bad when you say it like that, but yes. I do want to find a way to win. There is some stiff competition." Noble's face became very serious.
"I know they think the same about you." Fort had seen the articles and interviews. Few wanted to face off against the Queen and her fiery friend, except possibly in the finals.
Already many had fallen to their might. For the Dreamscape tournament was already well underway.
In the end, one team would be victorious.
Bee was determined that the team would be hers.