He adjusted his hold on Vespera and glanced back at Alice, who was still clinging to his back with her legs dangling and her face buried in his hair. Neither of them showed any intention of letting go.
"So," he started, turning back to the camera. "In the Ashborn family, there's an old tradition. Children aren't revealed to the public until they come of age. The idea is that a normal upbringing, away from the spotlight and the politics, shapes better people." He shrugged. "Whether that's true is debatable, but it's the tradition."
"After the Mana Apocalypse, that tradition shifted a bit. The children started being revealed not at a set age but when they awakened and registered at the Association. Awakening became the milestone. You awaken, you register, you get introduced to the world as an Ashborn."
He paused.
"I never awakened."
