It all started with a letter. One single, unassuming letter that set into motion so much disaster and trouble that there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. All I could do was attempt to lessen the impact it had on those I cared about.
The note itself arrived on a fairly normal day, or as normal of a day you could get at the Xiao Long household. Summer and I were there for a visit before returning to Beacon, finally taking the chance to meet my new niece. She was a little over a year now and this had been our first look at the little blond that wasn't from our scrolls.
I could tell Raven wasn't exactly happy about my presence there, her weary eyes and colder than normal attitude were quite obvious, but Taiyang made up for it with his boisterous tales and an unmatchable number of puns. It was him plus little Yang's giggles and smiles that made us feel welcome even when my sister was acting less then hospitable.
It just happened to be the last day of our stay that the letter arrived. Tai had brought it in along with the rest of the mail. It looked simple enough, just a tan envelope addressed to Raven in an almost fancy handwriting. What had caught my eyes was the crest stamped on the back, a red gear with a black bird perched in the middle. I recognized it easily, it belonged to our mother.
