"I wonder," she thought quietly, eyes following the track as if the answer might simply appear there, "what that girl's [ZONE] looks like."
And then felt it before she saw anything.
A pressure—low, heavy, rolled through the air like a tide pulling back before it crashed. Black Caviar's ears twitched. Her spine straightened. It wasn't hostile, but it was intense, carrying weight and urgency in equal measure.
Her gaze lifted at once.
Invincible Caviar felt it too.
She slowed first, stride faltering mid-lap as her instincts overrode momentum. "—?" She glanced ahead, then to the side, confusion flickering across her face before she came to a full stop.
Namawa nearly ran into her.
"Big sis Invi—?" she started, then felt it herself. The hair along her arms prickled. She swallowed and slowed, eyes darting around. Anonym stopped beside them without a word, posture stiff, attention snapping toward the same unseen source.
Persian approached from the sidelines. Her expression was composed, but there was a crease between her brows as she reached Black Caviar's side.
"…Mother," she said softly, unsettled despite herself. "Do you feel that?"
Black Caviar didn't answer immediately. She drew Persian in with one arm, a firm, grounding hold, her other hand resting briefly at Persian's back.
"I do," she said. "You're safe."
Her eyes were already searching.
The pressure intensified—not spreading now, but narrowing, condensing into something fast and focused. Black Caviar turned toward the garden path just as the light there shifted, colors paling at the edges, as if the world had been lightly brushed with ash.
Something was coming. Fast.
Black Caviar narrowed her eyes.
At first it was just motion—silver cutting through green, too quick to track properly. Then the shape resolved, and her breath caught.
Lunar.
She was running straight toward them, stride clean and decisive, a soft reddish haze clinging close to her like heat seen through glass. It wasn't wild or flaring—it stayed tight to her form, coiled and restrained—but the closer she got, the heavier the air became. Not loud. Not violent.
Just dense.
Black Caviar felt it press against her chest, subtle but unmistakable, like stepping into deeper water without realizing it. The ground beneath her boots seemed firmer, resistant in a way it hadn't been moments ago. Even her breathing felt slightly constrained, each inhale requiring more intent than before.
And in her arms— Black Caviar's eyes widened.
Saiya.
Unconscious. Pale against Lunar's chest. Limbs slack, fluttering faintly where Lunar's grip tightened around her.
Black Caviar moved without thinking.
"Clear the track," she said sharply. Her voice cut through the pressure like a blade, snapping everyone out of their paralysis.
By the time Lunar reached them, the presence around her had grown heavier still. Black Caviar stepped forward—and for the first time in a while, she felt it clearly.
A [Zone].
Not fully stabilized. Not refined. But overwhelmingly there.
It pressed against her senses, not aggressively, but insistently—like standing too close to a powerful current. Her instincts flared, every muscle recognizing the same thing at once.
So this is it, she thought, awe and unease threading together. This is her [Zone].
Lunar stumbled to a stop in front of them, breath breaking unevenly as she tightened her hold on Saiya, as if afraid the moment she loosened even a fraction, she would lose her.
"P-please—" Her voice cracked the moment she spoke. "Auntie, please, she— I shouldn't have let her run, I didn't stop her in time, I thought I could catch her sooner, I—" The words tumbled over each other, desperate and raw, regret spilling out faster than she could control. "I couldn't—she collapsed, I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear I didn't—"
The aura around her swerved with her panic, the soft reddish haze rippling erratically, thinning and thickening as her emotions spiked. The air felt unstable, like it couldn't decide whether to press in or pull away.
Black Caviar stepped closer. "Lunar." The single word cut through the chaos.
Lunar looked at her, eyes glassy, shaking. "I—I can explain—"
"You're not in the right state of mind," Black Caviar said firmly. Not harshly—but with the authority of someone who knew exactly what she was looking at. She reached out, steady and unshaken, and placed a hand over Lunar's trembling arms.
The pressure eased—just slightly. "Breathe."
Before Lunar could protest, Black Caviar gently but decisively lifted Saiya from her grasp. The moment the weight left Lunar's arms, her knees nearly buckled, the aura around her flickering uncertainly, thinning as if it no longer knew what to anchor itself to.
"I have her," Black Caviar said, adjusting Saiya carefully—one arm secure beneath her shoulders, the other supporting her legs. She glanced down at Saiya's face, jaw tightening, then back to Lunar. "You did the right thing bringing her here."
Black Caviar turned sharply to Invincible Caviar.
"Invi," she said, voice clean and commanding. "I'm taking her to the hospital. Full speed." Her eyes flicked briefly to the others. "Keep them here. Call the others if you need help."
Invincible Caviar nodded without hesitation.
Black Caviar didn't wait another second. She shifted her stance—and then she was gone.
The ground cracked under the force of her first step, dust and grass kicking violently into the air as she surged forward, speed exploding into motion. In a blink, she was already halfway down the track, leaving behind nothing but a fading shockwave and stunned silence.
Darkness rolled in overhead with impossible speed, not creeping but forming all at once—dense black clouds folding into place as if they had always been waiting. The light dimmed sharply, swallowed beneath a roiling ceiling of storm. Blue lightning threaded through it, clean and precise, flashing in disciplined arcs that followed Black Caviar's line rather than striking at random..
Black Caviar's [Zone]. It manifested without struggle or delay. perfectly controlled.
Thunder did not roar. It hummed, deep and contained, vibrating through the ground in a way that felt deliberate rather than destructive. The storm did not rage outward; it claimed space, declaring dominance through sheer presence.
And in its wake, Lunar's [Zone] collapsed.
The pressure shifted instantly. The aura wavered, the soft reddish haze tugged upward as if caught in a sudden current, then collapsed in on itself and vanished. The weight in the air released all at once. Breath came easier. The ground steadied.
Thunder rolled once—low, contained—as Black Caviar disappeared down the track, storm and Uma Musume moving as one.
Lunar stood frozen where she'd been left, arms still curved as if Saiya were there, breath uneven and shallow. The space in front of her felt wrong—too empty, her fingers curling slowly as a single thought in her mind ran loose.
What if Saiya left me behind too?
________________
The steady beep of the monitor was the only sound filling the room.
Saiya lay motionless beneath crisp white sheets, her small frame almost swallowed by the hospital bed. Color had returned to her face—enough to ease the sharpest edge of fear—but she still looked delicate, lashes resting too still against her cheeks, chest rising in shallow, measured breaths.
Black Caviar stood at her bedside, one large hand resting lightly over Saiya's smaller one. She hadn't moved since they'd arrived.
Dr. Allen cleared his throat softly, tablet tucked under one arm. "Her condition was aggravated by sudden exertion," he said, tone calm and practiced. "The strain on her heart was significant. Severe, yes—but not irreversible. If she had gone on any longer, the outcome could have been far worse."
Black Caviar's jaw tightened, but she didn't interrupt.
"We've stabilized her," Dr. Allen continued. "She's resting now. The next twenty-four hours will be important, but if there are no complications, she should wake on her own." He allowed himself a small, reassuring smile. "Exhausted. Sore. Likely unhappy about the restrictions. But Alive."
"Restrictions," Black Caviar echoed quietly.
"At least a month of strict rest," Dr. Allen confirmed. "No running. No strenuous activity. And as little excitement as possible." His gaze sharpened just slightly. "If she pushes herself like that again, the consequences may not be so forgiving."
"I understand," Black Caviar said, her voice steady. "I'll make sure she does too."
Dr. Allen nodded, satisfied. "Good. I'll check in again later." With that, he stepped out, the door closing softly behind him.
For a moment, Black Caviar simply stood there, thumb brushing once over the back of Saiya's hand. Her expression softened, worry still present but no longer crushing.
The door opened again.
Invincible Caviar stepped inside, clearly straight from home without any time to clean herself up—hair slightly damp, jacket half-zipped. She slowed when she saw the bed, then moved closer, eyes fixed on Saiya before lifting to her mother.
"How is she?" Invi asked quietly.
"Stable," Black Caviar replied. "Exhausted. But she'll wake up."
Invi let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Good."
A short pause followed, then her gaze flicked back to the door, unease creeping in.
"…Mom," she said, lowering her voice. "What was that earlier? Around Lunar. I've felt pressure before, but that was different."
Black Caviar was silent for a moment, considering how to answer. Then she spoke. "That was a [Zone]."
Invi's ears twitched, eyes widening just slightly. "Already?"
Black Caviar nodded. "She didn't mean to manifest it. It surfaced because she was pushed too far, too fast." Her gaze drifted back to Saiya. "That kind of state doesn't come without cost."
Invi frowned. "It felt… heavy. Like the air itself didn't want to move."
"That's the nature of it," Black Caviar said evenly. "A [Zone] forces the world to acknowledge the Uma's resolve. When it's unstable, it spills outward uncontrollably. Others feel it before the Uma herself does.."
Invi absorbed that in silence, then hesitated. "Do you think that's why Saiya—"
Black Caviar lifted a hand slightly, stopping her.
"We'll ask Lunar later," she said. "When she's calmer. Guessing now won't help anyone."
Invi nodded, though the concern didn't fully leave her expression.
After a beat, she added, "The others were pretty shaken. Lunar especially. I called sister Oscietra to help."
That earned a reaction.
Black Caviar's brows lifted just a fraction, surprise flashing across her face before it settled again. "…You did?"
"She's the most responsible person I know." Invi said. "Didn't make a fuss. Just handled it."
Black Caviar looked back down at Saiya, then toward the door. For a heartbeat, something old surfaced in her expression—distance, history, things left unsaid—before it eased, settling into something more neutral.
"…That is nice of her," she said finally, voice low.
Invi gave a small nod and took a seat nearby, the room settling back into quiet as the monitor continued its steady, reassuring rhythm.
__________
The hospital corridors were quiet when Black Caviar finally left, lights dimmed and footsteps softened by the late hour. Saiya was stable. Strictly watched.
Invincible Caviar had insisted on staying the night in her stead, taking the chair by Saiya's bed without complaint.There was nothing more Black Caviar could do by remaining—and too many things waiting that required her name and signature.
RA paperwork never slept after all.
She returned home well past midnight, the house dark and still when she let herself in. Her jacket came off first, draped over the back of a chair, followed by a slow exhale she had been holding since forever.
Forms from the RA (Racing Australia) sat neatly stacked on the counter where her assistant had left them earlier—medical incident reports, liability acknowledgments, schedule revisions. The sort of things that arrived with polite wording and relentless urgency.
And, if she was honest with herself, there was another reason she'd chosen to come back now.
Oscietra.
She respected her eldest's decision to step in today. Truly. But respect didn't erase history, and it didn't make conversations any easier. Their relationship had always carried a careful distance—one shaped long before today, long before the other girls were grown.
Exceed And Excel.
The name surfaced, familiar and unwelcome. An arranged marriage, entered with obligation and exited with scars neither of them talked about. Oscietra had been old enough to understand pieces of it, old enough to draw her own conclusions—and she had. Her independence, her sharp edges, the way she kept Black Caviar at arm's length… none of it surprised her. She didn't blame Oscietra for refusing the Caviar name. If anything, she'd admired the certainty it took.
Still, admiration didn't make reconciliation simple.
Black Caviar gathered the paperwork and moved through the house, lights clicking on only where she needed them.
As she passed the hallway, something made her slow. A pale glow spilled from the living room, the television murmuring softly into the dark. Black Caviar stopped, then turned.
Lunar sat on the sofa.
She was upright but hollowed out, hands loose in her lap, eyes fixed on the screen without truly seeing it. The program played on, forgotten. She looked like someone who had reached the end of motion and simply stayed there, afraid that if she moved again, something would break.
Black Caviar lingered at the edge of the room. Then she stepped closer, careful, as if approaching something fragile.
"Lunar," she called softly.
No response.
She closed the distance and rested a hand atop Lunar's head, warm and steady.
Lunar's eyes snapped into focus.
She jolted upright, turning so fast she nearly lost her balance, hands clutching at Black Caviar's sleeves. "Saiya—!" Her voice cracked immediately. "How is she? Is she awake? Is she— is she breathing okay? Did I— did I—"
"She's stable," Black Caviar said at once, firm enough to cut through the spiral. "She's resting. Invi is staying with her tonight."
The words landed.
Lunar's shoulders collapsed as if the tension had finally been holding her upright. A broken breath escaped her, shaky and uneven. She leaned forward without thinking, forehead pressing briefly into Black Caviar's chest—seeking warmth, proof, something solid—before she caught herself and pulled back, eyes shining, embarrassed and unsteady.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
Her fingers lingered, still curled into Black Caviar's sleeves, knuckles white.
"I thought—" Lunar swallowed hard. "For a second… I thought I'd lost her. Like—" Her voice faltered, the rest left unspoken but heavy between them. "I didn't want it to happen again."
Black Caviar waited, giving the silence room to settle before speaking again. "Tell me what happened," she said gently.
Lunar hesitated, fingers twisting together. "Saiya ran for me," she said quietly. "She pushed herself because she wanted to help me with my running. And I didn't stop her fast enough. I thought I could catch her sooner, but I wasn't—" her voice wavered, frustration tightening her jaw, "—I wasn't fast enough."
Before Black Caviar could retort, another voice beats her to it. "I keep telling you, Lunar. It isn't your fault."
Both of them turned.
Oscietra stood half-leaning against the entrance to the kitchen, a bowl of mint ice cream cradled in one hand. She looked composed in a way that bordered on unsettling for the hour—awake, entirely present.
Her long, curly hair spilled freely down her back, pale gold and soft in the low light, unmistakably inherited from her other mother. It framed her face in loose waves that made her look gentler than she often allowed herself to be.
Her eyes, however, were sharp—violet at first glance, the color clearly artificial to anyone who knew her well. Beneath the lenses, when the light caught them just right, another shade surfaced; a clear, unmistakable blue. The exact blue Black Caviar carried herself.
A color Oscietra had never fully claimed, no matter how much it belonged to her.
Black Caviar blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "…Didn't expect you to be up at this time," she said at last. "Oscietra."