Reneal stood motionlessly, his forehead pressed to the sealed doors of the king's bedchambers. His fists trembled at his sides, the cold bite of grief slicing deeper with every breath he drew. The charred remains of his father had already been removed, and the room quarantined for investigation by the Magical Forensics Guild.
Neville.
The Knight Commander.
His father.
Lumielle.
Everyone he held dear felt like ash slipping through his fingers. Now he was surrounded by serpents—aristocrats cloaked in honeyed words and venomous schemes who sought to pull, twist, and tear him until he regressed into a docile and obedient puppet.
Am I too late? He thought bitterly, squeezing his eyes shut. If I had taken a stand sooner… if I had chosen to fight with Lumielle from the beginning—could we have changed anything? Could this devastation have been avoided?
A flicker of silver flashed through his mind—hair like moonlight, a gentle smile, and eyes the color of warm butterscotch.
Sophia.
He hadn't seen her since the ballroom. What had become of her? Had she perished in the explosion too? No… she was supposed to be untouchable, invincible—like a guiding star in a world gone dark. And yet… she was nowhere to be seen.
As faith in his sister's words began to peel like old paint, something stirred. Reneal gasped as the darkness at his feet stretched and detached. As he stared at the anomaly in surprise, a feline's head peeked out, olive-green eyes fixed on him.
His eyes widened in recognition. Wait... isn't that—
Reneal didn't let the words slip from his mouth. Instead, he glanced around the corridor, then swiftly turned and headed for his old room in the stone keep.
There, bathed in the soft glow of firelight, he unfolded a scroll the feline had delivered. His hands trembled as he read the familiar, elegant handwriting:
January 17th, xxx
Dear Big Brother,
I hope this letter finds you well. I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner—we had to flee the palace before it was too late.
Lynn and I are safe. Still shaken, but alive. More importantly… so is Father.
Sophia rescued him just before an assassin could carry out their plan. We suspect Lord Vaerythos and his loyalists. Father's unconscious, but stable. I believe he'll wake up… I have to.
Sophia says you're not in any immediate danger of being targeted by the Mhaledictus. But if anything changes… if you ever feel threatened, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'll come and get you right away.
For now, we're moving forward with the plan to reclaim the kingdom and purge those who've bent the knee to evil. I heard about what you did during the dungeon break, and I'm proud of you—truly—but no more reckless endeavors. Try to keep a low profile. We've come too far to lose everything now.
Take care of yourself.
With love,
Lumielle.
The tears that had been stinging the back of Reneal's eyes at last broke free, trailing silently down his cheeks. Moments ago, he had felt utterly abandoned—damned to grieve alone in silence. But Lumielle was alive. Lyndoria too. And, even more surprising, their father was also still breathing.
Goddess Seraphina hasn't forsaken us after all, he thought with a wan smile. Then his expression darkened. If Father lives… then whose remains did they remove? Did the traitors fabricate his death to escalate their plans? To justify harsher, bloodier tactics?
His jaw tightened.
Reneal walked to the hearth and held the parchment over the flames. The paper curled and blackened, erasing any trace of his sister's existence. Then he turned back to Midnight and knelt, gently stroking the deity's silky fur.
"Thanks for delivering this," he whispered with a faint smile.
The feline gave a slow blink, then dissolved into the undulating wisps of shadow, vanishing from sight.
Reneal clasped his hands before the fire as if in prayer, eyes smoldering. I'll play my part, he vowed silently, steeling his heart. Just promise me you'll stay safe, Lumielle.
***
With a casual wave of his hand, Daisuke summoned a table and several chairs from his inventory, drawing startled glances and murmurs of surprise from those around him.
Tiphanna arched a brow, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Still as outrageously resourceful as ever, I see. Some things really never change."
Daisuke heaved a crooked smile, sliding a chair out for himself. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
The exchange earned a few light laughs—Sister Aeliana chuckled behind her fingers and even the usually quiet Josephine allowed herself a soft, amused smile as she settled in beside Tiphanna.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Garrett looked to the side and spotted Casper, Poppy, Corey, and LR standing nearby. "Ah, sorry, guys," he muttered. "Looks like we're out of seats."
Casper gave a good-natured shrug. "No worries. You guys were always the core members of the Sprites anyway. It's only right that you four are at the forefront of the meeting."
Garrett shot Ribbit a look, deadpan. "Y'know, I can get Haxks, I can get Brek, and I can even get myself—but Ribbit as one of the main four?"
"I mean… yeah," Poppy chimed in with a small grin. "Ribbit was surprisingly reliable when it came to food runs back in Dusthaven."
"Emphasis on food," Corey added teasingly. "Anything food-related and he suddenly turns into a genius."
Seething with envy, Garrett glowered at the heavy bastard. "He's also… surprisingly confident and smooth when it comes to girls."
Ribbit puffed out his chest proudly. "Gran-Gran always said the quickest way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. And girls like guys who can listen and be all sensitive and stuff, too!"
LR pulled out a notebook and started secretly scribbling down notes.
"I'm still so bummed Sophia isn't real," Ribbit sighed dreamily, resting his chin in his hands. "Such a shame—she was so pretty…"
Everyone cringed.
"I get where you're coming from," Garrett muttered with a scowl. "But it's seriously creepy how you keep bringing it up—especially knowing that was just Haxks in disguise."
Casper narrowed his eyes at Ribbit. "You keep talking like that and I'll be forced to demote you from your elevated status in my mental hall of fame."
Poppy chuckled. "I'm honestly surprised he was even a part of it to begin with."
"I know, right?" Corey agreed with a grin, even as he elbowed LR and muttered, "You better share those notes with me later."
Brek let out a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Remind me why I'm friends with these weirdos again?
As the laughter died down, Daisuke and Lyndoria both turned to find Lumielle. She was still crouched next to the king's bedside, her fingers gently brushing a slip of parchment against his hand.
"Hey, what's the holdup?" Daisuke called out. "We're about to start."
The princess looked up at the sound of his voice and quickly moved to join the others, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry," she said, taking the last remaining space beside Lyndoria. "I was just placing one of the sutras Roselle gave me beside Father."
"Sutras?" Lyndoria asked.
Lumielle nodded and retrieved two remaining pieces from her sleeve—small slips of parchment etched with symbols and characters. "She gave me three. I'm keeping one, I gave one to Father, and the last is for you."
Lyndoria accepted the offered slip with both hands, inspecting the faintly glowing characters. "These are enchanted?"
"They mask mana signatures," Lumielle explained. "It'll make it harder for anyone to track us using magic."
"That's convenient," Lyndoria said with a satisfied smile. "I would imagine they're already putting together a hunting party."
"Roselle… that woman's incredibly shrewd," Daisuke remarked, clearly impressed. "This tent regulates temperature and blocks out sound—but it doesn't conceal mana."
Lumielle offered a faint smile. "Eleonore was definitely right to recommend her to us. Being able to move around discreetly will make our jobs a lot easier."
Lyndoria nodded.
Daisuke leaned forward. "Alright then," he said. "Let's get straight into the meat of the matter. As I'm sure everyone is aware, the situation at the tower wasn't an accident."
His eyes swept slowly across the group gathered around the table. Brek leaned forward with his arms crossed. Sister Aeliana clasped her hands atop her lap. Lumielle sat upright, her expression still ashen but focused.
"It was a targeted attack," Daisuke continued. "They meant to eliminate Princess Lumielle. I would imagine they weren't too pleased about being talked down to—or threatened—with the name of the Absolution Guild."
Murmurs of unease circled the table. Garrett frowned. Josephine looked visibly disturbed. Lyndoria narrowed her eyes.
"And," Daisuke added grimly, his gaze locking on Lumielle, "according to Midnight, you've been branded a criminal by the court."
The princess stiffened. "What…?"