Around twenty cloaked figures were walking through the snowy road in the middle of the night. Each of their cloaks fluttered violently in the wind, yet their faces remained hidden from the few people still walking along the road. However, if someone were able to see them clearly, they would notice silver, rune-like tattoo marks spreading across their faces.
"Hey, are we there yet? I'm getting bored…" one of the figures said as he licked his lips.
"Yeah, all this power… I've never felt so full before. I can't wait to—"
Suddenly, the tall figure at the front turned around. Beneath his hood, his face was still difficult to see, but his glowing red left eye locked onto the people behind him.
The ones who had been complaining shut up immediately. Even with all their newfound power, the years of instinctive fear toward their boss could not be erased.
Golvax stared at them with his glowing red eye before turning forward again as his gaze settled on the castle walls in the distance. He noticed that there were far fewer passersby here and slowly crouched down as he placed his hand on the ground. His palm began to glow purple, though what he was doing remained unclear.
"Hey, do you think we all had some kind of secret awakening at the same time? Boss, did you do something to us while we weren't looking?" a woman asked as she examined the marks spreading across her arms.
The people around her signaled for her to stay quiet, but the girl didn't care.
"I know you said it was a secret, but you didn't say whether we could keep this power forever. If so, that's going to be neat… nobody could stop us—not even the Magic Council themselves. We can be the strongest dark guild on the continent now."
Golvax slowly rose from his crouch as the woman fell silent the moment she saw him stand.
"Boss… do you know?" she was about to ask again, but Golvax paid no attention to her words.
"It is getting complicated…" he murmured as he stared at the royal castle in the distance.
"What is?" one of his henchmen asked.
"There are two wizards I wish weren't here…" Golvax murmured again before turning his gaze back to his people. "There are magic runes set by the Council everywhere. If I enter, those people would try to stop me with all of their power. Although I am not afraid of them, I don't want too much uncertainty now that I have finally managed to come this far…"
His eye glowed brighter as he looked over those behind him.
"You mean there are people here who are as strong as you?" one of the wizards gasped.
Another licked his lips as he spoke. "Hmph. With this new power, even if they are as strong as you, Golvax-sama, we can still take them on…"
The girl from before sighed. "Giel, you should at least tell believable lies. Even with all this power… I don't think all of us together could defeat the boss."
"Petra is right. You should know when to pump the brakes on that mouth," another man said as he grinned while looking at Giel.
Golvax didn't care about their argument. He clenched his fist before extending two fingers toward his people.
"I will send four of you inside. You don't have to worry about being detected. Prince Nova Steensen should have the item we are looking for. Steal it and bring it to me," Golvax said coldly as his fingertips began to glow purple.
"Also, Petra, you don't have to worry. You will have that magic for your entire lifetime."
"Wait, really…?" Giel was the one who asked excitedly, but Golvax didn't answer. His left eye glowed red as Petra, Giel, and two other men were suddenly encased in purple cocoons formed instantly from the dirt beneath them.
"But even with all that power… don't underestimate anyone. I will say this only once. Do not stay there longer than necessary. As soon as you obtain the item, send me a signal, and I will bring you back."
He didn't wait for a response as, with a single motion of his hand, he sent the cocoons deep underground.
Astro, who was inside the castle ballroom, looked at the many people dancing around him, unaware of what kind of storm was slowly making its way toward him. He was still too lost in his thoughts after seeing that couple—the Queen of the Sin Kingdom, Aurora, and her husband, whose name the announcer hadn't mentioned, even though Astro already knew it well enough.
After all…
Astro noticed a man attempting to ask Aurora for a dance, only for her to bow politely with a gentle smile and say something in a low voice before pulling her own man toward the dance floor instead.
He also noticed that the King of Fiore and the princess were dancing together in the distance as well. It seemed like the king was deliberately making sure Prince Nova didn't get too close to the princess.
"Hello, I saw you in the newspaper lately… Are you free for a dance?"
A cute brown-haired girl around Astro's age approached him, smoothly bypassing Laxus as she asked.
Astro blinked in surprise for a bit. Most nobles do not really hate commoner wizards, but they usually tend to avoid them if they are not needed.
He didn't recognize her. But Astro knew it was common for people to ask other strangers to dance together, and if he rejected this girl, more would likely ask for his hand one after another. Rejecting everyone would be rude, and outsiders will probably think Fiore wizards are too arrogant.
It would be safer to dance once… and then sit down.
"Sure, miss…"
"Annabell… Anna is fine, though," she said with a small smile.
Astro performed a punctual kneel as custom demanded, lowering himself slightly before her.
"I am Astro Blackmist. Miss Anna,… may I take your hand?"
"Yes, of course…"
She smiled brightly as she placed her hand into Astro's palm. He guided her gently toward the center of the ballroom as the music shifted to a slow and elegant beat.
Astro positioned himself in front of her, placing one hand carefully at her waist while lifting their joined hands to the side. He tried to make sure the touch was light and left enough space to remain respectful. Anna also adjusted her posture, resting her free hand against his shoulder as she followed his lead.
They began to move.
One step forward, a soft turn, then a step back—slow and measured. The rhythm rose and fell naturally, their movements matching the calm tempo of the music. Astro guided her with subtle pressure, turning her just enough to let her dress sway gently with each step. He didn't attempt anything flashy or dramatic, simply mirroring the dancers around them as if he had done this many times before.
"Wait, is Anna actually dancing with a wizard? There are so many nobles here…"
"Is she stupid?"
Astro could hear a few girls murmuring as they watched from a distance. He casually glanced in their direction before refocusing and adjusting his hand slightly on Anna's waist, maintaining the same steady pace.
Astro led her through another slow turn, their steps remaining perfectly in sync with the music. There was no exaggerated movement, no dramatic dips—just clean, controlled steps, the same refined style as the nobles around them.
Anna watched him closely as he led, a bit surprised.
Originally, many middle-aged men had asked her to dance earlier in the night. She had to escape from there, and without thinking too much, she approached Astro after noticing his familiar face. She had only expected a normal, barely passable dance from a commoner wizard before calling it a night.
Yet Astro was moving with confidence. His steps were smooth, his timing and reaction to each beat were precise, and he kept a respectful distance the entire time. Astro also did not try to flirt with her or anything during the dance either. Although she wasn't trying to seduce Astro either, she actually began to doubt if her charms now stopped working on people her age.
"You are quite good at dancing… do you get a lot of jobs related to this?" Anna asked as she circled, holding Astro's hand above.
"Hm? Yeah… kind of," Astro replied absentmindedly, as he pulled his thoughts back from the couple from before.
Of course, he was lying.
He was simply copying what the people around him were doing. Still, with his strong, flexible body and quick reactions paired with his ability to learn fast, he had picked it up almost instantly.
…Yeah, what was he kidding?
Like that even works that way, Astro's thoughts again drifted back to the royal couple from the Sin Kingdom—and to his own messy memories from the past. Astro already had a theory as to why his body seemed to be so used to dancing like this. Speaking of the devil–
"Oh my… You are thinking of me even while dancing with such a cute girl. You're going to make me blush," a familiar voice echoed softly inside Astro's mind.
"Also, I love how you are still so expressive on the inside now…Just like your father. But yes, you are right—your body probably still remembers my dancing lessons."
Astro didn't change his expression. As he kept a gentle smile on his face, he lifted Anna's hand and guided her into a slow circle; her dress flowed lightly as she turned before settling back into his arms.
"Is there no law in the Sin Kingdom that prohibits using magic to read other people's minds?" Astro asked silently in his mind; his steps remained steady as the dance continued.
"Hm… no. But this Harry Potter occumulancy law nonsense you're thinking of isn't how the law works here; also, I am the queen, who will question me. " Aurora replied smoothly. "Though… that story sounds interesting. Why don't you share it with me someday?"
Astro glanced at Anna as she danced with her back turned toward him, her posture relaxed as she followed his lead. A small crack appeared in his smile before he quickly masked it again. In his peripheral vision, Aurora and Arthur came into view as well.
Well, their dance was…quite something.
Aurora moved closer to her partner, her body flowed against Arthur's with ease. His hand rested lower on her exposed back, close enough to her hip, and guided her through slow turns that made the slits of her emerald gown reveal her legs with every step. Their whole movements were very smooth and intimate.
Astro could hear a lot of murmurs spread through the ballroom as eyes followed the Aurora and her husband. Some nobles averted their gaze out of decorum, but most men and women present were captivated by the effortless sensuality between them.
Astro's focus wasn't on their dance, however… Well, his focus wasn't anywhere…his mind was spinning as he did not know how to continue this conversation without breaking her heart.
"If you can read my mind…. to that extent," Astro thought slowly, "then you should know…. I am not…"
"No," Aurora interrupted gently. "You are the one who doesn't know, honey."
Astro, who was almost at the end of the dance, felt his heartbeat skip at hearing her gentle tone. As so many thoughts were racing through his mind, he suddenly realized one thing he had overlooked the whole night.
"Looks like you also realize it now…No mother would speak so gently to someone who took over her son's body. Liam never took over Astro's body. It was Astro who originally took over Liam's… and came back. This was the only way to save you back then."
"…."
"...."
"What…?"
The music came to a close as well. Astro released Anna's hand, and she stepped back with a polite smile. Both of them gave a polite bow to each other and left the dance area separately. Nearby, Aurora and Arthur also separated slightly, their movements slowed as the final note faded. But they did not exit the dance floor right away.
Astro took a look at the loving couple from the corner of his eye and slowly made his way to Laxus.
"You are still wary of me," Aurora's voice continued calmly in his mind. "You already should have realized that the memories you are seeing are false. You subconsciously filled the blanks with fabrications you made up from pieces you can remember. That is why your memories are such a mess inside."
Astro stood still in front of Laxus and took the wine glass in his hand without hesitation. Laxus blinked speechlessly at the third glass Astro stole from him. This guy knows how to dance at a ball, but he doesn't know how to get his own drinks?
"I'll give you until tomorrow," Aurora continued in Astro's head. "Figure it out yourself. Recover your memories."
"Is this an order?"
"Yes."
"Now you sound like a proper queen. Are you going to help me?" Astro asked in his mind. This is the first time he had heard her serious voice.
"I am a proper queen," she replied cheekily before continuing, "But we both know you'll trust your own memory more if you find the truth on your own."
"I… but I don't know where to start." Astro did not deny it. Although the way she said it with self-deprecation made him a little unsettled.
"You already know," Aurora said softly. "You are the son of a family that has excelled in mind-related magics for generations and generations. Why do you think you are different? And who do you think blocked those memories in the first place?"
"Wait… you mean—"
Aurora let out a soft sigh on Arthur's chest as she murmured.
"You have been asleep for far too long, honey. It's time to open your eye."
A sharp pain suddenly surged through Astro's left eye.
He staggered slightly, bringing a hand up instinctively. Nobody around him noticed except for Laxus.
"Hey…Astro? Are you okay?" Laxus asked cautiously, looking at Astro covering his left eye and healing it with his magic.
"Yeah… I'm fine," Astro replied in a tired voice.
"Also, Astro…"
He froze for a moment at her calling his name directly.
"Yes," he answered quietly in his mind….he felt like his guard to Aurora went down quite a bit already.
"There will be a lot of chaos at the summit this time."
"Do you want me to stay out of it?" Astro asked. Strangely, he wasn't surprised. It feels like wherever he goes, trouble follows these days.
"Hehe….we are both similar in that regard…personally, I would like you to stay out of it," Aurora admitted. "But…"
"But?"
"You're no longer the six-year-old boy that followed me like a tail…" she said gently as she let Arthur hug her tightly on the dance floor. "I'll let you make your own decision. Do what your heart tells you. But at least…at least make sure to take care of yourself."
The connection faded from Astro's mind.
The pain in his eye did not subside, but Astro did not care about it that much. He exhaled slowly and looked toward the couple in the middle of the dance floor.
Aurora was still close to the black-haired man, her head resting briefly against his arm as he held her. Arthur noticed Astro's gaze and looked at him as well. As their similar glowing purple eyes met, he gave Astro a simple nod. Then, with one smooth motion, he slowly guided Aurora out of the dancing circle.