While the rest of the Familia scrambled around, Tione grabbed Tiona tightly by her arm and immediately dragged her toward a dark, secluded alleyway.
"Tione? What are you doing?"
Tiona questioned, hurrying to keep pace with her sister's frantic strides.
Only after finding an abandoned, shadowed spot where no one could easily stumble upon them did Tione finally pause.
"If you want us to return the hostage, come to the shipyard alone at night. That's what Argana said to me earlier."
"At the time, I didn't understand what she meant until Rakta, Elfy, and the others got attacked and Lefiya was taken hostage."
"Those bastards... to think they would use our Familia to lure us in."
Tione spoke through gritted teeth.
"What are you going to do?"
Tiona asked as she stared at her sister.
"Do you even need to ask? We're going to settle this once and for all!"
"If they're picking a fight, then we'll just crush them."
Tione replied, her voice shaking with an intense, volatile anger.
Tiona looked down in silence for a moment.
"Then we should get help from Ais and the others if we're going to do this."
Tiona said, meeting her sister's gaze.
However, instead of agreeing, Tione simply tossed a small object toward her.
"This is..."
Tiona caught it in her palm, turning it over to examine it.
"The Familia emblem that Rakta said was taken?"
The symbol of a jester was still visible, but it had been tampered with.
Four crude slashes had been carved into it.
"One vertical line and three horizontal ones... a warning from Kali and those bastards telling us to come alone."
"If we don't respond to those traditional rites by ourselves, we will only endanger the rest of the Familia. And Lefiya is entirely at their mercy. They won't hesitate to slit her throat if we don't play by their rules."
"We're the only ones who can finish this... we can't bring Ais and the others."
Hearing this, Tiona closed her eyes and gripped the Familia emblem tightly.
"Okay... I don't like hiding things from everyone, but it seems we don't have any other choice."
Her mind involuntarily drifted back to the grueling years she had spent in Telskyura.
Back then, the very sky had seemed dimmer, and the colors of the world she saw with her eyes were perpetually dark and gray.
The childhood she had endured was just as horrific as Tione's.
Executing her own fellow Amazon sisters, endless, meaningless slaughter, the sight of blood pooling thick on the stone floor, and waking up with fractured bones had been a daily reality.
However, unlike her sister, whose trauma continued to scar her to this day...
Tiona had been saved.
Or rather, her heart had been saved, the day she first laid her hands on a tattered storybook she found lying on the ground.
The Argonaut.
It was a tale about a boy who was constantly ridiculed and treated like a clown, but who eventually rose to be hailed as the Hero of the Beginning.
Even after reading countless other hero stories later in life, the legend of the Argonaut remained her absolute favorite.
Reading those stories was the only reason she had been able to maintain a smile amidst that harsh, bloody upbringing.
Day by day, her world began to brighten, especially when she started getting along with her mentor, Bache, and bonded with her by reading those very same hero stories together.
Suddenly, as she recalled all the hero tales she had read, a certain figure flashed through her mind.
A boy with black hair and purple eyes looked at her with a smile.
'Judas... I want to see him again.'
Tiona thought longingly.
It had only been nearly two weeks since she last saw him, but to her, it felt like forever.
Standing in the shadows of her past, she found herself wishing to see the boy she missed more than anyone else.
...
Entering the inn where the Loki Familia was staying, Ais walked through the doorway with her head slightly lowered.
"Ais, were you able to find them?"
Loki asked.
Naturally, she was referring to Tione and Tiona, who had suddenly disappeared.
"No, I couldn't find them."
Ais shook her head.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I was with Tiona back then, and I let her out of my sight."
Ais added, blaming herself.
"Nonsense. Most of the fault lies with me. I got so caught up helping Rakta and the others that I forgot to keep an eye on Tione, who is emotionally unstable after seeing her old Familia."
"No doubt she left with Tiona."
Riveria interjected with a sigh.
"Tsk... Kali and her lot got us good. Using Lefiya as bait, Tiona and Tione probably went off to confront them directly and reenact whatever twisted blood rites they used to practice back in Telskyura just to get Lefiya back."
"Anyway, we just need to continue our search, and when we find them, we blow them away."
Loki paused, her expression sharpening.
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, despite having those two Level 6 Kalif sisters as their captains, the Kali Familia doesn't actually possess any other first-class adventurers in their active ranks."
"The Level 5 members they used to have were almost certainly used as live fodder for the captains to obtain the grand feats required to rank up to Level 6."
Loki said while folding her arms.
"Still, they are a Familia forged through blood and the corpses of their own kin."
"Just their mid-level combatants are going to be a massive handful to deal with. "
"Not to mention they greatly outnumber us."
Riveria reasoned, adding her own tactical analysis.
"Yeah… this was supposed to be a straightforward, simple investigation. Now it's turned into an all-out Familia War."
Loki agreed before handing a letter to Aki.
"Aki, I need you to head back to Orario immediately and deliver this letter for me."
"Like… right this second?"
Aki asked, blinking in surprise as she accepted the letter.
"Yep. It's incredibly urgent. The absolute key to our success in this war is written on that piece of paper."
Loki grinned, her slitted eyes opening just a fraction as a faint, menacing light flashed within them.
"Understood!"
Aki saluted sharply, turning on her heel and instantly sprinting out the door at full speed.
"Loki, we'll continue the search."
Riveria said, leading the remaining vanguard out to search every square inch of Melen.
"Good luck."
Loki waved before turning toward the window and noticing the sun beginning to set.
"Now then, all that's left is to find those two wild girls."
...
As the sky fully transitioned from a deep orange to a pitch-black, starlit night, Tione and Tiona stood atop a secluded ridge.
They stared up at the dark sky for a quiet moment before turning to look at each other, sharing a silent, knowing nod.
"Tiona, are you ready?"
Tione asked.
Hearing this, Tiona smiled and clenched her fist.
"Yup... let's go kick some ass."
Tiona replied.
"Then... let's go."
Tione said as their figures blurred and vanished.
Their destination?
The Kali Familia.
'We'll finish this once and for all.'
Tione thought, her eyes shining with resolve.
...
"Melen… it really has been such a long time since we last stepped foot in this wretched town."
A smooth, feminine voice purred through the night air.
High atop the roof of a towering building overlooking the coast, two scantily clad elves stood side by side, gazing down at the sprawling port town below.
"Big Sister Dina... I can smell it..."
Vena, the dark elf, spoke with a sadistic grin.
"Yeah, me too, Vena."
Dina added, her own lips curling into an identical, twisted smile.
"The unmistakable scent of fresh blood in the wind. A beautiful little war is about to tear this town apart."
"I'm practically shaking with excitement."
Vena giggled, her shoulders trembling.
"Then… I certainly hope they won't mind if we drop by and add a little more chaos to the mix."
The twin elves spoke in perfect, haunting unison, already picturing the beautiful symphony of screams and despair that was about to unfold.
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