The journey toward the Vespirion Empire felt quieter than the others.
Not because the road was empty.
But because the two children riding those horses… were thinking too much.
Sarena Maidess and Dhea Annetista.
Two great names.
Two names… that now existed only as burdens.
The evening wind brushed against their faces as the gates of the capital slowly came into view. Beyond them stood the noble district. Untouched, intact… something that felt foreign after witnessing the devastation of the refugee camps.
Dhea lowered her head, her fingers gripping the fabric of her clothes tightly.
"…Are we going to die?" she whispered, her voice nearly swallowed by the wind.
Sarena didn't answer immediately.
She kept her gaze forward, toward the large manor beginning to take shape in the distance.
"If they wanted to kill us," she finally said calmly,
"they wouldn't bother bringing us this far."
A logical answer.
But not a comforting one.
Dhea let out a small breath.
"…I hate it when you make sense."
"Get used to it," Sarena replied shortly.
The manor stood grand and imposing.
Larger than they had imagined.
Its architecture did not merely display wealth… but power rooted deep in time.
Tall pillars.
Pale marble walls.
And the family crest carved into the gate.
Nophelle.
The moment they stepped down from their horses, the same thought crossed both their minds.
This was no ordinary place.
This was… the center of something far greater.
Dhea glanced at Sarena.
"…Are we being sold?"
Sarena exhaled softly.
"If we are, this is a very high-class marketplace."
A thin attempt at humor.
Not funny.
But enough to keep panic at bay.
The main door opened.
A girl stood there.
Golden hair tied neatly. Upright posture. Sharp eyes, too calm for someone her age.
She didn't look like a servant.
And she certainly wasn't just an ordinary noble.
"I've been waiting for you," she said.
Sarena stepped forward slightly.
"We want to know… what's happening to us."
The girl observed them for a few seconds.
Assessing.
Measuring.
Then—
"I am Cristiane Nophelle."
Her name alone made the air feel heavier.
"You are not being sold. Nor are you prisoners."
She paused briefly.
"You two… have been Adopted."
Dhea frowned.
"…Adopted?"
Cristiane nodded.
"Because you are the remnants of three bloodlines that must not be severed."
Silence.
Sarena narrowed her eyes.
"…What do you mean?"
Cristiane turned, gesturing for them to follow.
"The Nophelle, Maidess, and Annetista families… are not merely noble houses."
They walked through a vast hall, their footsteps echoing softly.
"Long ago, these three were known as the Three Primordial Nobles of the Vespirion Empire."
Dhea swallowed.
"…Primordial?"
"Yes," Cristiane replied.
"The three foundations that upheld the empire."
She raised her hand slightly, as if arranging something unseen.
"Nophelle, descendants of the Primordial Paladin."
"Maidess, masters of crystallization, the empire's most loyal retainers."
"Annetista, Alchemists... creators of formulas that sustained both war and life."
Sarena began to understand where this was going.
And it did nothing to ease her mind.
Cristiane continued, emotionless.
"These three families are bound by an ancient oath. If one bloodline nears extinction… the others are obligated to preserve it."
Their steps came to a halt.
At the center of the hall, the crests of the three families were carved side by side.
But-
Two of them were cracked.
"…The war a year ago," Cristiane continued quietly,
"destroyed the Maidess… and the Annetista."
Dhea froze.
"…That's impossible…"
Her voice trembled.
"My family-"
"Is gone," Cristiane cut in, gentle… but absolute.
Sarena closed her eyes for a moment.
She had expected it.
Still, hearing it aloud… was different.
"You two," Cristiane continued, now looking directly at them,
"are the last descendants of those lines."
Dhea tightened her grip on her clothes.
"Then… what are we supposed to do…?"
Cristiane answered without hesitation.
"You will become part of the Nophelle family."
Sarena's gaze sharpened.
"More than that," Cristiane replied.
"Protected. Trained. And… restored to your roles."
She stepped closer.
"Sarena Maidess."
Sarena stiffened.
"You will continue the legacy of crystallization. And like your ancestors… you will protect from within. Not merely as a servant… but as a core guardian."
Sarena said nothing.
But her eyes changed.
Sharper.
More resolute.
Cristiane then turned to Dhea.
"Dhea Annetista."
Dhea lowered her head slightly, trembling.
"You will carry on the path of alchemy. Research. Development. The very things the empire itself… cannot survive without."
Dhea bit her lip.
"I'm not that capable…"
Cristiane looked at her for a long moment.
"None of you are 'ready.'"
She turned away, walking slowly.
"But you are still alive."
A simple sentence.
But heavy.
The two of them looked at each other.
No family.
No past to return to.
But.
something still remained.
Purpose.
Connection.
And a burden they could not refuse.
Sarena took a slow breath.
"…We don't have a choice, do we?"
Dhea gave a weak smile.
"…Doesn't look like it."
Cristiane stopped at the base of a grand staircase, without turning back.
"Your choice was already made… the moment you survived."
Silence fell once more.
But this time,
it wasn't emptiness.
It was the beginning of something greater.
Three bloodlines.
Two remaining.
And one family now carrying them all.
In the Aurelthia empire, the morning sky was still bright as the gates of Magnus Mansion slowly opened.
A black carriage adorned with silver ornaments waited in the front courtyard, its selected horses standing calmly, their breath misting faintly in the cold air. Servants lined up neatly, while Ther Magnus stood by the main staircase, observing the two small figures now ready to depart.
White stepped forward first.
His silver-white hair was still short back then, his dull red eyes gazing at the carriage with a mix of curiosity and slight… reluctance.
Behind him, Alyssa walked with calmer steps. Her small dress was neatly arranged, a folding fan already in her hand- a habit she hadn't even fully realized at the time.
"Get in," Magnus said shortly.
No grand ceremony. No dramatic farewell.
Just a first journey into a wider world.
Inside the carriage, silence lingered for a while.
The wooden wheels creaked softly, shaking in a steady rhythm. Sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting moving shadows across their faces.
Alyssa finally broke the silence.
"Lord Magnus… why don't we just teleport directly to the palace?"
White immediately turned, clearly agreeing.
"Yeah. That would be much faster."
Magnus did not answer right away. He simply looked out the window, as if the question was too simple to deserve an immediate response.
"Aurelthia is not a place you simply 'arrive' at," he said at last. "It is a place where you must be seen."
O'drice, seated beside him, added gently,
"Teleporting directly into the palace would be considered impolite… or worse, suspicious."
White frowned.
"So we choose hours of travel just to… look polite?"
Magnus gave a faint smile.
"Sometimes, the way you arrive… matters more than where you're going."
Alyssa suppressed a small laugh behind her fan.
"The noble world is truly troublesome."
"You've only seen the surface," O'drice replied.
The conversation faded.
Silence returned,
Long.
Very long.
White turned back to the window. The view of the city slowly shifting into the noble district didn't truly register in his mind.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
"The Empire…" he murmured.
His eyes dimmed.
"…Sister…"
His voice changed. Faint. Cracked.
"I hope… you live with regret."
No one responded.
But Alyssa glanced at him briefly.
She said nothing.
She simply… remembered.
No more words were exchanged.
None were needed.
Because they both knew,
This journey wasn't about returning to the future.
It was about stepping into something far greater.
And perhaps…
far crueler.