The veiled woman stared at Lord Ossian as if she were looking at a madman.
"You're making yourself far too visible," she hissed. "Do you want every righteous Order in the Mortal Realm marching on your doorstep?"
Lord Ossian's skeletal jaw clicked in a cruel laugh.
"Righteous Orders?" Black smoke leaked from the empty pits of his eyes. "They're the least of my concerns. The moment the Sevenfold Shroud resurfaced, the hounds of the Sevenfold Dominion were bound to come sniffing after it. And those Covenant pests who invaded my domain..." His voice hardened. "There's every chance they already discovered the Bone Warren."
He rose from his throne of fused skulls.
The chamber beneath the Dread Mire trembled.
Massive pillars of bone stretched into darkness overhead. Rivers of black blood ran through carved trenches in the stone floor. Countless corpses hung upside down from iron hooks, slowly draining into collection pits below.
The room stank of rot, iron, and burning marrow.
Lord Ossian spread his remaining hand.
"And now my strength is damaged. My arm is gone. My source pools are crippled. If I sit here and wait, I die."
The woman's eyes widened.
"You dare act without permission?" she snapped. "Have you forgotten who saved you?"
Her voice became colder.
"When you were cornered and broken, it was the Holy Sovereign who pulled you from the grave. It was the Sanguine Lord who helped you destroy the purification towers the Covenant placed throughout the Dread Mire."
She stepped closer.
"And now you repay that mercy with disobedience?"
Ossian's empty sockets flared crimson.
"That is precisely why I must act."
He slammed his remaining hand onto the throne armrest.
The throne shattered.
Bone fragments exploded across the hall.
"Only rivers of blood can restore my source pools."
His voice thundered through the cavern.
"Only fresh organs can rebuild my legions."
He leaned forward, madness radiating from him.
"Only more Bone Towers can ensure I survive the siege that is coming."
He bared rows of jagged fangs.
"And only then..."
His voice dropped into something almost reverent.
"...will the Holy Sovereign awaken to find my kingdom still standing."
The woman fell silent.
Even she seemed disturbed.
Then Ossian laughed again.
A hideous, rattling sound.
"Mirwatch was only the beginning."
The woman stiffened.
Ossian slowly turned his skull toward her.
"Now... I take Mirekeep."
She inhaled sharply.
"You've gone insane."
Her voice rose.
"Mirekeep is not some helpless frontier town."
She pointed toward the surface.
"It's the largest fortress-city in the Dread Mire. Its walls are built for war. Its granaries are full. And Rovan Ashford commands over sixteen thousand elite soldiers there."
Her expression darkened.
"You may have corrupted thousands of ancient corpses... but that doesn't mean you can win."
Ossian spat black sludge onto the ground.
"Win?"
He laughed again.
"My Bone Towers crushed Mirwatch like an egg."
He raised his clawed fingers.
"What are soldiers before them?"
His jaw stretched wider.
"And if those soldiers truly are strong…"
His grin became monstrous.
"Then I'll kill them too."
The woman suddenly froze.
She had remembered something.
Her face turned pale beneath the veil.
"Wait."
Her voice lowered.
"The Iron Maw Legion..."
Ossian stared at her.
"What about them?"
She looked at him like he was already dead.
"They belong to the Young Lord."
Silence.
Ossian stopped moving.
The woman's voice sharpened.
"If you consume his soldiers, you won't need to worry about the Covenant."
Her eyes narrowed.
"He'll kill you first."
Ossian said nothing.
She continued mercilessly.
"And if he sends Lord Voss?"
Even the torches seemed to dim.
"One of the Four Pillars."
"Commander of a hundred thousand troops."
"A man said to carry treasures that make ghosts flee screaming."
She leaned in.
"And you think you can survive that?"
Ossian's voice emerged slower this time.
"I fear no one."
But the force behind the words had weakened.
The woman heard it.
So did he.
She smiled coldly.
"That's what I thought."
Ossian suddenly rose to full height.
Bone cracked.
Dark mist erupted from his robes.
"Then all the more reason to strike now!"
His killing intent surged.
"Mirwatch and those pathetic villages are too small."
"They cannot satisfy me."
He pointed upward.
"Mirekeep falls next."
He turned toward her.
"Send a ward-script to that whelp."
"Tell him to withdraw the Iron Maw Legion."
His voice became absolute.
"I grant him seven days."
The entire cavern trembled.
"When the seventh day ends…"
He grinned.
"Whether those soldiers remain or not..."
"I will devour Mirekeep."
---
Kael woke slowly.
At first, he thought he had died.
The bed beneath him felt softer than anything he had ever touched.
Warm silk covered his body.
The blankets smelled faintly of flowers and expensive incense.
He blinked.
Golden candlelight flickered across embroidered curtains. Painted walls gleamed with lacquer and gold leaf. Rare jade carvings rested on polished shelves.
The room looked fit for royalty.
Kael stared upward.
"Where the hell am I?"
He pushed himself upright.
Pain immediately stabbed through his chest.
He hissed through clenched teeth.
The pain was far weaker than before, but his body still felt hollow.
Weak.
Drained.
Across the room, Selene stirred.
She had fallen asleep at a table beside his bed.
The moment she heard him move, she jerked awake.
Then she rushed toward him.
"You're awake!"
Her voice trembled with relief.
Kael's eyes lit up the moment he saw her.
He grabbed both her hands without hesitation.
Selene froze.
"Sel."
He stared at her like a starving man finding water.
"You're alive."
A blush spread across her cheeks instantly.
"O-of course I'm alive."
She tried pulling her hands back.
Failed.
Kael looked around.
"Where are we?"
He squeezed her fingers absentmindedly.
"This place is absurdly luxurious."
Selene looked away.
"This is Rovan Ashford's estate."
Kael blinked.
"The Young Marquis?"
She nodded.
"The famous Ashford family manor."
Kael sank deeper into the bed.
"That explains it."
He sighed happily.
"I've never slept this well in my life."
Selene gave him a strange look.
"You should have."
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"You slept for two full days."
Kael nearly fell out of bed.
"Two days?!"
He stared at her.
Then he noticed the exhaustion in her face.
The faint redness in her eyes.
The way her shoulders sagged.
"You stayed here the whole time?"
For once, Selene looked genuinely flustered.
"No."
Too fast.
"There are servants everywhere."
She avoided his eyes.
"I wasn't needed."
She quickly continued.
"Mira and Zaeli barely slept."
"And Sylva healed you every time she recovered enough Aether to do it."
Kael's chest tightened.
He held her hands even tighter.
"You all did that for me…"
Selene winced slightly.
His grip was stronger than he realized.
"You're still badly injured," she said softly. "The strike from The Underworld Claw nearly killed you."
Kael's expression darkened.
"That attack was that bad?"
Selene nodded.
"My Frost Griffin was destroyed instantly."
Her voice trembled at the memory.
"And that was just collateral damage."
She looked into his eyes.
"If that attack had landed properly…"
She couldn't finish.
Kael quietly circulated his Vitae.
Nothing.
His lower Crucible felt nearly empty.
He reached for his Aether reserves.
Almost gone.
His face darkened.
"I'm crippled."
Selene immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Sylva said two or three months."
"Maybe less."
Kael groaned.
"We're supposed to go to Aureheim."
"How am I supposed to do anything lying in bed for months?"
Selene's expression softened.
"You're alive."
Kael muttered darkly.
"Barely."
She hesitated.
Then spoke more quietly.
"It'll pass quickly."
Her ears turned red.
"And I'll be here…"
She froze.
Then corrected herself immediately.
"I mean—we'll all be here."
She yanked her hands free at last.
Kael stared at his empty palms.
They still carried her cool softness.
He looked devastated.
Selene saw that expression and nearly laughed.
Instead, her own face burned hotter.
She turned away.
"You're impossible."
Kael forced himself to recover.
"What about the undead?"
Selene's face became serious.
"They stopped chasing us."
Kael relaxed—
Then she continued.
"But several villages were destroyed after Mirwatch."
His expression froze.
"Almost no survivors."
"The entire Dread Mire is panicking."
"Refugees are flooding into Mirekeep."
Kael stared at her.
"The government is doing nothing?"
"What about Rovan?"
"What about the Iron Maw Legion?"
Selene nodded.
"He's working nonstop."
"He moved his forces into Mirekeep."
"He's requested reinforcements from the capital."
Kael frowned.
"If he has sixteen thousand soldiers…"
"Why hide behind walls?"
Selene looked at him like he was being stupid.
"Did you forget those skeletal giants?"
Kael's face paled.
He had not forgotten.
Towering horrors.
Walking fortresses.
Nightmares made real.
Selene folded her arms.
"Even elite soldiers may not survive those things."
"Master and Shreve Lyra both believe the city walls are their only real chance."
Kael muttered bitterly.
"Those monsters might actually be stronger than my Unbreakable Marshal."
Selene blinked.
Then burst into laughter.
Bright.
Sudden.
Beautiful.
"In your dreams."
She covered her mouth, laughing harder.
"Your precious construct spent half its existence chasing you around mountains."
Kael stared.
Not because of her words.
Because she looked stunning.
Under the soft candlelight, her flushed cheeks glowed like blooming roses.
Her laughter nearly stopped his heart.
Selene noticed him staring.
Her laughter died instantly.
Her face turned red again.
"We've talked enough."
She stood abruptly.
"You need rest."
"And I need sleep."
She yawned.
"I'm exhausted."
Kael wanted desperately to stop her.
To keep her there.
To hear her voice longer.
But he saw how tired she was.
And guilt won.
"Go sleep."
He smiled softly.
"I'm fine."
Selene paused at the doorway.
"I'll come back in the morning."
"There are servants outside."
"If you need anything, call for them."
She hesitated.
Then left.
Kael stared at the doorway long after she was gone.
Only when exhaustion dragged him under again did he finally sleep.
---
Morning came quickly.
Selene returned exactly as promised.
Then Sylva arrived.
Mira followed.
Zaeli entered carrying medicine.
Finally, Isara stepped inside.
The room instantly became quieter.
Everyone checked on Kael.
Everyone looked relieved.
Sylva placed gentle fingers against his chest and examined his wounds.
Her brows slowly rose.
"That's strange."
Kael grinned.
"What?"
She looked genuinely confused.
"You healed much faster overnight."
Her fingers glowed with green light as she examined him again.
"The damage from The Underworld Claw should have taken months."
She looked at him like he was some kind of puzzle.
"At this pace…"
Her eyes widened.
"You may fully recover in half a month."
Mira gasped happily.
Zaeli nearly cried with relief.
Selene visibly relaxed.
Kael laughed.
"That's because all of you took such good care of me."
Sylva slowly shook her head.
"No."
"That isn't normal."
Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Something about your body is accelerating the healing."
Isara stood silently nearby.
Watching Kael.
Watching far too carefully.
She said nothing.
But her gaze sharpened.
Lyra noticed immediately.
And silently filed it away.
Interesting.
Kael, oblivious, scratched his head.
"By the way…"
He looked at everyone.
"What happened after I got hit?"
"I remember the claw."
"I remember pain."
"Then nothing."
Selene opened her mouth—
Lyra cut in first.
Her lips curved into an amused smile.
"Oh, that?"
She lazily leaned against a pillar.
"I merely helped a little."
Her eyes drifted toward Selene.
"The one who truly drove Lord Ossian away…"
Her smile deepened.
"...was her."
Kael stared at Selene.
Then burst out laughing.
"Shreve, that joke needs work."
He looked at Selene.
"You?"
Selene rolled her eyes.
"If I could defeat that monster alone…"
Her voice turned dry.
"Do you think he would've captured me in the first place?"
Lyra gave Kael a lazy smile.
"That's because earlier," she said, "your dear Third Soror hadn't used her truly terrifying toy yet."
Kael blinked.
"What terrifying toy?"
Selene shot Lyra a glare.
"Shreve Lyra is messing with you. Even with that thing, I still couldn't truly kill that old monster."
Lyra folded her arms beneath her chest and smiled wider.
"You blew off one of Lord Ossian's arms," she said. "And you're still pretending it was nothing?"
Kael immediately sat upright.
"What thing?" he demanded. "Show me."
He lunged toward Selene with both hands.
Selene had clearly expected that.
She darted backward like a startled cat, skirts swishing as she slipped out of his reach.
"Show you what?" she snapped. "You've seen it before."
Mira, who had been quietly peeling fruit nearby, looked up.
"The Banishing Thunder Pearl?" she asked softly.
Selene gave a reluctant nod.
Kael's jaw dropped.
"That little bead?"
He stared at her as though she had revealed she carried a dragon in her sleeve.
"That tiny thing blew Lord Ossian's arm clean off?"
"No wonder you guarded it like treasure."
Selene snorted.
"I wasn't hiding it. You all knew I kept it on me."
Her expression softened for half a breath.
"My mother gave it to me to protect myself."
Kael rubbed his chin.
"That tiny pearl could cripple an Archon-level undead horror…"
He stared harder.
"What exactly does your mother do?"
Selene immediately straightened with visible pride.
"What doesn't she do?"
Kael frowned.
He knew her father was one of the Four Pillars of the Empire. A grand noble. Rich beyond reason.
So naturally, his thoughts went in the stupidest possible direction.
"Oh."
He nodded as if solving a profound mystery.
"I get it."
He pointed at her.
"Your father must've gifted your mother all these treasures while courting her."
Selene froze.
Then her face exploded red.
"You complete idiot!"
She nearly threw a pillow at him.
"My father gave her gifts, yes—but my mother forged far more artifacts herself!"
Her chin lifted.
"The Banishing Thunder Pearl was crafted from a king-grade Kingsforge Stone my mother personally recovered from the outer seas."
Kael stared.
"What?"
He looked genuinely shaken.
"Your mother forges divine artifacts?"
Sylva laughed softly.
"You truly didn't know?"
She smiled.
"Lady Rendeth Voss is known across the Three Islands and Ten Continents as the Lady of a Hundred Crafts."
Kael looked like his soul had left his body.
He turned slowly toward Selene.
"You never told me your mother was that terrifying."
Selene tilted her head smugly.
"You never asked."
Kael groaned dramatically.
"When we reach Aureheim, you have to introduce me."
The room went dead silent.
Selene's face turned crimson all the way to her ears.
"W-what?"
Her voice jumped an octave.
"Who said I'm taking you anywhere?"
She pointed furiously at him.
"And what makes you think my mother wants to meet you?"
Her breathing quickened.
"You can't just decide to meet someone's parents because you feel like it!"
She stomped once.
"Pig-brained lunatic!"
Kael stared at her in total confusion.
He scratched his head.
Why was she so angry?
Then realization struck him.
Ah.
Right.
Her father was a marquis.
Her mother was effectively nobility as well.
A random nobody like him obviously couldn't stroll into their estate asking for tea.
That had to be it.
He nodded to himself, deeply satisfied by his own conclusion.
When he looked up again—
everyone in the room was staring at him with deeply amused expressions.
Kael became confused all over again.
---
By afternoon, far fewer people visited him.
Even Selene only stopped by briefly after lunch.
She said barely three sentences before leaving in suspicious haste.
Kael spent hours lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
By sunset, he finally caught Zaeli hurrying into the room.
He nearly leaped off the bed.
"What is this?" he demanded. "Now that I'm not dying, everyone abandons me?"
Zaeli laughed.
"Abandons you?"
She shut the door behind her.
"I'm here, aren't I?"
Kael softened immediately.
"I know you're good to me."
He leaned closer.
"But where's everyone else?"
Zaeli smiled in a way that instantly made him suspicious.
"Actually…"
"I'm here because someone asked me to check on you."
Kael's pulse jumped.
"Who?"
"Guess."
She sat beside his bed.
Kael groaned.
"Why does everyone enjoy making me guess things?"
He looked at her hopefully.
"Give me a hint."
Zaeli leaned close enough for him to smell the faint floral scent in her hair.
"It's the one who keeps calling you pig-brained."
Kael's face lit up.
"Sel— Third Soror?"
Zaeli nodded.
"She was worried you'd be bored."
"She asked me to keep you company."
A stupid grin spread across Kael's face.
"If you're strong enough to walk," Zaeli added, "she said I should take you outside."
Kael instantly jumped from bed.
"Yes."
"I'm absolutely strong enough."
Zaeli grabbed his arm.
"Slow down."
"You're still injured."
She fetched a heavy robe from nearby and carefully draped it over his shoulders.
Her fingers brushed his neck while tying it closed.
For a moment, Kael noticed how gentle her hands were.
Then she stepped back.
"There."
They walked outside together.
Kael stopped cold.
The estate spread below them like something stolen from a king's dream.
Their courtyard sat halfway up a lush hill covered in emerald trees.
Below stretched pavilions, towers, bridges, gardens, streams, and grand halls layered down the slope toward distant flatlands.
Lanterns were beginning to glow as evening approached.
Flowers bloomed in disciplined patterns.
Running water glittered gold under the dying sun.
The entire place looked absurdly expensive.
Kael swallowed.
"Wait."
He pointed.
"All of that belongs to Rovan?"
Zaeli nodded.
"All that you can see."
"This courtyard is called Emerald Rest."
"Rovan knew Master Isara disliked noise, so he gave us the quietest residence in the estate."
She smiled.
"It apparently belonged to one of his family's elder relatives."
Kael stared downward.
"This estate is enormous."
Zaeli laughed.
"You've only seen part of it."
"When you recover, I'll show you farther out."
She leaned closer and whispered:
"It's nearly twice the size of the town below Vane's Summit."
Kael inhaled sharply.
"Sweet hell."
He looked offended.
"So this is how nobles live?"
Zaeli nodded.
"He isn't an ordinary noble."
"Second Soror said his official rank may be slightly lower than Selene's father…"
She smiled faintly.
"…but his title carries equal weight."
Kael narrowed his eyes at the vast estate.
"This much luxury costs a fortune."
He lowered his voice.
"You think he might be corrupt?"
Zaeli burst into laughter.
"I don't know if he's corrupt."
"But people are certainly afraid of him."
She glanced toward distant barracks.
"Yesterday I saw military officers following him through the lower grounds."
"They looked like killers."
"And every one of them treated him with absolute respect."
Kael immediately remembered how Mira had looked at Rovan.
That memory stabbed him for reasons he refused to examine.
He crossed his arms.
"A true leader earns loyalty through virtue."
"That bastard clearly relies on intimidation."
Zaeli tilted her head.
"That's strange."
"He seemed very gentle when I spoke with him."
Kael's heart sank.
Another one.
That bastard was charming all the women around him.
A threat.
An enormous threat.
He changed the subject immediately.
"Why didn't Selene come herself?"
Zaeli frowned.
"Am I not enough?"
Kael panicked.
"No, no—"
"You're wonderful."
"I just meant—"
Zaeli snorted.
"They're all busy."
"Busy doing what?"
"Preparing for another undead attack."
Kael's expression hardened.
"What kind of preparation?"
"Lady Rendeth warned that Lord Ossian's skeletal giants emit overwhelming Intimidating Aura."
She gestured toward several lit buildings below.
"We're helping copy defensive ward-scripts."
"Shreve Lyra will refine them afterward."
Kael's eyes lit up.
"Ward-writing?"
He grabbed her sleeve.
"That's my specialty."
"Take me."
Zaeli immediately shook her head.
"Absolutely not."
"You're injured."
"And everyone specifically said you're forbidden."
Kael stared at her in disbelief.
"Forbidden?"
Zaeli tried very hard not to laugh.
"They said if you touched the ward-scripts…"
"…you'd probably create another disaster."
Kael's face slowly burned red.
He remembered.
Years ago at Vane's Summit, he had proudly volunteered to help copy defensive earth wards.
When activated—
they had shattered stone instead of strengthening it.
That would have been survivable.
Unfortunately, the broken stones had somehow fused together that night into a screaming rock creature.
The thing had invaded the alchemy hall.
By dawn, priceless materials were ruined.
Several buildings were damaged.
All his sorors had been punished alongside him.
Three months of disciplinary meditation.
Kael groaned.
"Fine."
Then his eyes narrowed.
"Is Rovan helping them write wards?"
Zaeli shook her head.
"He doesn't have time."
Kael visibly relaxed.
Good.
That dangerous bastard wasn't near his sorors.
"And he wouldn't help even if he did have time," Zaeli added.
"He has to command sixteen thousand Iron Maw soldiers."
"He's reorganizing defenses."
"Deploying troops."
"Preparing evacuation routes."
"Managing supply lines."
Kael waved that away.
Then he crooked a finger.
"Come closer."
Zaeli hesitated.
Then leaned in.
Kael lowered his voice dramatically.
"Why do you keep defending him?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"What are you implying?"
Kael coughed.
"Well…"
He grinned.
"Do you like him?"
Zaeli went completely still.
Then her fist slammed into his forehead.
Kael yelped and collapsed backward onto the grass.
"My wounds!"
"My fragile body!"
Zaeli stood over him with a burning red face.
"You shameless idiot!"
"You deserve worse!"
She spun around, skirts whipping through the air.
"And I'm not speaking to you again!"
Then she stormed off.
Kael lay on the grass groaning.
"I was joking…"
He watched her disappear.
Then sighed.
Women were impossible.
---
Night fell.
No one came.
Not Selene.
Not Mira.
Not Zaeli.
Not even Lyra.
Only Sylva visited briefly to channel healing Vitae into his wounds before leaving to continue preparations.
Then Kael was alone.
Very alone.
He paced circles around his room until he nearly wore grooves into the floor.
At one point he considered finding a cute servant girl he had seen delivering water earlier.
At least flirting would kill time.
Then he froze.
His eyes widened.
"Oh, hell."
He slapped his own forehead.
"Peria."
He sprinted back to his bedside table and yanked the pale ceramic vessel from the Wardian Satchel.
The Lone-Bud Branch rested inside.
He stared at it in horror.
"I completely forgot about you."
Guilt flooded him.
"You've been trapped in there for days."
He carefully set the vessel on the table.
"I deserve death."
He rubbed his palms together nervously.
"Please don't be angry."
Following Lady Perelda's instructions, he formed the proper hand signs and recited the summoning formula.
Soft mist began leaking from the peach branch.
Thin white threads drifted into the air above the table.
The fog thickened.
Kael finished the chant.
Then waited.
Nothing happened.
He blinked.
"…Peria?"
Silence.
No giggling spirit girl.
No teasing voice.
No sudden tackle from behind.
Nothing.
Kael frowned.
"Did I remember the formula wrong?"
His stomach dropped.
"Oh no."
He repeated it.
Still nothing.
Cold sweat formed on his neck.
"This is bad."
"We're miles from the Jade Peaks."
"How am I supposed to ask Lady Perelda what I did wrong?"
He stared helplessly at the branch—
Then froze.
The peach branch was gone.
The ceramic vessel was empty.
Kael's blood turned to ice.
He staggered backward.
"What…"
His voice trembled.
"Peria?"
He stared into the empty vessel.
"Please don't mess with me."
Panic climbed into his throat.
"If I said something wrong—if I used the wrong formula—please forgive me."
He looked wildly around the dark room.
"Peria?"
"Please come out."