Two weeks later–
Astra sat in her chamber, having just finished her breakfast. The silence was heavy, only broken by the soft sound of her utensils as she placed them down.
She lifted her gaze to Gerald, who stood at attention near the wall. Though his posture was disciplined, there was a faint crease between his brows—disappointment he could not entirely conceal.
"Has there been any news from the guards?" Astra asked calmly.
"No, Your Highness."
Gerald bowed, his voice edged with restrained frustration.
Astra's face remained serene, yet there was a subtle flicker in her eyes, a glimmer of anticipation that suggested she had already known this would be the case.
So, nothing… even after two weeks. Even though an attempt on a princess's life was made.
A faint scoff echoed only in her thoughts.
To think that I, a powerless and unfavored princess, am still not safe. Hah… how troublesome.
She exhaled softly, fingers resting against the table.
Although I can handle things on my own, but I dislike being disturbed while I sleep.
Rising from her seat, Astra turned toward both Cassia and Gerald, her gaze steady and deliberate.
"Can you bring some people to me?"
Cassia blinked in surprise. "Who, Your Highness?"
Astra's voice was calm but firm as she described the individuals she wanted, detailing the exact features.
Cassia and Gerald exchanged a glance, a shared understanding passing between them before they nodded in agreement. They left the room, determined to fulfill the princess's request.
When they returned, Astra stood by the window, hands folded behind her back, gazing out at the black rose garden below.
Sunlight traced her pale silhouette, lending her an air of calm authority that felt far heavier than her small frame suggested.
Footsteps sounded.
She turned.
Five figures stood before her.
Two girls with matching cyan-colored hair, their expressions cautious.
A girl with reddish-brown hair, eyes sharp but guarded.
A woman slightly older than Cassia, her demeanor composed, seasoned by experience.
And lastly—
A young girl, no more than twelve or thirteen. Her messy black hair hung wildly around her face, obscuring her features completely, as if she had never once bothered to comb it.
Astra's gaze swept over them, her expression unreadable. For a moment, there was silence.
The air in the chamber grew taut, as though something unseen had tightened its grip. None of them spoke. None dared to.
Finally, Astra broke the stillness, her voice even and unhurried.
"Do you know why I called for you?"
No answer came.
The silence pressed in, but Astra didn't mind. She observed them silently.
—
Far away, in an ancient land–
The wind howled fiercely, carrying an ominous chill through the air.
Once-vibrant leaves trembled as they clung weakly to dying trees, while flowers withered in place, their colors fading as though life itself were being drained away.
The rivers, once full and flowing with crystal-clear water, were gradually drying up, leaving behind cracked and barren riverbeds.
The great trees, towering and proud, stood like silent sentinels, slowly dying, their branches devoid of life as leaves falling one by one to the lifeless ground.
The land itself seemed to groan.
As if the world were crying out.
Mourning the slow decay of something once powerful, now slipping toward oblivion.
Inside a grand chamber,
A group of figures sat around a large stone table, their faces tense with worry. Their eyes darted from one another, the weight of the situation pressing down on them like an invisible force.
The air was thick with unspoken fears, and each person knew the gravity of the discussion that lay ahead.
"Our lord's 'Essence' is growing weaker, and weaker day by day" one of them finally spoke. His voice trembled despite his effort to remain composed. "The life force that sustains him… that sustains us all… is fading."
He clenched his fist against the table.
"If this continues, not only will we lose our lord, but the very life force of our world will wither away alongside him."
Another voice followed, low and urgent.
"Our lord's 'Essence' is bound to the Heart of our World. They are inseparable. Should his Essence fade beyond recovery, our clan will cease to exist, and the balance that preserves this land will collapse entirely."
Silence fell.
The reality of their words settled like a suffocating fog. The world they had protected for centuries—the forests, the rivers, the skies—was slipping away, grain by grain, like sand through open fingers. Without their lord's 'Essence,' there would be nothing left to hold the world together.
At last, a figure clad in deep blue robes rose from their seat.
Their face was calm, but eyes spoke volumes of the burden they bore. The figure addressed the room with quiet authority, their voice steady despite the gravity of the moment.
"There is no time left," The figure said, the words struck the chamber like a verdict.
"We can no longer wait for fate to turn in our favor. We must act. Now."
They looked around the table, meeting each gaze in turn. "It is time to send our lord to find it."
A murmur rippled through the chamber. Uneasy, yet resolute.
They all understood what that meant.
There was a way to restore the lord's 'Essence,' a way to save the world, but it required something more than mere power— time. The lord must find the 'It' as soon as possible.
But there was a cost, none could say what would become of their world if the journey failed.
The air in the room grew thicker, the tension mounting. With the weight of their world on their shoulders, they all realized the impossible truth: Only by sending their lord on this unknown journey could they hope to save everything they held dear.
But would it be enough? Would their lord succeed in finding it before it was too late?
With a final, resolute glance, the blue-robed figure turned to leave.
"I will tell him," they said quietly.
"Time is slipping away."
And as the figure exited, the room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the sound of distant winds that seemed to echo the fate of a dying world.
—
Back in the Cristiane Empire,
within the Black Rose Palace–
Inside the princess's chamber,
The golden rays of the sun filtered softly through the tall, arched windows of the Black Rose Palace, casting long shadows across the velvet-lined chamber.
The scent of fresh roses lingered in the air, faint but present, as a small group of girls stood before Astra.