AUTHOR POV
The rendezvous point Veyra and the others had chosen wasn't the most convenient location.
A stagnant, dark natural pond — half-choked with reeds and moss, its surface slick with algae and rot. The air smelled damp and sour. Everything about it felt unpleasant, decaying, and foul.
Veyra stood at the water's edge, arms crossed, irritation etched into every line of her posture.
Caelynn was late.
And now Nivara had disappeared too. And in the meantime, Veyra was losing her mind, wanting to leave, itching to finally get her hands on the Trident of Axis.
Unreliable. Both of her sisters, she thought.
"Why do I keep these girls around?" Veyra muttered to herself.
Damon, leaning casually against a crooked tree, broke the silence.
"I sent Nivara away," he said smoothly. "Told her my old injury was acting up again. Asked her to gather healing herbs."
Veyra turned, frowning.
"Didn't you already heal yourself when you were testing out your new Diviner power?"
Damon smiled.
"I did."
Veyra stared at him for a second — then scoffed.
"So you lied to Nivara."
"I couldn't help it. I needed a break from her," he replied, amusement in his voice mixing with disdain . "And she makes it so easy."
Veyra exhaled sharply, looking away.
"Ridiculous— all of you," she muttered.
"You need to calm yourself," Damon said evenly, stepping closer. "Tension clouds strategic thinking."
He walked over to her and, without saying anything, reached for her hand.
Veyra pulled away instantly, cringing.
"I just want to heal you, Veyra," Damon said smoothly. "After all, you're injured because of me.I mean...I am the one who dragged you into that battle.."
Veyra hesitated.
Reluctantly — suspiciously — she allowed it, the desire to be at her best to acquire the Trident overriding her instincts.
White Diviner light glowed from Damon's hands, quickly restoring the wound.
When he finished, he smiled.
"I never thanked you, did I, Veyra?" he said softly. "For backing me during the battle."
"That wasn't for you," she replied coldly. "I need you to acquire the Trident's power."
Damon's smile widened.
"So honest. So without conscience. It's endearing," he said. "And I'm still grateful."
His three blue claws brushed her fingers — slow, deliberate, intimate.
He leaned in slightly.
"You're extraordinary, you know?" he murmured. "Brilliant. Powerful. Beautiful."
Veyra instantly recoiled in disgust and yanked her hand back, quickly seeing through his flattery.
"Stop flirting with me,jerk face. You're supposed to be with my sister, ," she snapped.Then, "You ought to be ashamed."
Damon laughed,a moderate amused sound.
"Like you, Veyra I feel no such thing," he said easily.
Veyra narrowed her eyes at him, studying him.
Damon sighed.
"I like Nivara,okay? Truly.She makes a wonderful puppet,"he stared. "But I need more than that in a partner. I need a woman who's like me, possessing an endless appetite for power."
His hand lifted, cupping Veyra's face. "A woman like you."
Veyra titled her head. "Really?"
"Yes,"Damon said.
No sooner does he say that,does a gust of wind knock him against a tree. He lets out a yell, pain exploding through his body. With unclear vision he sees Veyra's eyes ignite—pure white.
Damn, he thought.
"Veyra..."he starts but says nothing else as his breath vanishes.
The air tears out of his lungs as if it had never existed. His eyes flew wide in shock, his hand dropping to clutch at his throat. Panic twisted his features as he staggered back, gasping for something that wasn't there.
"Tell me again how you like me, Damon," Veyra said calmly.
"Stop—" he choked. "Can't—breathe—"
"I'm sorry?" she asked coolly.
Damon knees hit the ice. The world around him narrowed to pain and terror and the violent need for air. For a split second, he truly believed he was going to die there at Veyra's feet.
Then the pressure vanished,as suddenly as it came.
Damon's breath was his own again. Veyra's invisible grip had released him as she yet again reminded herself that she couldn't kill him, even though he was an insolent bastard who she hated more than she thought was possible.
With relief Damon collapsed forward, wheezing, dragging air into his lungs in broken, desperate gasps.
Veyra stepped closer to him.
"Let me make this very clear,Damon," she said quietly. "I despise you — and everything about you. So any idea in that head of yours about me and you…"
She looked down at him with cold finality.
"It's never going to happen."
Looking at her, Damon frowned before quickly masking his disappointment with a chuckle.
"You misunderstand my intentions, Veyra. Nivara is the one I want.I was just being nice to you."
Veyra rolled her eyes and walked away.
"Pathetic."
Still feigning innocence, Damon added, "Don't pass your ridiculous suspicions to Nivara. You'll create unnecessary drama."
Veyra waved him off.
"Relax. I don't want her finding out about this any more than you do. We don't need any more distractions in this mission."
Then, with a sigh:
"And besides — my stupid sister wouldn't believe me anyway."
Damon visibly relaxed at her words, breathing in relief
Just as he was doing that—
Magic rippled.
Caelynn descended from the sky, landing sharply in front of them.
"I'm back," she announced brightly. "And before all of you ask, I more than got the job done."
"Finally," Damon said.
"What took you so long?" Veyra snapped.
"It's not easy going up against Mia,alright?" Caelynn replied.
"It's not if you're an incompetent weakling."
Caelynn stiffened.
"Incompetent weakling? Is that the thanks I get for saving your butts? Insults?"
Veyra rolled her eyes.
"Oh,please,what you did was not that big of a deal. Nor that impressive."
"But you couldn't do it," Caelynn shot back. "That's why I had to."
Veyra's scoffed at her.
"Don't flatter yourself. I chose not to. After all,I can't be expected to do everything. I can't be both the brain and the muscle."
"Excuse me?" Caelynn echoed. "You — the brains?"
Veyra looked at her with mounting annoyance.
"Caelynn, you're lucky you're my little sister and that I don't have time for this." Then to Damon, "We all need to get to leave for the Temple now."
She turned sharply.
"Speaking of — where is Nivara?"
Caelynn didn't answer.
She just stared at her, thinking. At first she thought Nivara might be the problem in the group but seeing Veyra now, she considered that she might have been worried about the wrong person.
Veyra scowled.
"Forget it. We're leaving. Nivara can catch up."
Damon shrugged.
"Works for me."
"I'm staying," Caelynn said firmly.
Veyra froze — then exhaled in frustration.
"Do whatever you want," she said. Then quietly:
"It's not like I need either of you to get my Trident."
She activated a flight spell for herself and Damon.
"We're off."
They lifted into the air and disappeared into the sky.
Caelynn watched them go in silence.
Then softly said:
"They're gone, Nivara. You can come out."
With a flick of magic, Nivara appeared on a tree branch beside her, tears flowing, head bowed.
"How did you know I was here?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Because tricks are my thing, remember?" Caelynn replied dryly. Then,looking at Nivara, "Stealing my moves, little sister?"
The other girl nodded.
"Found a Veilroot while gathering herbs to heal Damon," she said, letting out a humorless laugh. "I was trying to use its invisibility effect to play a prank on them. But I ended up pranking myself."
Caelynn looked at Nivara's heartbroken face,wondering what she could've learnt to say that.
"How long were you watching them?" Caelynn asked carefully.
"Long enough to realize we're being used," Nivara said. "And manipulated."
Caelynn exhaled slowly.
"I didn't think you'd ever see through him."
Nivara smiled sadly through tears.
"Hard not to… after hearing him call me a puppet and watching him flirt with Veyra."
Caelynn placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Well. Now you know."
Nivara wiped her face and looked at her sister.
"You know he's not the only one who's cruel, manipulative, and untrustworthy."
Caelynn stiffened.
"Veyra would never go for Damon."
"I don't care about them, especially Damon," Nivara said quietly. "I'm more worried about Veyra… and that Trident."
Caelynn went silent.
When she spoke, her voice was tense.
" Veyra is our sister —"
"And she's changing, Caelynn," Nivara said gently. "I know you see it too."
For once, Caelynn had no rebuttal. She just stared at Nivara in tense silence.
---
REONE
He and the others stood in silence, watching Mickey crawl beneath the jet again, tools scattered around him, his face tight with concentration.
It was a last-ditch effort to get the jet in the air.
Hope hung in the air — thin, fragile, desperate.
An hour passed.
Then Mickey finally straightened up.
He wiped grease from his hands and exhaled slowly.
"Well, I'm calling it," he said quietly. "This jet isn't going anywhere."
The words landed like a death sentence.
A silent disappointment rippled through the group.
Reone let out a sharp, bitter smile— then turned and slammed his fist into a tree.
"Of course," he snapped. "Why am I not surprised?"
Lyrian rushed to him.
"Reone, calm down," she said gently. "We can fix this. We always find a way out, right?"
Reone wasn't placated.
"Not this time, Lyrian," he said, turning on her.
He gestured at their sorroundings.
"Just look around. We're freezing in the middle of nowhere. Our jet is broken. We can't fix it. Mia is also gone. And the Sisterhood are probably already at the Temple, getting the Trident which they're going to use to destroy us."
"Don't you get it yet? It's over."
His voice dropped.
"We failed."
Lyrian didn't respond.
Because deep down — she knew he was right.
Primi, newly healed, spoke quietly.
"Forgive me," he said, confused, "but I don't understand something. The wizard and the Dark Sylphs don't have a jet either. How are they going to reach the Temple before us?"
Nova answered calmly.
"The use of the Dark Sylph Arts allows travel at a velocity far beyond normal Sylph flight — nearly as fast as a standard jet. Around six hundred kilometers per hour."
Primi blinked.
"That's sounds... problematic."
"Exactly why everyone is freaking out,Primi," Diamond muttered.
Nova dropped onto a rock, shoulders heavy."Reone's right.Its over."
Looking at her and Reone, Lyrian tried again.
"Guys, there has to be a solution. There always is. We just have to think. Put our heads together and—"
"Did you not hear Mickey?" Reone interrupted flatly. "Lyrian, we're done. The mission's failed."
His voice was calm — too calm.
"All of Ruminia is done. Rhys. His mother. Varek. It's over."
"Just give it up, Lyrian," Nova added dryly.
"You guys don't mean that," Lyrian said quietly.
She searched their faces.
And knew they did.
Everyone else's faces mirrored Reone and Nova's — exhaustion, defeat, resignation.
Lyrian felt frustration rise at this. Since when were her friends bunch of quitters?
"So that's it?" she said, her voice breaking. "We're just going to let them win? After everything they've done to us? After everything we've been through?"
"It's not that we want to give up,Lyrian?" Seren said softly. "There's just… nothing we can do."
Hearing her, Lyrian felt the fight drain out of her.
She slumped against a tree.
"I guess that's it then," she whispered. "It's over."
A voice spoke behind them.
"Maybe don't give up just yet, young Sylph."
Everyone turned sharply.
A group of elderly men approached through the snow, wearing worn blue uniforms — old, weathered, marked by time and service.
And beside them—
Mia.
She stepped forward with a slightly arrogant smile.
"Hey, guys."
Lyrian and the others immediately tensed, shifting into alert stances at this new development.
"Mia," Lyrian said carefully, eyes flicking to the strangers behind her, "who are these people?"
Mia lifted her chin proudly.
"Well, If I'm right," she said, her voice excited and hopeful, "they're our ticket to the Temple of Echoes."
Confusion rippled through the group.
Mia, enjoying this, didn't elaborate, simply turned to the elderly men in blue.
"Everyone," she said, "meet the members of the Temple of Echoes Watch and their leader…"
"Varek?" Reone interrupted.
He was looking at the man in front, at the facial features beneath his snow hat.
The one face shocked everyone into stillness.