A building away from Esdeath's house, inside Maruti's apartment complex, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different. Unlike the chaos unfolding in Esdeath's room, everything here carried the quiet weight of an ordinary, unhurried day.
In the living room, Maruti was sprawled lazily across the sofa, her head tilted back, face aimed at the ceiling , Her eyes were shut, her breathing slow and even.
A few steps away, Ravenna was on all fours, her body low, her knees pressing into the cool floor. She had on tight leggings and a fitted sports bra, the kind of outfit that suggested a workout — but this was no yoga session.
A thin sheen of sweat glistened across her skin, her chest heaving with every ragged breath, strands of hair sticking to the sides of her flushed face.
"A bit harder~... just a bit more~," she managed between pants, her voice barely above a breathless whisper, every word laced with something between a plea and pure satisfaction.
WHACK!
The sound cut cleanly through the quiet of the room.
Behind her, Brenna drew back Ravenna's own whip, the tip having landed precisely across Ravenna's back. As she pulled away, a fresh red mark bloomed against Ravenna's skin like a signature left behind.
Brenna stared at it for a moment, her expression caught somewhere between uncomfortable and deeply confused. It wasn't as though this was the first time — Ravenna had asked her before, more than once.
But no matter how many times it happened, something about the whole situation still made Brenna's brain stutter to a halt.
"Was that enough?" Brenna asked, her voice coming out flatter than she intended.
Ravenna didn't answer right away. She rose quietly to her feet, reaching for the small towel draped nearby and pressing it against her forehead, dabbing away the sweat with a kind of calm that felt almost unsettling given what had just happened.
Then she turned, a warm and completely unbothered smile spreading across her face — as if she'd just finished a pleasant afternoon jog.
"Yep," she said brightly. "You're actually getting pretty good at that!"
Brenna opened her mouth, closed it, then simply said, "...Thanks." She turned on her heel without another word and made her way swiftly toward the kitchen, grateful for the excuse.
"Well, I should go start on something to eat. Knowing Maruti, the second she wakes up, she's going to come looking for food."
Meanwhile, just a short distance away from the still-sleeping Maruti, Kailith and Alice were locked in a battle of their own — one that required no weapons, no strength, only an almost painful level of focus.
A house of cards.
Both of their towers stood tall on the table, climbing higher with every careful, barely-breathing placement. Their eyes hadn't left the cards once. Their fingers moved in slow, deliberate inches.
The air between them had grown oddly tense, like the outcome of this flimsy paper tower actually meant something — and to them, right now, it absolutely did.
Then —
"ACHHOO!"
Maruti's sneeze exploded out of her like a small detonation, sharp and sudden and utterly without warning.
The shockwave — tiny as it was — rippled across the table.
Both towers trembled.
Then collapsed.
Every single card fluttered down in a sad, scattered heap, the entire effort gone in less than a second.
Silence.
Kailith and Alice sat completely frozen, eyes wide, staring at the ruins of their masterpiece with the blank, hollow expression of two people whose souls had just quietly left their bodies.
Maruti blinked her eyes open slowly, rubbing a finger under her nose with a satisfied sniff. She glanced up at nothing in particular.
"Hah... Damn, it seems someone is calling for me," she murmured to herself, unbothered.
"Maruti!" Kailith's lips twitched in annoyance. At the same time, Alice's violet hair flowed up as a dark energy began to surround her, a sign that she was about to switch to her other personality, Arlecchino.
But then, the windows of the living room slid open and someone jumped inside.
All of their attention was immediately drawn to the person who had just entered. They didn't even need a second to realize who it was.
"Selene? Can't you just enter from the door like a normal person?" Maruti sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Sorry, I was in a hurry. It's an emergency!" Selene said, walking towards Maruti and sitting down beside her on the sofa. Being so small, her legs dangled in the air as she sat.
"Emergency? Did another war started?" Kailith asked, her worry growing.
"It's bigger than that. Father has imprisoned Mother because of some misunderstanding. So we need to do something as soon as possible!" Selene said in a serious voice, her little face looking grim.
Maruti immediately freaked out. "Wait... wait... wait, you mean Esdeath? When? How? Why?" she asked, firing questions one after another.
Kailith and Alice were also caught completely off guard. They were just as surprised as Maruti, their card game completely forgotten.
"Let me start from the beginning," Selene answered, ready to explain everything.
*****
Around two hours ago, Selene was done with her new book, which was about flying and maintaining precision in attacking and defending while in the air. It was, of course, recommended by Lilith to her.
She stood up and ran towards the kitchen, her stomach rumbling. She started looking for the handmade cookies that Esdeath always made for her. But after opening different cans and boxes, she found every single one of them empty.
With a sigh, she decided to find Esdeath instead. She immediately left the kitchen and walked towards Esdeath's room. As she did, she saw Lortell coming out of the room and closing the door behind her with a loud thud. Her expression was mix of seriousness and frustrated, a look Selene had rarely seen on her face.
"Father!" Selene smiled, approaching Lortell immediately. She looked up at her face as much as she could, like she was trying to look at the ceiling. The difference in their height was just too much.
"Where is Mother?" she asked, her voice innocent and curious.
"Umm..." Lortell felt slightly confused about what to answer. She didn't expect Selene to come looking for Esdeath already. It hadn't even been five minutes since she had imprisoned Esdeath.
Seeing Lortell's thoughtful expression, Selene thought that Lortell was just trying to remember where Esdeath had gone. So she patiently waited, her gaze going around the room. Then it landed on the entrance of the house.
Her eyebrows raised slightly. "Ohh, the door is broken!" she said, pointing at the splintered wood.
"Ack!" Lortell's breath got stuck in her throat. She completely forgot to use her restoration magic to repair the damage, She was immediately about to come up with an excuse, but then, she sighed hard and decided to give up on making them. It was too complicated.
"Come with me, I'll show you where she is!" Lortell said, opening the door to her bedroom.
Inside, Esdeath saw the door opening and felt confused. "You're back already—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Lortell entering with Selene right behind her. Selene's eyes widened, seeing Esdeath tied in chains and handcuffs on the bed. She was just as shocked as Esdeath was to see Selene standing there.
Selene slowly turned her head to look up at Lortell, her expression full of confusion.
Meanwhile, Esdeath gritted her teeth slightly. "No, don't try to run, just don't try to run!" she thought to herself, a wave of panic washing over her. She knew there was no point in running away now; Lortell would just catch her and maybe imprison her as well.
"Don't worry too much. Your mother is keeping secrets from me and even lied multiple times. So she is facing some light punishment for that. Once she tells the truth, I'll set her free!" Lortell said calmly, trying to explain it in a way a child could understand.
"What secrets?" Selene asked, her voice feeling a little hesitant.
Lortell began telling the situation in short, from her own perspective. Hearing her perspective, Esdeath chuckled dryly.
"Shit, I really chose the wrong timing. She was having her suspicions for quite a while!" she muttered to herself, feeling a sense of dread.
"So, either choose to cooperate with me or just keep quiet. Or else!" Lortell didn't say anything further; that much was enough to show her intentions.
Esdeath chuckled to herself again. "Well, she loves me the most, isn't her answer obvious?" she thought.
But then—"I'm with you in this one, Father!" Selene replied with a smirk, looking up at Lortell with loyalty in her eyes.
"What?" Esdeath almost shouted in pure, unadulterated surprise.
Selene pouted her cheeks in annoyance, looking at Esdeath. "Family shouldn't lie or keep secrets from each other. Mother needs to be punished!" she added, her voice firm.
The words really dried the soul out of Esdeath, making her feel completely hollow. "No way... is this what it feels to be betrayed?" she thought, a deep sense of shock and hurt filling her.
Lortell was slightly taken aback as well. She didn't expect Selene to give such an answer. A wave of warmth and pride washed over her.
She immediately crouched down, her tall frame folding to meet Selene's level, and hugged her tightly. "You are the best daughter I could ever have!" she praised, her voice filled with genuine emotion. She finally withdrew herself lightly, a rare smile gracing her lips.
"Well then, I'll come back soon. So watch over her till then. Try telling her that the sooner she speaks, the sooner it'll end," Lortell said in her authoritative voice, though it was softer than before.
"Just leave it to me!" Selene gave a thumbs up, her face full of cooperation that looked so convincing it scared Esdeath a little.
Lortell nodded and left the room, her footsteps fading as she left the house. Selene closed the door quietly and walked back inside, sitting neatly on a chair like she was some kind of overseer, her little legs dangling.
"Fuck, what now?" Esdeath sighed to herself, relaxing her body in complete defeat. She looked at Selene, trying one last time.
"How bad, Selene? You just believed whatever Lortell said, judging from one perspective only. What if I'm innocent?" she said in a low voice, trying to sound hurt and manipulate her.
Selene didn't say anything. She just stretched the skin below her eyes and stuck out her tongue to mock Esdeath, making a funny face.
"I'm not believing you!" she teased, her voice dripping with playful defiance.
"Tch!..." Esdeath rolled her eyes in utter defeat. She was truly trapped.
But then, a voice spoke directly inside her head, clear and calm.
[Hahaha... Mother, you have quite the look on your face.] Selene's voice came inside her mind directly.
[Of course, I'm with you. It was better than announcing it out loud.] she added, her mental voice full of smug satisfaction.
Actually, Selene was with Esdeath, just as she always was. But she wasn't an idiot to admit it out loud. Instead, she chose to side with Lortell to make her feel at ease and lower her guard.
She was also very well aware that Lortell might be listening to their conversation right now, but Lortell didn't know that Selene could actually hear her thoughts and communicate back telepathically.
She had read Lortell's thoughts and knew that Esdeath was imprisoned before Lortell even showed her. She only acted shocked. This was all part of her plan, a showcase of her critical thinking skills.
She didn't have Esdeath's weakness, where her IQ drastically dropps whenever she was around Lortell.
Esdeath realized what Selene was trying to do as well, and a wave of relief washed over her.
[Good job, Selene. That was well thought out!] Esdeath praised in her mind.
[Yes, but how do I get you out? I don't think it would be as simple as breaking those chains.] Selene's voice said, her inner voice dim with low hope.
[Yes, I know. Just go to Maruti and tell her about the situation. She'll find some solution.] Esdeath answered, feeling a flicker of hope.
Hearing that, Selene's lips twitched slightly. [Aunt? Umm... I don't think she's serious enough to organize a rescue plan.] Her thoughts weren't really wrong. Given Maruti's personality, who knows if she might just rush to fight Lortell head-on to experience a thrilling battle.
[Don't worry, she's smart enough. Don't just judge her by her outer appearance.] Esdeath replied, having complete faith in Maruti.
[Okay then, I'll inform her immediately.] Selene said, standing up from her chair.
But Esdeath stopped her immediately.
[Wait... wait... wait! Don't just go outside already, it'll be too suspicious! Wait for Lortell to come back and make an excuse to go outside.]