Rai walks in just in time to catch Thia's words, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips."That's a given," she says lightly, "but why would he leave us to figure it out ourselves?"
Her sisters — all except Thia — glance at her in mild surprise.
"What?" Rai arches a brow. "The man has lived longer than any of us can fathom — yes, even me." She steps towards Terrene and extends her hand for the book. "Still, longevity does come with experience."
The book begins to glow softly, the letters on its cover resurfacing until the words Black Devinr become clear.
The light catches their attention."Apparently," Rai murmurs with a faint sigh, "Mother named our AI after whoever this is."
"Are we in trouble?" Lia asks quietly.
"I doubt it," Thia replies, her tone thoughtful, "but we should act quickly."
A shared sigh escapes them."Terrene, we should be going now, shouldn't we?" Rai says, gesturing towards the book in her sister's hands. Terrene nods, wordlessly following her lead.
"We should all get to work," Thia says at last, breaking the silence. "Lia, perhaps you should speak to him — about his dreams, or any memories that might help. Or…" she hesitates.
Lia offers a faint, melancholy smile. "You want me to go into his head again?"She glances at Kaelen, lifts her hands in mock surrender, and looks away.
"Lia," Thia begins softly, stepping closer, "dearest sister — something, or someone, is coming. And from what we can tell, it's coming for him." She takes Lia's hand, her grip unexpectedly gentle, and looks up into her eyes. "Whoever they are, they might know something we don't — something dangerous, for him and for us."
She exhales, her voice steady but tender. "I couldn't possibly know what it felt like in there, in his mind. You never told us, and even if we tried, we couldn't do it the way you can." She pauses, the weight of her words hanging in the air. "But I need you to do it again. Not for me, but for you — because this is meant for you. And you know I don't say this often, but… I love you. With everything I am."
Lia's solemn smile deepens, her eyes softening.
Thia releases her hands slowly. "That means if anything dares to take you from me, or to hurt you, I won't hesitate. I don't need a reason — but I have one. You showed me what love is."
Turning away, she takes Kaelen gently by the wrist and begins to leave."I hope you understand," she says quietly, her voice fading with each step.
Left alone, a teary-eyed Lia lets her thoughts drift back to the first time she entered Myles's mind. It was the day he first began acting more like himself — aware, curious, and distinctly human. That change had made her both braver and more intrigued. She had feared uncovering a dark past, yet the way he spoke and the way he felt was disarmingly innocent.
When she pressed her forehead against his, the connection opened like a floodgate. In that instant, she saw far more than she was ready for. It has taken everything in her not to let those images alter how she sees him — no matter what they revealed. Myles, for his part, seems blissfully unaware of it all, as though those memories belong to someone else entirely.
Then the thought strikes her: the fight with Daena.Back then… he felt different. His Criole pulsed with something raw and unstable — almost primal.
"Please," she whispers, her voice shaking. "Please don't let my lover be someone I have to fear… or worse, destroy."
The things she saw inside his mind still haunt her — the horror, the fury, the blood. They were unbearable. Yet Thia's 'test' had cast those fears aside, assuring her that he was still the same Myles. Even so, the guilt she felt radiating from him after killing those two — it was suffocating. She would never forgive herself if he had to carry that burden again.
"Lia."
Verdure's voice calls from behind. Lia turns to see her carrying an unconscious Myles slung over her petite shoulder, with Clav being half-dragged along the ground.
"Are they all right?" Lia asks softly, brushing away her tears.
"Yes," Verdure admits with a sheepish grin. "I just got a little too excited."
"Yeah, a little~," Lia giggles, her tone lightening. Then she tilts her head slightly, her voice softening again. "Tell me… did anything happen this time? Anything like what happened with Daena?"
"No, not this time." Verdure starts to notice that Lia is the only one present. "Are you done already? I was hoping to tell you all something I noticed."
Lia straightens, giving her full attention.
"Remember the strange colour of his Criole that day?" Verdure asks.
"Yes?"
"Well, something similar happened again — but this time, it looked as though the grass and seeds beneath his feet began to grow." A smile spreads across her face. "The flames were a beautiful crimson, hidden within the black."
Lia chuckles softly. "A little blunt with your descriptions, aren't you…?" Her voice trails off as realisation hits her — his parents might have known what he truly is.
"Hey, are you all right? You've gone pale all of a sudden."
"Yes, I'm fine." Lia turns her gaze to Myles's unconscious form. "Let me take him to rest."
"Sure." Verdure tosses him lightly into Lia's arms, almost losing her balance.
"Oh!"
"Sorry," Verdure laughs sheepishly.
Lia adjusts her hold on him, smiling faintly. "Please don't kill him during training. I intend to marry him."
Verdure only waves dismissively and hoists Clav onto her shoulder. "No promises."
Lia laughs softly and carries Myles back to their room.
Once inside, she takes a slow, steadying breath. Another follows. Then another. Her gaze settles on his unconscious body, and frustration washes over her. Covering her face with her hands, she lets out a long sigh before lowering them again.
She sits on the edge of the bed, hesitating for a moment before leaning forward. Her forehead hovers just above his. She doesn't need to make contact to connect — but right now, she'll take any substitute for a kiss she can get.
A faint hum fills her ears as her surroundings melt away.
"Hmmm," she groans, half in irritation, half in awe, as the familiar blur of colours and sounds settles into focus. She glances around the strange mental landscape — a boundless space of shifting light and memory. She had named it the Synaptical Plane when she was twelve, simply because it sounded clever. The name had stuck ever since.
"Parents…" she whispers, searching for traces of his family within the mental haze. Flickers of memory appear — his uncle's face, fleeting and uncertain — and then something unexpected: a man aboard a ship, dressed in a uniform she can't quite describe. It feels foreign… powerful.
"Leave."
The voice cuts through the air like a blade.
"What?" Lia turns sharply, startled to see a figure standing before her — solid and present within the plane. "Myles?"
"I said leave!" he roars, his voice reverberating through the space.
The mental link snaps violently. Agony floods her senses as her connection burns away. Her body jerks backwards — the sensation searing — before she's hurled against the wall of the room.
"Myles…" she murmurs, dazed and delirious, trying to reach for him one last time before darkness takes her.