Morning light filtered softly through the dense canopy, casting golden fragments across the clearing. Dew still clung to the grasses near the house, shimmering faintly as the sun climbed higher. Sora stood at the doorstep, her figure motionless, outlined by the soft glow of daybreak. Her glasses caught the light, making her gaze even sharper as she looked down at the two girls standing before her.
Ben, silent and relaxed, leaned against Syl's leg, his ears twitching at the sounds of the forest.
"Now that's settled," Sora said evenly, her voice calm but edged with finality. "When Kibo returns from the hunt, you are both to prepare the morning meal. Understood?"
"Okay, Aunt Sora!" Lily chirped, practically bouncing. Her small frame radiated eagerness, her hands already twisting together with energy.
Syl shifted her weight, her fingers brushing against Ben's fur. "Uhm... Aunt Sora, how long will it take before you're back?"
Sora's eyes flicked to her, sharp as the edge of ice. Syl's cheeks flushed under the weight of that gaze.
"And why do you ask that, Syl?" Sora's tone was cool, but there was a faint lift in her brow, half amusement, half challenge. "So…you and Lily can time your play to avoid my return?"
Syl stiffened. "No, ma'am! I just... wondered. So we know when to have your portion of the food ready. Right, Lily?"
Lily caught on instantly. "Yes, exactly! You've been working so hard lately, always out of the house. We just wanted to help. We thought…maybe you were tired."
"Tired? No. Irritated? Constantly." Sora's thoughts darkened for a heartbeat. "Do they really think I don't know what they're doing?"
Her gaze briefly dropped, then lifted again, measured and unreadable.
But under it, something bitter flickered.
"This waiting... it's worse than fighting. When are those rats going to make their move? How much longer do I have to play this act just to bait them out?"
Sora gave a faint, almost imperceptible sigh. "No. That won't be necessary. Just do exactly what I said. Nothing else."
Syl lowered her eyes. "Yes, Aunt Sora."
With one final glance at them, Sora turned. Her maid uniform shifted with her stride as she stepped down from the porch and walked into the forest path, her presence absorbed into the woods' heavy hush.
"Have a nice day, Aunt Sora!" Lily called out cheerfully, waving with both hands.
Syl let out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Lily... don't you ever wonder where Aunt Sora really goes?"
Lily blinked. "Hmm... not really. Should I?"
"I don't know," Syl murmured, staring toward the treeline where Sora had vanished. "It just... doesn't feel like she's just going into town or anything."
"Well, she is strong. I doubt it's anything dangerous." Lily tilted her head. "Besides, she always comes back. And we're safe, right?"
Syl didn't answer. Her thoughts churned.
"I mean, maybe she's just out doing adult things. Like errands... or scary missions," Lily added, making spooky fingers.
"Yeah... maybe," Syl muttered. "Still... something about her today felt... different."
"You're just overthinking it!" Lily giggled and turned back toward the house. "Come on, let's get everything ready before she thinks we're slacking!"
Syl hesitated, her eyes lingering on the trees once more.
"You almost sound like Kibo when you talk like that," Lily added casually.
Syl froze. "What? How?! I do not sound like him!"
"You dooo," Lily teased with a grin. "Kinda intense. Kinda dramatic."
Syl flushed furiously. "Lily! Take that back!"
Lily skipped ahead, giggling. "Nope!"
Syl chased after her with a flustered huff. "I don't sound like Kibo, and I'm not dramatic!"
Ben let out a low "mrrf" as he followed them in, tail swishing like he understood every word.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Outside, the wind stirred softly through the trees again, rustling leaves with a whisper. The light continued to stream through the canopy... but the clearing now felt just a little colder.
********
Outside, as the sun rose higher, casting long shadows across the glade, specks of golden light danced between the trees, glinting off leaves and dappling the earth beneath in fleeting warmth
Ben, playful, darted after a butterfly. His steel-like fur shimmered with each bounce, catching the sunlight in quicksilver streaks. Lily giggled at the sight, seated beside Syl beneath the low porch overhang, her chin tucked in her palms.
For a while, everything was quiet. Peaceful.
But Syl's restlessness crept in slowly.
Her brows furrowed as her eyes drifted back toward the trees. "What's taking Kibo so long?"
Lily glanced up, blinking innocently. "Maybe he's training?"
Syl exhaled, annoyed. "Again…If that's what he's doing, he really shouldn't be doing it on an empty stomach. That's just reckless."
Lily chuckled softly. "If only you knew what Kibo's been through... training while hungry is probably the least of his habits."
Syl smirked but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Still... it's dumb. He pushes himself too much."
Her gaze drifted from Ben to their elongated shadows on the forest floor. A deeper worry surfaced. "Lily, do you think... maybe Kibo will have time for us?"
Lily blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean..." Syl hesitated. Her eyes followed the wind-tossed leaves above them. "My papa... he'll come for me eventually. My mama probably keeps nagging him to bring me back home."
Her voice dipped lower. "And when that happens... I won't be here anymore. Do you think Kibo will even care?"
Lily tilted her head. "Of course he will."
"Even after everything? All his training, all the missions? Even when he becomes someone bigger than this little house?"
"Yes!" Lily said brightly. Then, with a soft smile: "Kibo likes you, Syl."
Syl's eyes widened, a little too hopeful. "He does?"
"Uh-huh!" Lily nodded. "He likes me, too. And Grandpa, and Aunt Sora, and even Ben. He's always liked us all."
The joy slipped from Syl's face like morning mist. Her hands, which had reached for Lily's in excitement, slowly released her. "...Oh. That's what you meant."
Lily blinked. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Syl shook her head quickly. "No, it's nothing. I just..." Her voice faltered.
Ben suddenly froze.
The playful cub went rigid in an instant, his ears flattening, fur bristling with unnatural tension.
"Mrrrf..." he growled low, stepping close to Syl.
Syl tensed. Her instincts flared.
From her shadow, a shape detached—fluid, fast, and utterly silent.
Elira.
A whisper of jet-black hair, skin like midnight smoke, and emerald eyes that gleamed with focused hunger.
Before Syl could scream, Elira's arm was around her, an impossibly smooth motion. The world around Syl warped.
Not the shadows nearby.
But hers.
Her own shadow curled upward like a living thing, and Elira pulled her into it. The air cracked around the place where she vanished.
"Syl!" Lily shrieked, lunging forward. Her fingers scraped the ground where Syl had been. A single shoe remained, tumbling once, then still.
Ben barked furiously, spinning in circles. "Ruff! Ruff!!"
Lily's eyes were wide with horror. "Syl, where are you?! SYL!!"
Ben took off like a shot, weaving through the trees.
"Ben! Wait!" Lily called, panic giving her feet wings. "Do you know where she is?!"
"Arf! Arf!" Ben barked sharply, glancing back, urging her forward.
Lily scooped him into her arms, trembling but determined. "Show me the way. Hurry!"
Ben lifted one paw, pointing with uncanny precision toward the thickest part of the woods. No hesitation.
Lily didn't question. She ran.
Faster than she ever had.
Deeper in the tangled forest, cloaked beneath layers of green and shadow, Ardin stood still as stone. A coil of rope hung slack in his hand, but his sharp silver-gray eyes never stopped moving — scanning, predicting, calculating. Drennar leaned against a thick tree trunk nearby, arms folded, casual despite the tension hanging in the air like mist.
"What's taking Elira so long?" Ardin murmured, his voice low, teeth clenched. "We need to move fast."
Drennar chuckled, voice deep and easy. "Relax. She hasn't been gone that long. Or are you scared of the little maid again?"
Ardin's jaw tightened, a flicker of something dangerous crossing his gaze. "Yes. I am. If you'd seen what I saw... if you could feel the outcomes pressing on your skull like I do… you'd be scared too." A faint tremor crept into his voice. "That woman isn't normal."
Drennar gave a rough laugh. "No one's normal anymore. Look at yourself."
Before Ardin could respond, the shadows nearby pulsed, not with light, but motion.
Elira emerged like mist spilling from a crack, her form snapping back into reality with fluid grace. A blur of black hair, her breathing rough. Without a word, she hurled a squirming Syl into Drennar's waiting arms.
He caught her with ease.
"Sorry, boys," Elira muttered, brushing wild strands from her face. "Our little princess here has a fire in her."
Syl thrashed violently in Drennar's grip. "What is going on?! Who are you people?!" Her voice trembled with panic. "Princess. Is this… because of Mother?" Her eyes flicked from face to face. "Let me go! I'll follow you, just… just stop this!"
Drennar laughed, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest like distant thunder.
Elira shook her head and stepped forward, snatching the rope from Ardin's hand. "Don't struggle. This won't hurt unless you make it."
Syl recoiled, eyes wide.
Just as Elira reached for her, a shadow detached from the trees, not a silent figure, but a blur of raw momentum.
Lily.
Her foot came fast toward Elira's temple, compact and precise. Ardin's eyes flicked once, and in a blink, his blade shimmered into existence. The slender rapier, Vanguard, hissed through the air, intercepting the blow. A flash of blue mana danced along its edge.
Lily leapt back, eyes blazing with raw fury. Her arms tightened protectively around Ben. "Let her go!"
Elira raised an eyebrow, still catching her breath. "You're fast." She studied the girl, cautious now.
Lily lowered Ben to the ground.
The cub let out a sharp mrrf, then bolted into the trees, vanishing in a silver streak. Lily didn't hesitate, she launched again, this time toward Drennar, aiming for his gut.
Drennar grinned, massive hands adjusting Syl's weight. With a simple shift of his body, Lily's attack missed by inches, but Syl's scream shattered the air.
"LET ME GO!"
A raw surge of mana burst from her, wild and unformed. The forest screamed in response.
Roots exploded from the ground beneath them — thick, thorn-covered, snapping and twisting like living beasts. The very earth tore apart as if obeying her rage.
Elira cursed and rolled back.
Ardin's eyes darted, flickering rapidly — thousands of outcomes, paths, splintering futures, stacking over each other like broken glass. His breath quickened.
"Too many lead to her."
"Too many lead to the maid."
He moved.
With predator's grace, Ardin surged through the flailing roots, unbothered by their fury. He reached Syl, grabbed her wrist, twisted.
A moment later, she was on the ground, face pressed into the soil.
His voice was a cold edge. "Give up, girl. Or I swear, I'll kill the princess."
Elira's voice sliced in. "Are you insane?! If we do that, it links to the prince directly!"
Drennar laughed. "Now this is getting interesting."
"Shut up," Elira snapped.
But Lily wasn't watching the others anymore. Her sharp, unwavering gaze locked straight onto Ardin — steady, piercing, unyielding. Not a flicker of fear.
Ardin's breath caught. "No..." He blinked—
And the vision struck.
Not a glimpse of a distant future. Not a possible path.
A warning.
A world drenched in shadow.
A child — a boy — shattered and lifeless. Familiar. Gone.
A world turned to ash. Skies without a sun.
A silence that screamed of endings.
Extinction.
The first time, he has ever witnessed something like this.
He gasped.
It tore through him like ice down his spine. His body moved before thought could catch up, he stumbled back, away from Syl, retreating instinctively, as though proximity alone might trigger the collapse of all he'd seen.
His hands trembled.
His voice cracked through the breathless tension.
"What… was that?"