The brother and sister lay on their beds in silence. Both could feel their hope slowly fading.
The Compass Finder, their only hope, had stopped working the moment Frieren lost his life. Since then, everything felt gloomier, emptier, as if someone had ripped the last piece of security from their hands. Now, they no longer had any lead to follow, no guide to show them where to go, and the idea of returning to the Elves didn't appeal to them at all — that path had already drained them too much.
"What do we do now?" Mei asked, staring at the wall.
Kai didn't turn to her. He lay stiff, staring at the ceiling. Instead of answering her question, the silence lingered for a few more seconds before he finally spoke, his voice carrying stubborn resolve:
"I want that wish!" he said.
Mei looked at him, then after a short pause, nodded.
"…Me too," she replied quietly, but firmly.
Kai got up from the bed, stretching his tired legs that had gone numb from lying too long. Slowly, he began to pace around the room.
He stopped at the window and pulled the curtain aside. A carriage, decorated with dark, old-fashioned ornaments, was slowly entering the courtyard of the White House.
"Look!" the brother exclaimed, staring at the carriage in surprise.
His sister placed her bare feet on the floor and quietly came over to him, shoulder to shoulder, peeking out the window. "This world is… so outdated!"
"I'm not talking about that!" Kai cut her off, shaking his head impatiently. His eyes remained fixed on the carriage. "Who is that?"
Mei stayed silent.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
A sharp knocking echoed through the room, breaking their silence. The siblings flinched, their eyes instantly turning toward the door.
Without waiting for an answer, the door opened.
On the threshold stood Vorenhart, serious and calm as always, his gaze directed straight at them.
"Kai, Mei! Can you come with me?"
The brother and sister exchanged looks, but only nodded without much debate.
"Doggie, Kitty! Follow me!" Mei called out, then they followed after Vorenhart.
Step by step, they walked through the cold hallway of the White House. The walls were dimly lit by the flames of lanterns.
Each of them had their own guess about why they'd been summoned.
"Maybe he wants to hear more about the case…" Mei thought, trying to make sense of Vorenhart's seriousness.
"Maybe he's just lonely and wants us for dinner…" Kai imagined.
But… they would soon realize they weren't even close to the truth.
Their footsteps echoed through the long corridor until they finally descended into the great hall of the White House.
In the center of the room stood several Elves. Their tall, slender staffs of dark wood gleamed faintly, and their posture was rigid and threatening. They looked like guards, ready to strike at any moment.
On the raised throne sat a single Elf radiating a powerful, authoritative aura. His crown, woven from interlaced silver branches and gems, shone in the dim light of the hall.
This was no ordinary Elf. This was Elandor Sylvaren, king of the mighty realm of Veytharil — the home of the Elves.
The moment their eyes met, the king rose. In the silence that followed, his voice resounded:
"Arrest them!"
Kai and Mei stared in disbelief as the tall Elf guards approached. Their faces were cold, showing no trace of compassion. In their hands they carried shackles that glowed faintly with bluish light, etched with tiny runes.
One guard grabbed Kai's wrist, while the other did the same to Mei. As the shackles clicked shut around their hands, both felt a faint jolt rush through their bodies — as if something had drained their strength, choking out the magic and energy within them. They were clearly meant to block the use of Cores or any other kind of magic.
"Is this some kind of mistake?" Kai shouted, looking in shock from the guards to Vorenhart, who only stayed silent and watched.
Elandor approached. He stopped right in front of them, staring into their eyes.
"Mr. and Miss Kagami. You are under arrest for the destruction of Icevile City," he declared in a calm, yet icy tone.
"What…?" Mei whispered, still unable to believe what she was hearing.
Elandor ignored their reactions. He turned to the guards and gave a short order: "Take them."
Before they could ask a single question, the Elves dragged them toward the exit.
In the end, they were shoved into the carriage, the doors slamming shut with a loud thud.
"What's happening…?" Kai muttered softly, but no answer came.
The carriage rattled and then set off, its wheels screeching against the uneven road as the brother and sister bounced on the hard seats. Across from them sat two Elf guards, stiff as statues, their hands firmly resting on their wooden staffs.
The silence was unbearable. Only the sounds of horse hooves and rolling wheels filled the air. Three long hours dragged by slowly, every minute stretching into eternity. Kai and Mei exchanged glances, but neither had the courage to speak aloud.
Finally, the carriage slowed, then came to a stop. The doors swung open, and warm midday air rushed in. In front of them loomed a massive black structure. No decorations. No windows. At first glance, it was clear: this was a prison, a place from which few ever returned.
"Out!" one of the guards barked harshly, shoving them forward.
They were led inside the enormous building.
The moment they stepped in, the cold stench of stone and dampness struck them. The corridors were long, lined with dark stone, lit only by the occasional torch that cast eerie shadows across the walls. The guards pushed them forward, every step echoing softly.
After several minutes of walking, they arrived at a pair of large, heavy doors. They creaked open, revealing a chamber unlike the rest of the prison. Spacious, high-ceilinged, with semicircular seats and a podium at the far end.
There was no doubt—this was a courtroom.
The siblings were thrown roughly onto the cold stone floor. The thud of their bodies hitting the tiles echoed across the chamber. From the raised seat, an Elf clad in a rich dark-green robe lifted a gavel and slammed it down hard against the desk.
Without asking a single question, he shouted: "Guilty!"
Then he coldly turned to another Elf seated with a parchment and quill in hand. "Write: guilty, under suspicion of being Dravarn spies. Sentence… life imprisonment, unless proven innocent."
Before Kai and Mei could even comprehend what had just happened, the guards had already seized them by the arms and began dragging them away like sacks of grain.
"This isn't fair!" Kai shouted, struggling desperately.
"Let us defend ourselves!" Mei cried, her voice trembling between anger and panic.
But what they had to say didn't matter. No one listened. No one even turned their head. Their voices vanished into the void, as if they were speaking to the walls.
The courtroom doors slammed shut behind them, and soon they were led through a series of damp, dark hallways. They were thrown into the same cell and the door was locked with heavy, rusted padlocks. Then some kind of magic was cast over the bars.
Mei sat on the floor, her gaze fixed on the dark tiles, whispering: "What just happened…?"
Kai lay against the wall, breathing heavily, feeling the chill of the stone press into his back. "I don't know…" he muttered weakly, his voice trembling with helplessness.
In that moment, the darkness of their cell felt endless.
Kai's voice shook, each word leaving his throat with difficulty. "Voren… he… he just stood there and watched…"
Mei lowered her head, then clenched her fist so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her teeth ground together as she whispered, filled with fury: "Traitor…"
Silence fell between them. In that silence, only the dripping of water somewhere deep in the prison and their own breathing could be heard.
After several long moments, Mei shifted. Slowly, she slid closer to Kai, her body making the faintest rustle against the cold stone floor.
"Brother…" she said softly, her voice trembling—not with fear, but with something deeper.
He turned his head toward her, their eyes meeting in the dim light. "Yeah?"
Mei hesitated, as if gathering courage, then leaned closer. Her eyes glimmered. "Why are we pretending to be heroes?" she whispered, inching so close he could feel the warmth of her breath.
"I… don't know…" Kai murmured, his voice low.
"Why don't we just stop?" Mei leaned closer still, her hot breath brushing against his neck.
Kai swallowed hard, leaning back slightly, as if trying to keep some distance. "Because then we'd become monsters…" he whispered.
"…We're not far from that already," Mei breathed, pressing fully against him. Her chest pressed into his body, and Kai's heartbeat quickened.
THUD!
The sound of a strike echoed through the cell. A guard had kicked the bars. "No flirting!"
Mei flinched. Slowly, she pulled away with a deep sigh, though her eyes still carried a shadow of sorrow. She looked down at the floor and muttered something under her breath.
"Maybe… maybe we really should stop pretending to be heroes…" Kai said.
His words lingered in the air.