Following someone was an art. Realizing you were being followed and pretending you knew nothing was a far deadlier skill.
After his overwhelming display inside the Mirror Dome, Hope walked through the palace's vast, gleaming corridors with a cold sensation crawling down his spine. It was not from the chill of the water or its pressure. It was the primal, unsettling awareness prey feels when a predator's gaze locks onto the back of his neck.
Hope did not slow his steps. He did not turn his head.
Silently, he issued a command in his mind.
[ARCHITECT SIGHT: PASSIVE SCAN ACTIVE]
His vision shifted instantly. The coral walls of the palace, the flow directions of the currents, and heat signatures appeared before him in green digital outlines. Approximately twenty meters behind him, concealed within the shadow of a pillar, an anomaly lingered. Its thermal signature was nearly nonexistent, perfectly synchronized with its surroundings. It sliced through the water so smoothly that not even the faintest ripple betrayed it.
A professional Scale-Skin assassin.
The Prince wasted no time, Hope thought, a faintly amused smile touching his lips. Instead of locking me in a chamber, he is waiting for me to make a mistake. He hopes I will go to Octavia or attempt an escape route.
Hope lowered his shoulders and let his steps grow heavier. He adopted the posture of an exhausted boy who wanted nothing more than rest. His scythe hung across his back, yet he made no move toward it.
If Prince Nereus wished to play a game, Hope would rewrite its rules.
His destination was not his room.
It was the grand palace library.
He and Princess Elara had arranged to meet there.
The heavy mother-of-pearl doors opened, revealing shelves filled with parchment crafted from massive sea plants and crystalline tablets glowing with soft inner light. Elara sat at the end of a long table, studying a thick volume. When she heard Hope's footsteps, she lifted her head. The familiar spark of excitement and collaboration shone in her eyes.
"Hope!" Elara whispered eagerly. "You came. After last night's plan, I reviewed the sewer maps, and if—"
"Your Highness," Hope interrupted.
His voice was cold. Formal. Excessively obedient.
He bowed his head slightly.
The smile froze on Elara's face. Her brows furrowed. "Hope? What are you saying? Why are you addressing me like that?"
She stood and stepped toward him.
Hope cast a brief, nearly imperceptible glance toward the vaulted ceiling and the deep shadows behind the columns. He knew the assassin was hidden there.
He approached Elara stiffly, his face devoid of emotion.
"I simply know my place, Your Majesty," Hope said loudly enough for his words to echo through the hall. "I am merely a surface dweller. Serving as the protector of one born of noble blood such as yourself is a great honor. However, Prince Nereus has made it very clear that I must not cross the boundaries between us."
Elara stared at him in shock. For a fleeting moment, she wondered whether her brother had bewitched him inside the Mirror Dome.
"Hope… are you well? Did my brother do something to you?"
"I am perfectly well, Princess," Hope replied.
He reached toward a book on the table. As he opened the cover, his left thumb deftly slipped a small folded parchment into the pages. The motion was seamless. Invisible to the assassin observing from the shadows.
He slid the book toward Elara.
"I believed you were searching for this volume, Your Majesty. It concerns ancient architecture. If you have no further commands, I would like to rest. My training has been severe."
Elara accepted the book.
The moment her fingertips brushed the hidden parchment within, her body stiffened.
She understood immediately.
Hope's sudden formality. The distance. The tone.
They were being watched.
In an instant, Elara wore the mask of a royal princess. Her shoulders straightened. Her chin lifted. She looked down at Hope with a measured, dismissive expression.
"Yes, I was looking for this," Elara said coolly. "Well done, Architect. You perform your duty adequately. You may leave. Rest well. Tomorrow I shall exhaust you further. My brother did not keep you in this palace to serve as decoration."
Hope bowed once more.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
He turned and exited the library with slow, heavy steps.
Elara remained seated. She opened the book slowly, shielding the parchment within her palm's shadow. Hope's precise handwriting contained only a few words:
The Prince is following us. Act natural.
She crushed the parchment discreetly and let a faint spark erase it.
Then she resumed turning pages as though nothing had happened.
Guest Wing
Hope continued walking with the silent shadow trailing him. He intended to test the assassin's patience. He would present such a dull, harmless routine that the watcher would grow bored.
Passing beneath a wide coral arch, he encountered Kai and Bianca seated beside a decorative fountain. Bianca was polishing one of her daggers. Kai flipped a silver coin between his fingers.
Prince Nereus had issued warnings to them as well. They moved through the palace as though balancing on blades.
"Well, look who survived," Kai said, catching the coin. "How many times did the Prince kill you today, Architect?"
Hope smiled normally. "This time, I won," he said with a tired shrug. "But the man is a complete psychopath. There is not a single bone in my body that does not ache."
Bianca studied him carefully. "You look terrible, boy. The Prince pushing you this hard cannot mean anything good. Perhaps we should leave this place."
"We cannot," Hope replied, shaking his head. "Lypin's treatment is here. And I need energy for tomorrow's training. I just want to sleep."
He stretched casually, appearing vulnerable.
"What about you?" he asked.
"Us?" Kai grinned. "Nothing important. Just discussing the palace's security weaknesses. Old habits die slowly."
Hope laughed, fully aware that the assassin would report that line.
Divert the Prince's attention toward the former thieves. Relieve pressure from himself.
"Do not get into trouble," Hope said with a wave.
"Sleep well, little Architect," Bianca called after him.
The shadow lingered slightly farther back now.
Hope had painted the image perfectly.
Harmless. Exhausted. Predictable.
Palace Infirmary
Hope's final stop was the infirmary.
When he entered, the soothing aura of healing magic embraced him. This time, however, Lypin was not alone.
In the corner of the room, bouncing happily in the water and shifting shapes, was a blue gelatinous creature.
Mira.
The moment Mira saw Hope, she let out a high-pitched squeal of delight. She bounced like a ball and launched herself directly onto his face.
"Mm—!"
Hope barely maintained balance. He gently peeled the cool, sticky creature from his face and held her in his arms.
"I missed you too, little troublemaker," he said, laughing.
Lypin giggled from her bed. "I brought her here while you were training. I did not want her to feel alone. She is loyal."
Hope stroked Mira's head, then frowned.
Something was different.
Mira's texture was denser. Heavier. Thin golden veins shimmered within her blue body.
His mind analyzed automatically.
[ANALYSIS: MIRA – SLIME FORM][STATUS: EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS][MANA DENSITY: CRITICAL LEVEL][NEW TRAIT: ELECTRICAL CHARGE STORAGE CAPACITY]
Hope's eyes widened.
"Lypin… this is incredible. Mira is changing. The dense mana in this palace is affecting her as well. She has absorbed the surrounding energy. She is becoming something far stronger."
Mira puffed proudly and released a small crackle of electricity.
Lypin smiled warmly. The violet glow in her eyes was steady and controlled.
"Perhaps we are all discovering our hidden potential," she said softly. "You have changed too, Hope. I heard what happened in the Mirror Dome. You defeated the Prince's copies. You are pushing yourself so hard… for me."
Hope sat beside her on the bed.
In that moment, the assassin, the Prince's schemes, Octavia's bloodstained prison history all seemed distant.
"You will leave this place," Hope said quietly. "Our plan is ready. Soon, we will all—"
The world shook.
There was no warning sound at first. Only violent tremors.
The water pressure shifted so abruptly that Hope's ears screamed in pain. Lypin clutched her head. Then, from the deepest foundation of the palace, from the ocean floor itself, a deafening explosion roared.
BOOOOOOM.
Healing crystals along the infirmary walls cracked. Potion bottles shattered across the floor. Hope instinctively pulled Lypin into his arms, shielding her from flying debris. The ground rocked like a cradle.
Mira darted inside Hope's jacket.
"What is happening?!" Lypin cried. "Are the Prince's shields under attack again?"
Hope activated [Architect Sight] fully.
Deep below, in the lowest levels of the palace, an immense mana detonation pulsed outward.
The dungeon sector.
No.
Hope's blood ran cold.
I did not go down there. I did not activate the plan.
As the tremors faded, red warning lights flashed across coral speakers throughout the palace. A mechanical, soulless voice echoed as sirens wailed.
[EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY.][CRITICAL BREACH IN ROYAL DUNGEON.][OCTOPUS PRINCESS OCTAVIA HAS ESCAPED.][ALL UNITS TO BATTLE POSITIONS.]
The infirmary was bathed in crimson light.
Hope and Lypin stared at one another.
If Hope had not broken the cage…
Then who had?
Was the legendary assassin, the Poisonous Eel, truly more than myth?
Or had Octavia shattered her own chains?
Green flames ignited along Hope's summoned scythe, merging with the red alarm glow.
"The game has changed," Hope said through clenched teeth.
"Completely."