The girl, whose name was Sora, watched in awe as the Empress of the Shadow Realm placed a hand on her shoulder. Sora felt a strange, cold pull—not painful, but deep. The green toxin that had been spreading through her veins was literally sucked out, disappearing into Riha's palm.
[The Herbalist's Story]
"You... you're her," Sora whispered, her violet-black eyes wide. "The Empress who saved the girls in the capital."
Riha helped her sit up. "I am. What is a girl with your knowledge doing in the middle of a Beast General's territory? You have enough rare Void-Lilies in that bag to buy a mansion."
Sora looked down, her voice trembling. "My uncle and aunt... they saw me as a commodity. After my parents died, they tried to sell me to an old, lecherous Count in the Glacial Hegemony. When I refused, they tried to sell me to the slave traders. I ran. I've been living in the woods, collecting herbs. I know how to make antibiotics that work even on mana-poisoning, but those men... they found me."
She pointed to the edge of the clearing, where three men in rugged mercenary gear were watching from the shadows, frozen in fear after seeing Riha kill the spider.
Riha stood up, her eyes turning into cold slits of violet ice. She didn't say a word. She simply pointed her staff at the men. A pulse of gravitational force slammed into them, pinning them to the trees like insects on a board.
"Kaelen!" Riha called out. Her strategist appeared instantly. "Take these three to the mines. Let them see how 'profitable' forced labor really is. And find Sora's aunt and uncle. Strip them of their citizenship and exile them to the Grey-Wastes. Let's see how they handle being the 'commodities'."
[The Treasure of the Healer]
As the mercenaries were dragged away, Riha turned back to Sora. "You have a gift, Sora. You didn't just survive that spider; you knew exactly which herbs would slow the poison's heart-rate. That's not just luck. That's mastery."
Sora looked at the ground. "I... I have a secret, Majesty. I didn't just use herbs."
She reached out and touched a withered, broken flower on the forest floor. A soft, emerald glow radiated from her fingertips. Within seconds, the flower bloomed, vibrant and full of life.
Riha's heart skipped a beat. "Healing magic. Pure life-force manipulation."
On Planet Nexus, healers were rarer than Black Hole Cores. Most "healers" just used potions, but a true Life-Mage could mend shattered bones and regrow tissue in seconds. In a war against the Solari and Glacial Empires, Sora was more valuable than a thousand soldiers.
"I have to be careful," Sora whispered. "If the other Empires knew... they would cage me."
Riha reached out and took Sora's hand. "They will have to go through me first. Sora, I'm going to the Solari border for a negotiation. It's dangerous, and I need someone who knows how to mend what the sun burns. Come with me. You won't be a slave or a servant. You'll be my personal Physician and, if you're willing... my second friend."
Sora looked at Riha—at the strength in her eyes and the kindness in her touch. "You would protect someone like me? Even if it means fighting the whole world?"
Riha laughed, a sharp, confident sound. "I was already planning on fighting the whole world, Sora. Having you by my side just makes me feel like I might actually win."
[The Bond of Secrets]
The two girls spent the evening in the imperial carriage as the caravan resumed its journey. Riha shared the truth about her Earth origins and the weight of the Crystal City secrets. In return, Sora taught Riha about the secret "Spirit Points" in the human body that could be used to amplify healing.
They were a perfect pair: Riha, the Black Hole that consumed energy, and Sora, the Emerald Light that restored it.
"The Solari Prince thinks he's coming to a negotiation," Riha said, looking out at the rising sun of the border. "He thinks he's going to meet a lonely Empress he can manipulate."
She looked at Sora, then at the Chronos-Lunar Eclipse staff leaning against the velvet seat.
"He has no idea that I'm bringing an army of puppets, a mind full of Earth's strategies, and a Healer who can make my soldiers immortal. The negotiation is over, Sora. The conquest is just beginning."
As the carriage crossed the final ridge into the Grey-Wastes, Riha felt a surge of energy. Her Weapon Synchronization hit 60%. The humanoid silhouette in her mind was now smiling.