The distress signal came at dusk.
Not a full emergency flare — but a sharp, controlled burst of mana coded in Iris's signature frequency.
Vesa felt it first.
Eira was already moving before anyone spoke.
The Snow Dragon lifted its head from the courtyard, frost crackling along its scales. The Snow Goddess stepped forward silently, hood already drawn low.
"Location?" Eira asked.
"Outer district," Vesa replied. "Old cathedral grounds."
Noctryx's eyes darkened. "Too public for coincidence."
—
By the time they arrived, the fight was over.
The cathedral courtyard was scarred but not destroyed. Stone pillars cracked. Vines torn from decorative arches. Frost traces clung to shattered tiles.
Iris stood at the center of it all, breathing hard but upright.
Around her lay several guild members — bruised, stunned, humiliated, but alive.
No bodies.
No blood pools.
Just defeat.
Eira crossed the courtyard in three strides. "Iris."
"I'm fine," she said immediately, though her jaw was tight.
The Snow Dragon lowered its massive head, growling low in its throat as it sniffed the air.
The Snow Goddess's gaze sharpened beneath her hood.
"Royal mana," she said quietly.
Iris nodded once.
"It was Neo."
The name landed heavily.
Eira's expression did not change — which made it worse.
"She came alone?" Vesa asked.
"Yes," Iris answered. "But this wasn't a personal visit."
She stepped aside.
Embedded in the stone behind her was a shallow, precise cut — deliberate.
A message.
"Where is the sword?"
Silence.
Eira's hand went unconsciously to his side.
Neo hadn't come to kill.
She had come searching.
"They were looking for your blade," Iris said. "She made that clear."
"What exactly happened?" Vesa asked calmly, though something colder edged his tone.
Iris exhaled slowly.
"She arrived under royal authority. Said she was conducting an inspection tied to national security. Asked directly about Eira's sword."
"And when you refused?" Noctryx asked.
"She didn't ask twice."
The courtyard told the rest of the story.
Precise damage. Controlled strikes. No lethal blows.
Neo had dismantled Iris's defense network systematically. Stripped control of the field. Disarmed without maiming.
Humiliation by superiority.
"She could have killed at least three of us," Iris admitted quietly. "She chose not to."
The Snow Dragon's growl deepened.
Eira's voice was low. "Did she say it was the King's order?"
"She didn't need to," Iris replied. "Royal crest on her cloak. Command phrasing. She was executing a directive."
The Snow Goddess stepped forward slightly.
"She is conflicted," she said.
Everyone looked at her.
"She held back," the Goddess continued. "Her strikes avoided vital patterns. She suppressed her killing intent."
"That doesn't excuse it," Noctryx said coldly.
"No," the Goddess agreed. "It does not."
Eira walked to the carved message in the stone.
Where is the sword
"They're escalating," Vesa said quietly.
"This isn't just suspicion anymore," Noctryx finished. "It's confirmation."
The Snow Dragon exhaled, frost rolling across the broken tiles. The air temperature dropped several degrees.
Eira stood in front of the carved words a long moment.
Where is the sword?
Not Who are you?
Not What do you want?
The King already had his answer.
"He thinks the blade in the palace reacted because of mine," Eira said at last.
"It did," the Snow Goddess replied calmly.
Vesa's eyes shifted toward her.
"And he believes," she continued, "that if he controls both, he controls the outcome."
Iris clenched her fists. "Neo searched the guild vaults. Storage chambers. Even the lower armory."
"She knew exactly what she was looking for," Noctryx said.
"Yes," Iris answered. "And when she realized it wasn't here… she made sure we understood that next time, she wouldn't be asking."
The implication lingered.
This had been a warning.
A display.
Not slaughter — but dominance.
Eira turned toward Iris fully. "Did she say anything else?"
A pause.
"She said…" Iris hesitated, something conflicted passing across her face. "She said she hoped you wouldn't make her choose."
Silence followed.
The Snow Dragon lifted its head slightly, nostrils flaring as if sensing something distant.
"She left immediately after?" Vesa asked.
"Yes. Royal teleportation crest. Clean extraction."
Noctryx clicked his tongue softly. "Efficient."
Eira walked to one of the cracked pillars and ran his fingers over the impact mark. The cut was precise. Refined. Controlled mana shaping.
Neo had grown stronger.
Much stronger.
"She didn't go all out," Eira said quietly.
Iris shook her head. "Not even close."
The Snow Goddess stepped beside him.
"She is bound by oath," the Goddess murmured. "But her heart is not aligned with it."
"Doesn't matter," Noctryx replied. "If the King orders her to retrieve the sword again, she will."
"And next time," Vesa added, "he may not limit the objective to inspection."
Eira's gaze hardened.
"No," he said. "He won't."
The Snow Dragon lowered its massive body slightly, wings folding with a low rumble.
"Then we stop reacting," Noctryx said. "We act."
Vesa nodded faintly. "The coronation gathers every power center in one place. Foreign rulers. Nobility. Military leaders."
"A stage," Frey murmured from behind them, having just arrived after assisting the injured. "And a pressure point."
Eira looked once more at the carved message in stone.
Where is the sword?
He placed his palm over the letters.
Frost spread slowly, deliberately — sealing the cut in ice until the words disappeared.
"They want the sword?" he said calmly.
The Snow Goddess watched him closely.
"Then we decide when they see it."
The wind shifted through the ruined courtyard, carrying the faint scent of roses from somewhere far away.
And in the palace, beneath layers of guarded stone, the ancient hero's blade pulsed again — reacting not just to Eira…
But to something awakening in response.