Chapter 11

The kitchen is quiet, save for the soft hum coming from Alto brewing his favorite floral tea. Shizuku stands by the window, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the faint glow of Minamo in the evening distance.

Alto
You’re thinking about the clone again, aren’t you?

Shizuku
Yeah.
Well, more than just the clone.

Alto hands him a cup of tea. Shizuku takes it without breaking his gaze.

Shizuku
She asked me what a Shinzoku was.

Alto
Lily did?

Shizuku
Yeah.
I told her the basics—what it means, where it comes from, how it’s tied to Primordials.
But I didn’t tell her the full thing.

Alto
Which is?

Shizuku turns and finally looks Alto in the eyes.

Shizuku
That by technicality… I’m one.
And so is she.

Alto lowers his cup slowly.

Alto
You mean because of Emrys?

Shizuku
Yeah. Mizuki was directly descended from Emrys—fourth generation.
That makes me fifth. And with Lily, She’s sixth.
Not by some vague spiritual inheritance either. Direct bloodline.
Divine resonance, soulprint alignment, mana strain classification—everything lines up.
We’re Shinzoku.

Alto
That… makes a lot of sense.
You always did have that overwhelming aura. And Lily… she’s always been something else.

Shizuku
It’s not something I ever wanted to bring up.
Because being born of a Primordial… isn’t always a gift.

Alto
No.
It’s a responsibility. And a target.

Shizuku
Exactly.
The clone—whatever that thing was—it recognized the word. Used it like it meant something ancient.
Which means this war for the sigils is not just about power anymore.
It’s about blood.

Alto
Do you think Emrys knows?

Shizuku
He definitely knows. He probably knew the moment I was born.
Hell, he probably helped set this all in motion.

Alto
Should we tell Lily?

Shizuku
Not yet.
Let her stay sixteen a little longer.

They both sip their tea in silence for a moment.

Alto
You know… this makes you technically the heir of Law, doesn’t it?

Shizuku
...Don’t start calling me “Primordial proxy.”
I’ll explode.

Alto
What if you call me “Seahorse Dad Consort of the Shinzoku Emperor”?

Shizuku
Now I definitely want to explode.

They both laugh, the warm glow of the kitchen lights flickering against the tension neither of them wants to acknowledge too loudly.