CHAPTER TWENTY - ATTACK

In the dimly lit Audience Chamber, a lone male Spirit knelt with his forehead pressed to the cold stone floor. Candlelight flickered against the high obsidian walls, each flame bending as if afraid to breathe too loudly. Sweat trickled down his pale face, dripping onto the ground in slow, trembling drops.

His wide, fearful eyes stared downward, unblinking, hollow. Ten minutes had passed, though to him it felt like an eternity.

Advisor Jun remained frozen in place, waiting—anxiously—for the Spirit Queen to speak.

He had just delivered his latest report: unrest brewing in the Human World… and worse, the unexplained disappearance of a Spirit Prince and his bodyguard.

Still, silence stretched.

Then, a faint rustle. A shift of fabric from the throne.

Jun’s breath caught.

“Tell me, Advisor Jun,” came the voice at last—cold, sharp, and precise as winter frost. “Where has the young Prince gone?”

Jun pressed his brow deeper into the floor.

“M-My deepest apologies, Your Royal Highness!” he stammered. “T-There are reports suggesting the Prince was last seen in the Human World. However… this has not yet been confirmed.”

Silence again. Heavy. Suffocating. The air itself seemed to recoil.

He stayed motionless, heart pounding so violently that he could hear it echo in his skull. He had steeled himself for punishment—for pain, perhaps death. He knew her nature too well. Cruelty was her sport. Mercy, a relic of an older age.

And this failure was unforgivable.

Jun braced himself for fury. For the crack of her claws, the hiss of her breath, the smell of scorched flesh.

Instead, there was only a weary sigh.

“…Your Majesty?” he whispered cautiously.

“Did the Prince’s bodyguard leave a message before they vanished?”

Jun swallowed hard and nodded, dread and relief knotting in his chest. “He did, Your Majesty.”

He reached into his robe, retrieving a rolled scroll with trembling fingers.

Reza took it without looking at him. Her clawed nails—black as obsidian—glided along the parchment’s edge as she unfurled it. The wax seal broke with a soft, clean snap.

“You may leave, Advisor Jun,” she said at last. “Inform me the moment you locate the Prince. Also… Sir Tal should be arriving shortly. Send him in when he does.”

“Certainly, Your Majesty.” Jun bowed deeply and backed away, the faint sound of his sandals echoing through the corridor beyond.

The hallway outside was long and dim, lined with spectral torches burning a ghostly blue. Then he froze.

A tall figure stood ahead, wrapped in a cloak of silver thread, his face hidden behind a bone-white mask shaped like a human skull. His presence radiated the kind of silence that made air itself shrink away.

A strangled gasp tore from Jun’s throat. “Y-You’re—”

“Is your Queen in?” The stranger’s voice was deep, gravelly—calm, but carrying authority that brooked no refusal.

“B-But you—! H-how did you—? The Queen does not wish to see you—hey, wait!”

“It’s fine.” The man strode forward, his steps unnervingly soundless.

Jun scrambled after him. “Wait! I said wait! Her Majesty’s—”

The doors to the Audience Chamber creaked open before he could finish.

Reza looked up sharply, eyes flashing in fury at the intrusion. But when she saw who it was, the flame behind her gaze flickered. Then cooled to a slow, dangerous calm.

“Y-Your Majesty!” Jun cried, breathless. “Forgive me! I told him he could not enter, but he insisted—”

He moved to intercept the man. “I’ll remove him at once—”

“It’s fine, Advisor Jun,” Reza interrupted. Her voice was soft now, but colder than before. “…Let him in.”

Jun faltered, confused, but obeyed. The doors closed behind him with a thud that echoed like a death knell.

Inside, the Queen gestured lazily for the man to approach. When Jun hesitated again, she added, “Leave us.”

And he fled—vanishing like smoke.

“Why are you here?” she asked without rising.

The masked man said nothing. He reached into his cloak and threw a thin scroll toward her feet.

Reza caught it mid-air, unflinching. Her eyes, gleaming like amber glass, flicked between him and the seal on the parchment.

“What is this?”

“The thing you’ve been searching for,” he said coolly. “The location of the boy you’ve hunted all these years.”

Reza unrolled the scroll slowly. Her nails tapped against the parchment—a rhythmic, deliberate sound. Then her eyes widened slightly.

An ancient map. A single location circled in blood-red ink. The paper smelled faintly of rust and iron.

For a long time, she said nothing.

“Where did you get this?” Her tone was low, measured, but dangerous.

“Where or how I got it is irrelevant,” he replied. “What matters is that I succeeded. Where even you, the Great Spirit Queen, have failed. Not even the knight you’ve blackmailed for years could find what I uncovered in mere days.”

Her lips curved. “You’re a hard man to please. What do you want?”

“The same thing you promised me ten years ago,” he said. “The Princess and the Prince. Both of them. No interference. No delays.”

Reza studied him for a long moment. Then, with a faint smirk, she folded her arms.
“Very well. The Princess and the Prince are yours to claim.”

He turned on his heel to leave.

But before he reached the door, her voice sliced the air—sharp, mocking.
“Only if you find them before I do.”

He froze.

“Do not forget,” Reza continued, her voice dripping venom. “You may have brought me what I sought, but I never asked for your help. If I find them first…” She leaned back into her throne, eyes glinting behind her veil of silver hair. “…they’re mine to kill.”

Her laughter followed him out like the hiss of a serpent.

Jun was waiting beyond the doors. As they opened, he nearly tripped over himself. “M-My Queen—who was that? An old ally?”

“Just a lost bird,” Reza murmured, stretching languidly. “Has General Tal returned?”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. Shall I call him in?”

“Yes. Oh, and Advisor Jun?”

He stiffened. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“…What just happened here tonight? It never happened.”

Jun paled. “O-Of course, My Queen.”

“Good. Now fetch Tal. We have much to discuss.”

***

The chaos in the City of Eden had gone from bad to catastrophic.

The Spirits had multiplied. Masses of shadowed forms pressing against the city’s wards—and were advancing from the gates toward the city’s very heart. Panic gripped the citizens as soldiers barked frantic orders, guiding people toward the centre square where a shimmering dome of magic pulsed like a living thing.

“Stay away from all gates!” shouted an officer as his troops herded civilians toward the barrier. “To the safe zones—move!”

The city was now under full lockdown. The Eden Army stood in formation along the perimeter, bracing for the next assault and awaiting the arrival of their Lord and Commandant.

In the screaming crowd, a little girl — no older than six — stood alone, lost amid a sea of legs. Separated from her friends, she did not cry. She only bit her lip and looked around, stubborn and quiet.

Then something glittered near the edge of the barrier. A toy ring, catching the faint sunlight through the haze.

Her eyes widened. Without hesitation, she walked toward it, ducking beneath the wards. No one saw her slip through. No alarm was triggered. The spell hummed on, unaware.

The ground began to tremble.

A split-second later, the air tore apart with shrieks. Winged Spirits erupted from the ground like a storm of blades — leathery wings slicing the air, claws glinting.

“Spirits! They’re here!”

Panic detonated.

Eden Knights poured into the square, rifles raised, while the loudspeakers blared: “Lock down the South Wing! All citizens proceed to the nearest Safety Zone immediately!”

The barricades groaned.

Cracked. Shattered. Screams rose again as people shoved and ran in all directions.

“How did she get past the barrier?!”

A young Eden Knight lunged forward, but his superior caught his arm. “You mustn’t!”

“She’ll die if we don’t!”

“If we lower the barrier, the Spirits will tear through it!”

“Are you saying we just let her die?!”

Before the officer could answer, another scream tore through the air. The Spirits had surrounded the child—snarling, their saliva hissing against the ground, leaving black burns.

The Knight lifted his rifle.

“Put that away!” his commander hissed.

“Sir, I can shoot clean!”

“That’s not the problem,” the officer growled. He lifted his hand, trembling slightly. “If you shoot, they’ll spit. And if they spit… we’re all dead.”

“Then what do we do?!”

“Nothing,” came the grim reply. “There’s nothing we can—”

A flash of red interrupted him. Flames streaked across the air, searing the sky.

A figure descended like a comet, his sword ablaze, cutting the Spirits down mid-flight. Their bodies burst into ash and embers before hitting the ground.

He landed in front of the girl, smoke swirling around him. Long maroon hair fell over his shoulder. His eyes—emerald, fierce—burned like wildfire. He bared his fangs. Growled a command in a tongue older than the mountains.

The remaining Spirits froze, then whimpered, lowering their heads.

“What… just happened?” someone whispered.

A deep voice answered from behind: “His name is Prince Makai. The Spirit Prince.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“A Spirit?!”

“He speaks our tongue?!”

Nearby, the Eden soldiers turned their weapons on the newcomers—Makai and the man beside him, Leo, who calmly raised his hands.

“At ease. We’ve come in peace,” Leo said evenly. “My prince and I seek an audience with Lord Eden Bowyn X.”

But Makai turned, his voice booming with fury toward the Spirits. His words were a storm — half command, half curse — and the sky itself seemed to tremble.

The Spirits whimpered and withdrew into a portal Makai had summoned.

A boy’s voice rang out from the crowd. “He’s angry because… it was the Spirit Queen! She ordered this!”

All eyes snapped to the speaker — a small child perched on Leo’s shoulder.

Leo removed the boy’s hat, revealing pointed ears and scars down his cheeks.

“A half-breed…” someone breathed.

Murmurs rippled.

Fear.

Disgust.

Leo raised a hand. “This child is innocent. He wants peace, just like the rest of you. Don’t punish him for his blood.”

“I agree,” a calm voice said.

Flanked by his guards, Lord Eden stepped forward, a silver mask gleaming. “The children born of war are not to be blamed,” he said. “They are its victims. Many lost their families in the Great War’s purges. Enough blood has been spilt.”

He turned to Makai. “They won’t answer you. The Queen’s control runs deep. But if you’ll permit it, I’d like to offer you sanctuary — and conversation.”

Leo bowed slightly. “We’d be honoured, Lord Eden.”

“Good. But first things first,” Eden smiled faintly. “Let's return that little one to safety. He can come with me,” Lord Eden said, kneeling slightly to meet the child’s eyes. “Your big brother Rom has been very worried about you — running off on your own.”

“Sorry,” the boy murmured with a sheepish smile, taking the lord’s hand.

Just as Lord Eden and the boy began walking away, two soldiers stepped forward, blocking their path.

“My Lord—what of the Spirits?”

“Leave them to the Prince.”

“But—”

Lord Eden only smiled. “You’ll see.”

The rescued girl looked up at Makai, still clutching his cloak. “Thank you, mister!”

Then, without warning, she tugged him down and kissed his cheek.

The crowd went silent. Then a ripple of laughter broke through.

Leo nearly doubled over. “Well,” he said between chuckles, “that’s a first.”

Makai stood frozen, eyes wide, cheeks faintly red. He muttered something inaudible and turned away, cape swirling behind him.

Leo rested a hand on his shoulder, gentle and warm. “It’s all right, Your Highness. You needed that.”

***

“I’m very sorry, Miss Rinda. Lord Eden is currently in a meeting and does not wish to be disturbed,” said Captain Devone, his tone polite yet immovable, like a door that would not yield no matter how hard one knocked.

Rinda scowled, hands planted firmly on her hips. The long journey clung to her—dust in her hair, fatigue in her posture, but her fire refused to dim.
“Don’t give me that nonsense, Captain. I travelled halfway across Fulaina to get here, and it wasn’t a leisurely ride through flower fields. Just tell the Lord my name—and that I’ve brought someone very important from Luyas.”

Devone’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. “Yes, however—”

“Sir Devone?” came a calm voice.

Guy stepped forward, his presence cutting through the tension like a steady current. “Apologies for the trouble, but it’s urgent we speak with Lord Eden. Please, at least inform him that we’ve arrived.”

Devone hesitated. The name carried weight. “Sir Guy…?” His tone softened slightly. “His Lordship will be surprised to see you. He believed you’d already departed for Luyas.”

“That was the plan,” Guy replied, adjusting his coat. “Until circumstances changed.”

Devone inclined his head, the first sign of respect. “Understood. I’ll relay the message.”

Rinda crossed her arms, muttering under her breath. “So he listens to you, huh? Figures.”

Guy offered a faint smile. “All it takes is a touch of respect, Miss Rinda.”

She snorted. “Respect doesn’t get you through barricades.”

He didn’t disagree.

Moments later, Devone returned, composure perfectly restored. “His Lordship will see both of you now. Please, follow me.”

***

The corridors of Eden Mansion were quiet and cold, lined with towering portraits of previous Lords—each gaze seeming to follow them as they passed. Rinda tried not to look directly at any of them.

They stopped before a large set of double doors. Devone knocked twice.

“Come in,” came the measured, unhurried voice of Lord Eden.

The two entered—and paused.

Inside the meeting chamber, two Spirits sat across the table. One was Leo, his familiar poise a balm amid the tension. The other—young, intense, and unmistakable—was Prince Makai.

Guy stiffened, eyes widening in disbelief at the resemblance.
The same silver gaze. The same quiet storm Mika carried when she fought.

Devone stepped aside. “Thank you for bringing them, Captain,” said Eden, his tone gracious but layered with command.

“Milord.” Devone bowed and left.

Eden gestured toward the seats opposite him. “Please, sit. You’ve travelled far.”

Rinda dropped into a chair beside Leo, still bristling from the ride. Guy took the seat beside Makai, who didn’t even glance at him.

A maid entered silently, setting tea before each of them, steam curling into the still air.

“Well,” Eden said, hands folded, voice calm as a lake, “this is an unexpected reunion. But a welcome one nonetheless.”

Leo inclined his head. “Apologies for the sudden visit, Lord Eden.”

“No apologies necessary,” Eden replied smoothly. “In truth, I’ve been expecting you—especially you, Prince Makai.”

Makai’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“You’re here because of your sister, aren’t you?”

The silence that followed was thick. Guy’s chair scraped slightly as he turned sharply toward the prince.

“So it is you,” he breathed. “You’re Mika’s twin brother… the Spirit Prince. I can’t believe you attacked her the first time you met!”

Makai’s glare was molten. “And what do you know of Mika?” he growled.

“Your Highness—” Leo began, but was cut off.

“I knew it!” Rinda interjected, snapping her fingers in triumph. “Mika! That’s the girl Shinji took as his Chosen Apprentice, isn’t she?”

Guy blinked. “You know Shinji?”

“She does,” Eden said before she could answer. “Miss Rinda grew up in Islez Village. She and Shinji were childhood friends.”

He turned back to Makai. “And yes—Mika is both Princess of the Spirit Kingdom and Shinji’s Chosen Apprentice. A rare fate indeed.”

The prince’s chair creaked as he clenched his jaw. “That idiotic fool,” Makai hissed under his breath. “She lowered herself to serve a human… the Crown Princess of Spirits—serving him?”

Leo’s eyes flicked toward him, pain and warning mingling. “Enough, Makai.”

Eden’s voice cut through, cool and final. “This meeting is not for personal quarrels. You’ll have time to reconcile—or not—later. For now, we address survival. Understood?”

Makai looked away with a terse nod.

Eden turned to Guy, his tone softening. “Sir Guy, I must admit, I’m surprised to see you again. I thought you’d returned to Luyas.”

“That was my intent,” Guy replied quietly. “But Rinda found me. She said it was important.”

Eden nodded, eyes sliding toward her. “Miss Rinda, I trust you have much to explain.”

Rinda exhaled, rubbing her neck. “Oh, you bet I do. Where do I even start…”

***

After a long explanation—chaotic, heartfelt, full of Rinda’s usual colour—silence followed.

Eden sat back in thought, fingertips pressed together beneath his chin.
“I see. That clarifies more than you know. Sir Guy, the information Miss Rinda shared was classified, but I allowed it due to its relevance to you.”

He leaned forward, tone sharpening. “We received a coded message from your sister. I dispatched an escort to bring her here, but she refused. She said her presence would endanger the city.”

Guy’s breath caught. “Endanger—? Who’s after her?”

Eden’s eyes darkened. “We don’t yet know. But while we search, the Spirits have launched their assault. The timing is no coincidence.”

Rinda pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is too much for one day.”

Leo’s voice grounded the chaos. “Then let’s focus on what we can do.”

Eden nodded. “Agreed. As you said—Luyas is already in crisis. Three months under siege. Supplies nearly gone. We cannot stand idle.”

“What’s your plan?” Leo asked.

Eden’s gaze hardened behind the mask. “We’ve had no contact with Lord Ranfel. And Lord Andania… was executed by one of the Queen’s generals.”

The silence that followed was sharp as broken glass.

Then both Spirits spoke at once. “Tal?!”

Eden raised an eyebrow. “You know him?”

Makai’s teeth bared slightly. “He’s not just a general. He’s the Queen’s hound. Her eyes and ears.”

He explained Tal’s rank within the Spirit Orders—how he carried out the Queen’s commands without question, how his unit had turned entire borderlands into graves.

“So she’s moving pieces again,” Eden murmured. “Controlling the war from the shadows.”

“Exactly,” Leo said grimly. “And Tal is her blade.”

Eden exhaled slowly. “Then we’ll have to break it.”

He rose, the soft rustle of his robes the only sound in the room. “We’ll aid Luyas. I’ll need the combined strength of Prince Makai, Sir Leo, and Miss Rinda. Together, we can counter her moves before she tightens her grip.”

“And me?” Guy asked.

Eden’s tone gentled. “You, Sir Guy… have another task. Devone will take you to where your sister was last seen. If you leave now, you may reach her before dusk.”

Guy stood immediately. “Thank you, Milord. Truly.”

He bowed, then turned to go—but paused long enough to meet Makai’s eyes.
“For what it’s worth… she never hated you.”

Makai’s breath hitched almost imperceptibly, but he didn’t respond. Guy left in silence.

When the door closed, Eden looked to the remaining three. “Now, then… shall we discuss the details?”

***

Far above the mansion, among the treetops swaying in the cold wind, two figures crouched like shadows carved from the dark.

The first was a young man—lean, sharp-eyed, his spiked navy hair tousled beneath a hood. The second was a tall woman with long legs and a fox-like grin, her posture relaxed but predatory. Both wore half-masks of dark metal, faintly glinting under moonlight.

“What do you think?” the woman whispered, her voice like velvet over steel. “Should we make our move?”

“…No,” said the boy, eyes fixed on the mansion’s glowing windows. “We keep watching.”

She sighed dramatically. “You’re no fun.”

“Our mission is the Princess. Observation only. The meeting is irrelevant.”

“Pfft. Tal’s orders, huh?” She leaned against a branch, folding her arms. “I don’t trust that bastard. He’s been acting strange ever since the Queen started pulling his strings.”

BEEP. BEEP.

The boy touched a small crystal device in his ear. “Yes. …Understood.”

He turned to her. “Change of plans. Tal’s on the move.”

“Already?”

He nodded. “We follow the Princess.”

The woman grinned, rolling her shoulders. “Finally. Some excitement.”

She took one last look toward the mansion’s candlelit windows, where the fates of kingdoms were being decided.

“Let’s hunt.”

The two vanished into the night—shadows leaping from branch to branch, silent as breath, swift as vengeance.