Night had fallen over the Marquisate.
Outside, the torches scattered across the Golden Wall shone like small stars trapped within stone.
The war hall remained illuminated.
Maps covered the great central table.
Some still marked with recent notes.
Others with bloodstains no one had time to clean.
Counselors remained scattered around the room.
Exhausted.
But attentive.
Phoebe stood at the head of the table.
Motionless.
The golden blindfold covered her eyes.
Her fingers rested against the dark wood.
Feeling the vibrations of the hall.
The footsteps.
The breathing.
The hesitations.
Brianna remained close to her.
Silent.
Arms crossed over her chest.
Watching the maps spread across the table.
A knight stood silently before the table.
A stack of reports tucked beneath his arm.
His armor still carried marks from battle.
"Lady Tirésias."
Phoebe tilted her head slightly.
"Continue."
The man opened one of the documents.
"The redistribution of the refugees has been completed."
"The residents of the Bronze Wall remain sheltered in the lower sectors."
His eyes briefly lowered to the report.
"The displaced from Silver were transferred…"
"to the former military quarters near the eastern district."
"And the granaries?" Phoebe asked.
"They remain stable, my lady."
The answer took slightly longer than it should have.
Phoebe noticed.
Brianna too.
"For how long?"
The knight hesitated.
"A few days."
Silence weighed over the table.
"Perhaps less, depending on the flow coming from the outer districts."
Phoebe merely nodded.
As though she had already expected to hear that.
The man continued.
"The temples remain overcrowded."
"Healers have been relocated to the inner wall sectors."
"The most severely wounded are still being transferred to the former knight barracks."
Another counselor raised his eyes.
"And the wounded from the main line?"
"Stable."
"As much as possible."
The answer came dry.
The knight lowered his eyes back to the report.
"Lord Heron remains unconscious."
"But the healers claim his condition has not worsened."
Phoebe remained motionless.
"And Karna?"
"He still hasn't awakened."
"However, the wounds have already begun responding to treatment."
Brianna remained silent.
Eyes fixed on the map.
The man turned another page.
"As for the prisoners from the Central Kingdom…"
Some of the counselors raised their heads.
"They all remain under surveillance."
"No escape attempts have been recorded."
His eyes shifted toward Brianna.
"As requested by Lady Brianna…"
"Patrols conducted searches through the destroyed districts of Bronze and Silver."
"No survivors were found outside the captured groups."
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
One of the counselors rested his arms against the table.
"I still believe it would be simpler to execute them."
Brianna raised her eyes.
The entire room seemed to grow colder.
"Simple does not mean intelligent."
The man fell silent.
Brianna continued:
"As long as they remain here…"
"no report will reach the Central Kingdom."
Her eyes swept across the table.
"They sent an army."
"But they do not know what happened to it."
A small pause.
"And while they do not know…"
"they will be forced to act blindly."
No one objected.
Because the logic was too simple to contest.
The knight used the silence to continue.
"There is one more matter."
Phoebe tilted her head slightly.
"Speak."
The man hesitated.
Only for an instant.
"The guest remains in the Central Courtyard."
Some of the counselors exchanged glances.
Brianna closed her eyes briefly.
Like someone dealing with a recurring problem.
"He refused the chambers again?"
"Yes, Lady Brianna."
"And he refused the knights' quarters."
"And he refused the guest rooms."
One of the counselors sighed.
"Naturally."
The knight cleared his throat.
"According to the guards…"
"he claims to be comfortable where he is."
The knight prepared to continue the report.
Brianna's eyes shifted toward one of the hall's windows.
Phoebe remained motionless.
But the fingers resting on the table ceased their movement.
For an instant.
The silence felt different.
As though something had changed beyond the castle walls.
Brianna's eyes narrowed.
"That…"
The hall doors opened.
Quickly.
A knight crossed the hall.
Armor still covered by the dampness of the night.
Heavy breathing.
He stopped before the table.
Immediately kneeling.
"Lady Tirésias."
Phoebe tilted her head slightly.
"What happened?"
The man raised his face.
Still trying to recover his breath.
"A manifestation was detected in the Courtyard of Balance."
Some of the counselors exchanged glances.
The knight continued:
"Several individuals appeared at the site."
The hall fell silent.
"Appeared?"
The question came from one of the counselors.
The man nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Brianna's eyes narrowed.
The man swallowed dryly.
"Among the individuals found…"
His voice faltered for an instant.
"is young master Kael."
Brianna remained motionless.
Eyes fixed on the knight.
Phoebe did not respond immediately.
Her hand rested upon the table.
Still.
As though listening to something far away.
Her lips moved.
"A storm from the North approaches."
Brianna turned her eyes toward her.
Before she could answer—
Hurried footsteps crossed the hall.
Several counselors immediately turned.
Kaelir emerged between the columns.
His black hair was even more disheveled than usual.
Heavy breathing.
The fractures spread across his neck and part of his face pulsed faintly beneath the torchlight.
The blue eye and the golden one swept across the room until they found Phoebe and Brianna.
"Lady Tirésias…"
"Brianna…"
The voice came out breaking between one breath and the next.
Kaelir braced one hand against the table.
Trying to recover his breath.
Brianna narrowed her eyes.
"What happened?"
Kaelir pulled in air.
Once.
Then again.
"We have…"
His breath failed for an instant.
"We have a problem."
His eyes met Brianna's.
"Someone…"
Another short breath.
Forced.
"Someone is trying to cross through."
The counselors exchanged confused glances.
Brianna remained motionless.
Her expression hardening almost imperceptibly.
"Are you certain?"
Kaelir nodded.
"I felt the rupture."
His hand tightened around the edge of the table.
"It's forcing its way through."
"And it isn't trying to hide it."
Silence lasted only an instant.
Then—
BOOOOM.
The impact echoed into the war hall.
Several counselors stood immediately.
Brianna turned toward the windows.
Eyes narrowing.
"It came from the Central Courtyard…"
Kaelir was already moving.
But before he could say anything—
Phoebe spoke.
Calm.
Cold.
"From where Typhon is."
A small pause.
"It did not take long."
Phoebe pulled her hands away from the wood.
Standing.
"Let's find out what he wants this time."
Silence fell over the hall.
She began to walk.
Outside the castle—
Moonlight bathed the Central Courtyard.
Torches scattered around the walls cast golden reflections across the stone.
The flickering glow danced within Typhon's eyes.
Motionless.
Watching.
In front of him—
three figures stood.
Dark cloaks swayed slowly beneath the night wind.
None of them seemed concerned with the guards partially surrounding the courtyard.
Typhon's eyes passed over the first figure.
Young.
Pale skin.
Short black hair with longer strands falling to the nape of his neck.
Purple eyes remained fixed on him.
Far too calm.
Like someone accustomed to watching storms without needing to fear them.
His gaze slid toward the second figure.
For a brief instant—
it felt as though he were looking at the same person.
The same skin.
The same hair.
The same face.
But the eyes were different.
Black.
Deep.
Silent.
Like an abyss that had never cared to hide what it was.
Finally—
his gaze found the woman.
Pale skin beneath the moonlight.
Black hair with subtle bluish reflections spread across her shoulders.
Golden-amber eyes glowed softly within the darkness.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
And excessively attentive for someone who had just appeared in the center of a territory.
A smile slowly appeared on Typhon's face.
"Lâmia."
The name came out almost amused.
His eyes traveled across her figure without the slightest hurry.
"Who would have imagined?"
His head tilted slightly to the side.
"You not only escaped the Abyss…"
The smile widened slightly.
"But also received a body."
His gaze lowered briefly.
Calculating.
Analyzing.
"I admit I'm impressed."
A small smile appeared on Lâmia's lips.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
"And you remain exactly the same."
Her golden-amber eyes met his.
"After all this time, you still haven't learned how to speak to a woman."
She sighed theatrically.
Like someone genuinely disappointed.
"Now I'm beginning to understand Zeus."
Typhon's expression did not change.
Lâmia continued:
"If I had spent centuries dealing with you…"
The smile widened.
"I would've looked for a mountain to imprison you too."
The purple-eyed young man's voice crossed the courtyard.
Calm.
Controlled.
"It seems you adapted well to the human body, Typhon."
Typhon's eyes slid toward him.
The smile did not disappear.
"Éreon…"
The voice came out almost entertained.
"I imagine Tartarus is not very pleased."
His eyes slowly shifted toward the second figure.
The black-eyed young man remained silent.
Motionless.
Watching.
"Though I suppose that never stopped you from doing whatever you pleased."
A brief pause.
Typhon's fingers tapped once against his own arm.
"Especially when it comes to interfering in the Abyss."
The wind crossed the courtyard.
Moving the dark cloaks.
His eyes remained fixed on the black-eyed figure.
"Some things truly never change."
Éreon's lips curved slightly.
A small smile.
Controlled.
"You're forgetting one detail, Typhon."
The wind slowly moved his dark hair.
"I received the title you refused."
"After all…"
The smile widened almost imperceptibly.
"while I was handling the affairs of the Abyss…"
"you were busy trying to dethrone Zeus."
A brief pause.
"I admit the result could have been better."
One corner of Typhon's mouth lifted.
Amused.
Dangerous.
"Ah."
A small laugh escaped through his nose.
"So that's how you intend to tell this story?"
Golden eyes met his.
"You only received that title because Erebus spent centuries pressuring Tartarus."
Another pause.
Typhon's smile widened.
"And because someone needed to assume the role after I refused it."
His head tilted slightly.
"Do not mistake family favoritism for personal merit."
Silence lasted only an instant.
The black-eyed figure spoke for the first time.
The voice was calm.
Direct.
"Éreon."
His eyes remained on Typhon.
"We did not come here for this."
The courtyard returned to silence.
Éreon's purple eyes shifted toward him.
For a brief instant.
He nodded.
"You're right."
A shadow of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Though I admit I missed a good argument about the old days."
His gaze moved beyond Typhon.
Stopping toward the castle entrance.
Phoebe and Brianna had just emerged into the courtyard.
The torches reflected softly against the golden blindfold.
Phoebe did not slow her pace.
Nor hesitate.
"Éreon."
Her voice crossed the silence.
"I hope you haven't forgotten my warning."
"I haven't."
The response came immediately.
"And that is precisely why I am here."
"If I had come for Tirésias…"
The wind crossed the courtyard.
Moving the dark cloaks.
"you would already be dead."
The air seemed to harden.
Several knights moved immediately.
Hands dropping toward their weapons.
One step.
Phoebe's hand lifted.
Enough.
Everyone stopped.
Éreon's eyes briefly drifted across the knights.
"But I came to speak with the Marchioness."
Then they returned to Phoebe.
"I heard something interesting from the Baron."
"I need to confirm whether it's real."
"And for that…"
"I need information."
Phoebe held the silence for several seconds.
Her posture unshaken.
"Obtain what you need."
Her voice came calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
"And leave immediately."
"My castle already has enough problems."
Phoebe turned away.
Without waiting for a response.
Brianna followed the movement immediately.
The knights opened a path.
Éreon watched Phoebe walk away.
As though registering something.
Then looked away.
"Let's go."
The voice came calm.
The two figures moved at the same time.
Following him.
Above them, clouds crossed silently through the skies above the Golden Walls.