- Lindis Kingdom Capital: Anselt -
Footsteps hammered against polished stone as civil servants rushed through the corridors, parchment clutched in trembling hands, doors opening and shutting in overlapping bursts of urgency. Voices spilled from every direction—half-finished sentences, contradicting reports, commands shouted too quickly to be fully understood.
"—are they sure that's what was reported—""—no word from the count's expedition—""—has it affected the tides—"
Guards shifted positions along the castle walls, not in their usual idle rhythm, but with the urgency of an actual threat. Something in the air had changed, and everyone felt it, even if no one yet understood what it was.
At the end of the corridor, the grand doors to the royal council chamber stood open.
Inside, the voices were already louder.
"You want me to believe all this just off that countryside hick's word?!" a white-haired man—Marquis Astrey Berren—spat. "The earth shakes a little, and suddenly everyone becomes a gullible idiot!"
"Watch your mouth!" a much younger, dark-blue-haired woman—Countess Merilda DuVorne—retorted, slamming her fist on the table. "Is it your intention to include the king among those 'gullible idiots'?!"
Astrey fixed a cold, dismissive glare on the woman he considered an upstart.
"I didn't say that," he gritted out.
"Then what did you say?" Merilda pressed.
"Who do you think you're talking to like that?!" the Marquis snapped, jolting to his feet with enough force to push his chair off its legs. "I was contributing value to the kingdom before you were even a thought!"
"Clearly, your value's rotted and wasted away if you can't even conduct yourself in the presence of our nation's ultimate authority."
Astrey scoffed, prompting the intervention of another man—broad-shouldered, brown-haired, with glasses perched on his face.
"That's enough," he said, levelling a heavy glance at the Marquis. "Let's not say anything we might further regret."
"But Lord Duke, sir—!"
"Berren. Watch your mouth." The duke leaned forward, fingers interlocked. "That 'countryside hick' you insulted… You know who he's under, don't you?"
Astrey flinched, shrinking back into his readjusted seat.
To his right, Merilda clicked her tongue, clearly displeased that even the highest-ranked noble in the room had moved to shield an insult aimed at a low-ranked noble before the king himself—all because of his association.
'I can't pretend I don't understand the situation, though...'
Her brown eyes drifted to an empty seat to the right-hand side of the king.
It was one of three branded chairs in the chamber.
Duke Humphrey Brunford to the left—the eagle, defined more by its piercing vision than its talons or beak.
His Royal Majesty, King Fros Lu Lindel, at the centre—the raven perched atop a tree of wisdom.
And finally, the only other Duke in Lindis...
The house's sigil was meant to portray an owl pursuing the infinite path of knowledge—but under the current head, it had come to possess another symbolism.
The Owl of Dread and Despair.
The king cleared his throat, his aged eyes scanning the faces in the room with a faint resignation.
"I understand that the situation at hand has raised tensions among us," he said, looking at Duke Brunford. "But this is not the time for petty skirmishes driven by personal ambition."
Fros sighed, clutching his temple.
"A whole mountain range and the unexplored land beyond disappeared in broad daylight, and we only just discovered it two days ago..."
He paused, tapping a finger slowly, rhythmically against the table.
"And above all else, Elio isn't even present at a time like this."
The room's attention shifted almost instinctively to Humphrey, who tried to maintain composure, though the veins at his temple gave away his internal state.
"Your Majesty... we can handle this situation without Lord Alonbright," Duke Brunford said, his tone cordial, steeped in veneration. "I will take this matter directly under my supervision and bring back results worthy of the crown."
"Ha! Is that so?" a young woman chimed in.
All eyes turned toward the doors, breaths hitching when the emblem emblazoned on her shoulders registered.
Ignoring ceremony entirely, she skipped behind the king and settled into the Alonbright Ducal House's chair.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. My father is quite busy, so he sent me instead."
"Elisia..." Fros trailed off, his expression unreadable, though his eyes barely concealed a mixture of caution and displeasure before settling into something softer—almost fatherly in its concern. "You're about to start your fifth year at Aldain, are you not? Your father shouldn't be burdening you with his responsibilities."
Elisia laughed lightly into her hand, waving away the elderly man's worries.
"My performance isn't one to be swayed by a temporary absence," she said, her playful demeanour unwavering. "Besides, matters of nationwide concern take precedence over all else."
"Hoh? How confident," Fros laughed. "Alonbright's future stays true to its name."
Duke Brunford coughed. "Not to interrupt you, my king... but we still have matters to settle."
"Right, the disappearance of the Vargess Range." The red-clad king leaned back, exasperated by the matter. "There's nothing to be done until a formal investigative report is delivered beyond just the initial discovery."
"But that's just it," Humphrey pressed. "I believe more hands should be deployed, and a steady chain of leadership established over the investigation."
Elisia scoffed. "And what? You lead it?"
Brunford adjusted his glasses. "I don't see why not."
The tension was palpable. It pressed against the chamber like a physical weight, suffocating the air between the nobles until even the smallest movement felt deliberate.
Eyes shifted, not in unison but in hesitant calculation—measuring the cost and risk of inserting themselves into the conversation. The earlier noise of debate had thinned into something far more dangerous: a silent battle within an already bloody faction war.
Brunford's posture remained composed, but the stillness in his shoulders betrayed the subtle tightening of a man who felt slighted by the fact that a child, leveraging her father's standing, was mocking him.
Elisia, in contrast, remained smiling—clearly amused. She twirled a strand of her shoulder-length hair, black on the outside with vivid blue visible beneath. Her deep blue eyes carried the same unbothered mirth.
The king did not interrupt. He simply observed, fingers resting against the arm of his chair.
"Young Lady Elisia," a mint-green-haired woman's voice broke through the hall.
Everyone turned except the one whose attention was being addressed; the young heir's gaze fell to the floor as if displeased that her game had been interrupted.
"It would be best for you to remember that you're here as a representative, not the actual lord of your house." Marquess Ursa Morgana leaned back, hiding her expression behind a similarly green fan. "Duke Elio has even done a disservice to all of us assembled today by not providing prior notice of your arrangement."
An energy returned to the room, as a majority of the nobles began smirking and straightening as if they hadn't been cowering mere moments before.
Of the nobles who didn't react in kind, three—who declared themselves royalists—frowned in quiet contempt at the display.
'In this room right now, there are three March Lords, and two are under Duke Brunford,' Merilda thought, scanning the self-satisfied faces. 'Twelve Counts, of which eight belong to his faction. Nine Viscounts all aligned with Humphrey... and three Barons—who, ironically, are the only ones fully untethered to the bastard.'
She caught a glance from a gruff pink-haired man—a fellow royalist, Baron Georg Simon—and shook her head, signalling to let it pass.
Merilda's eyes drifted back to the still Elisia.
'Those monsters don't need our help...'
Elisia finally moved.
With a loud bang, her legs slammed onto the table, crossing in full relaxation.
"Since when have you been in a position to demand correspondence from Duke Elio Alonbright?"
The confidence in the air suddenly felt like it had taken a stumble and fallen flat on its face.
"...What?" Ursa blurted out, perplexed.
Elisia's eyes seemed to darken a shade, like the unfathomable depths of the ocean, yet a smile still played at her lips.
"My house's patriarch can annex territory and go unquestioned, murder countless lords and go unpunished, have his daughter appear in his place at a royal summons—loud and late—and still go unchecked."
She leaned in slightly, locking eyes with the Marquess.
"You obviously know why," Elisia asked, holding back a laugh before her expression shifted into something far more serious. "Because we are the strongest magic family on the eastern half of Pandora. Realistically, if we wanted to, we could kill everyone in this room and their families..."
Silence hung once more as the nobles broke into a cold sweat, while the king's fist tightened beneath the table.
"...Of course, that's just a joke," she added, laughing as she lowered her legs and slapped the table in exaggerated amusement.
"Elisia Alonbright..." Fros said, an edge now present in his tone. "You've disrupted a matter that you yourself acknowledged was of national importance. If you have nothing to contribute, you may take your leave."
The jubilant girl stared at him blankly—almost unnervingly so.
"Hmm, Your Majesty... if you keep taking things so seriously, it could be bad for your health."
Once again, the room stiffened.
"Luckily for you, we've already taken care of your concerns."
Before their very eyes, a figure appeared beside her so seamlessly it felt as if he had always been there.
Fully covered in black bandages from head to toe with all metallic half-mask, shoulder and knee guards, and clawed gauntlets concealing a plethora of hidden weapons.
Unnaturally, his eyes were entirely white, swallowed in a deep black shadow.
He dropped a folder into her open hand, which she immediately tossed onto the table, sending it sliding straight toward the monarch.
"What is this?" Fros asked carefully.
"You wanted a comprehensive report," Elisia said, bored. "There you have it."
The king's eyes widened. "How—"
"—did we get it done so quickly?" she finished. "It wasn't hard, annoying at worst. Ah, I didn't forget. Additional copies were prepared for the esteemed lords and ladies of the council."
More bandaged figures placed folders in front of each noble, leaving them to wonder when they had even appeared beside them.
Fros and Humphrey both turned their gaze toward the guards in the chamber. Elites—yet none had caught even a trace of these unknown agents.
'Damn it...'
Elisia smiled, watching the Duke's expression.
"As I'm sure you can now see from the pictures and measurements highlighted," she started. "It wasn't just the mountains that vanished. Portions of the southwestern cliffs and hills, significant stretches of the southeastern plains, and even sections of the seabed."
She paused, frowning slightly at what she was about to say next.
"More concerning is that even the sea beasts that once prevented many from approaching the lands beyond the mountains are now gone."
"That's impossible!" Astrey yelled. "If that much was missing, the locals of each area would have reported it alongside—"
"Baron Julius, or what did you call him?" Elisia playfully pondered aloud. "The countryside hick?"
Astrey choked on his own breath, already glancing around the room for support, but all his supposed allies turned away.
'How did she even know about that?' Merilda wondered.
"Aaanywayyy," Elisia continued. "I'm assuming they did report it. But because of certain people, all territories outside direct noble jurisdiction—like Galma, for example—don't have institutionally provided magic orbs for instant communication with the capital."
"So," Humphrey finally spoke. "None of that matters. If it's already occurred, there's nothing we can do about it."
Elisia blinked. "That's true."
"I've combed through this entire report, and there isn't a single piece of information about what we actually need to know. What caused it—or did you fail to uncover that?"
The young Ducal heir sighed, seemingly in relief.
"For a moment, I thought you grew a brain. Glad to see that's not the case."
The Duke finally snapped, unleashing a wave of clear blue ki reminiscent of the sky reflected in the water.
"That's enough of your snarky comments, you brat—"
"Humphrey."
Brunford turned to the king, rage still blazing in his green eyes.
The monarch shook his head, gesturing for him to sit for now, subtly indicating that he was making a fool of himself by snapping at a child's provocations.
Humphrey looked around the room, watching his supporters falter while his opponents seemed to relish the moment, all while Elisia watched him as though he were running loops in the palm of her hand.
Clicking his tongue, he sat.
"Answer the question," Fros ordered.
Elisia pouted. "Of course, Your Majesty."
She gestured across the room, then leaned back.
"About thirty percent of our total landmass vanished in a single afternoon," she began. "Obviously, it happened during that kingdom-wide earthquake. We can put forward multiple theories as to what it was, but I'm sure we're all aware there's only a limited number of people—at least—capable of something on that scale, completely undetected."
The mood turned grim, Elisia included this time.
"The three peaks... or any hidden faction on their level," Georg Simon muttered.
"Correct, Baron Simon," the young Alonbright replied. "The best case scenario is that it's the former possibility. If it's the latter... the situation becomes much scarier than it looks now."
King Fros massaged the bridge of his nose, lamenting having his heirs at a later stage in his life.
'If only they weren't still such fools... and if that hadn't happened to Tristan...'
"Do we know the whereabouts of all three peaks?" Merilda asked.
"It wouldn't matter," Humphrey replied tiredly. "They're all capable of impossibly high-speed movement. We didn't catch any of them in the moment, so we have no grounds to properly accuse them..."
"What do we do then?" the Countess asked, turning to the king.
Fros sat in silence as they all looked to him for orders, then sighed.
'Now you care for my opinion...' he mused grimly. "Observe the aftermath. Ensure that no adverse effects reach the citizens."
The nobles snapped to their feet.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
---
With the council adjourned, Elisia quickly said her goodbyes to the monarch, promising to convey his well-wishes to her father the next time she saw him.
But as she hummed softly through the now-empty corridors, making her way out, she was interrupted by a presence that made no attempt to hide itself, eliciting a sigh and groan.
"I'm done playing with you for today already..." she said to seemingly no one. "Games that drag too long lose their fun and get annoying."
Humphrey skulked out of the shadows.
"Elisia Alonbright, you made a mistake today."
She scoffed. "We're both aware you can't harm me."
The Duke chuckled. "Of course I can't, but your own actions will."
Intrigued, she decided to indulge in the game a little longer.
"And what do you mean by that?"
Brunford's expression fell into complete neutrality.
"I know what you did twelve years ago."