TIKKA — LAKE VAIL
CUTTERS ALLEY STREET
Atop a tall building, a glowing circle suddenly appeared.
A moment later, three figures emerged from it.
Serenya, Seranya, and Nara.
Before either of the sisters could say a word, Nara shoved them away and immediately turned to face them. Her breathing became uneven as she drew a small silver knife, gripping it tightly with a trembling hand.
Her face had gone pale.
"Who are you? And who sent you?"
The two sisters exchanged a glance.
Serenya and Seranya slowly removed their dark cloaks, revealing their faces. Their long red hair spilled freely over their shoulders.
"We're not here to harm you," Seranya said telepathically. "We only want to ask you a few questions. No one sent us to chase you, and we're not interested in your life. We know you've been holding a grudge against someone, and we'd like to know why. We're asking for your help, and we're willing to pay you for your time."
"Get out of my head!"
Nara's voice echoed across the rooftops.
"I don't know who you are, and I have nothing to tell you! Take me down from this building this instant!"
She pointed the silver knife directly at the sisters.
"I'm quite satisfied with where I am right now. I'm trying to rebuild my life, and I don't want anything to do with you or whatever you're after. And I don't need your money!"
Seranya remained calm.
"We're sorry for all the pain she caused you. We won't take much of your time. Like I explained, we're not after your life. We simply want to know more about Marcelline Veyra. Once you answer our questions, we'll be on our way."
Nara's expression immediately hardened.
"Don't you understand a single word coming out of my mouth?"
Her grip tightened around the knife.
"I have no intention of telling you anything or becoming part of your little heroic adventure. You're only digging your own graves."
She pointed the knife toward the sisters.
"That's someone you don't want to mess with."
Her voice trembled with anger.
"Yes, I hate her. I hate her existence. More than anything, I want to kill her. I want to watch her crumble."
Nara's eyes narrowed.
"But there is literally nothing you two can do. You're only dead weight."
She lowered the knife slightly.
"She's a monster. That's all I can tell you. So don't ever approach me again, and stay as far away from me as possible."
She looked down at the streets below.
"Now get me down from here. This instant."
The sisters remained silent for a moment.
Then Seranya gave a small nod.
"We're sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for your time."
A glowing circle suddenly appeared beneath Nara's feet.
"What—?!"
Before she could finish, her body vanished in a flash of light.
---
Nara reappeared in the market behind a building.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she spun around.
She looked left.
Then right.
Her breathing was heavy as she searched the surrounding streets, expecting the sisters to appear behind her.
But there was no one.
No glowing circle.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
Nara finally let out a shaky breath.
"I've got to go home."
She hurried away, disappearing into the crowded streets.
TIKKA — CAPITAL
Serelia stood far from the palace, observing the enormous structure from a distance.
The capital was heavily guarded.
After everything that had transpired within Tikka, it was clear that the kingdom had significantly increased its security.
"Teleporting directly inside would be impossible."
Serelia narrowed her eyes.
"I've never been within the walls of Tikka before, so I don't have a location I can teleport to. Even if I expanded my detection range, someone would probably notice the disturbance."
Her gaze moved across the palace walls.
"Landing on the roof would be a good start... but it's so high that I can't even see the roof from here."
Wagons and carriages constantly entered through the palace gates.
Every one of them was thoroughly searched before being allowed inside.
Guards were stationed at nearly every entrance and strategic position around the palace.
Serelia watched silently.
Then she noticed something.
"Hey! Can you move any faster?"
A man hurried toward a carriage that was being loaded with supplies.
"We need to get this to the palace! Besides, they're taking in more maids and people who are skilled with Eno and Dio. So hurry before all the available positions are filled!"
He clicked his tongue impatiently.
"It's good money. Don't delay me!"
Several young women dressed in maid uniforms hurried toward the carriage, carrying boxes alongside a few men.
Serelia's eyes narrowed.
An idea came to her.
---
TIKKA PALACE
The carriage stopped at the palace gate.
A guard stepped forward.
"What are you here for? And why are there so many people crowded inside this carriage?"
The driver quickly smiled.
"Well, you see, the notification about the palace needing more men and women who can work was an opportunity nobody wanted to miss. Everyone needs money these days."
He gestured toward the women.
"Every lady here has come to work at the palace."
"I see."
The guard motioned toward the carriage.
"You'll all have to step down for a quick inspection."
Five other guards approached.
They searched through the boxes while two female guards examined the women, checking their belongings and asking each of them several questions.
Among them stood Serelia.
She wore the simple uniform of a palace maid.
Her outfit consisted of a fitted black-and-white dress with a modest white apron tied around her waist. The sleeves were long and neatly pressed, while a small white maid's cap rested over her brown hair.
Unlike her usual appearance, her red hair was nowhere to be seen.
Her transformation was convincing.
Her beautiful blue eyes remained the same, however, although she kept them lowered to avoid attracting attention.
I can't answer those questions without speaking.
Serelia glanced toward the guards.
I'll have to move before they reach me.
Her eyes briefly shifted toward one of the nearby storage buildings.
A tiny strand of ice formed between her fingers.
Then
FWOOSH!
A small throwing dagger made entirely of ice appeared in her hand.
Serelia flicked her wrist.
The dagger vanished from her grasp.
It shot through the air so quickly that none of the guards noticed the movement.
The instant the dagger reached the roof of the storage building, Serelia's eyes flashed.
"flicker Exchange."
The technique activated.
For a fraction of a second, the ice dagger became covered in an invisible layer of Serelia's detection.
Then—
SWAP.
Her body disappeared from among the groups of ladies.
At the exact same moment, she materialized on the roof of the distant storage building.
The ice dagger that had been there melted instantly.
Not even a trace remained.
Serelia landed silently.
She crouched for a moment before standing.
Flicker Exchange.
A difficult spatial technique that allowed the user to mark an object with their detection and instantly exchange positions with it after making contact.
The object didn't need to remain intact afterward.
However, the technique was extremely difficult to master.
The user had to precisely control their detection, establish a connection with the target object, and complete the exchange within an incredibly small window of time.
A single mistake could cause the technique to fail.
Serelia had spent month mastering it.
She looked toward the palace.
"Now I just need to find this guy."
She jumped from the roof and quietly entered the palace grounds.
TIKKA — LAKE VAIL
CUTTERS ALLEY STREET
Nara walked quickly through the crowded streets,Her heart was pounding.
Every few seconds, she glanced over her shoulder.
Nothing.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
"They found me",The thought refused to leave her mind.
She quickened her pace.
Then-
THUD!
Her body collided with several men walking in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, you fool!"
One of the men glared at her.
Nara immediately lowered her head.
"I'm so sorry."
She tried to walk past them.
"Hey, wait."
Nara froze.
One of the men stepped closer, he stared directly into her eyes.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then his expression changed.
"Hey, guys... doesn't she look familiar?"
The other men looked over.
"I've seen this face before."
He studied her carefully, "But something's different."
Sweat began to form on Nara's forehead, Her hand trembled.
The man continued staring at her.
Then, suddenly, his expression relaxed.
"It's fine. You can go now."
Nara didn't hesitate.
She turned around and started walking, She had barely taken a few steps when—
"Nara!"
Her entire body froze, she heard her name as she Slowly, she turned around.
The man's eyes widened, "Well, what do you know?" A grin spread across his face.
"It really is you."
Nara's face went pale.
The man's expression twisted with anger.
"You have your eyes back."
He stepped forward.
"You bitch!"
Nara took a step backward.
"Do you have any idea what you put my guys through?"
His voice grew louder.
"And what your escape did to us?"
The other men began moving toward her.
"I finally found you."
Nara's breathing stopped.
Then she ran.
"GET HER!"
The men immediately gave chase.
Nara sprinted through the streets as fast as she could, pushing past pedestrians and weaving through the crowded market.
Behind her, the men continued pursuing her.
And this time—
Nara knew exactly what would happen if they caught her.