Morning light shone into Sara's room as the birds began chirping outside. "I'm too tired... I don't want to wake up," Sara muttered, tossing and turning in her bed. Suddenly, her window shattered. An assassin lunged inside, brandishing a dagger. Reacting instantly, Sara threw her spiral energy blade, striking the assassin squarely in the head.
"These assassins are so annoying," Sara sighed, finally standing up. After a quick shower, she began getting ready, though her mood remained sour. "I don't feel like seeing those guys today." She dressed in a sleek white suit, tying her hair back and pulling on a pair of white gloves. Looking at herself in the mirror, she wondered aloud, "I wonder what the royal family told the commoners about the Leaders destroying the palace. They probably claimed it was an assassination attempt involving explosives."
She made her way to the dining room. "Morning, everyone," Sara said, noting Helios and Luna already at the table.
"Morning, Sara," Helios replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He looked as though he might fall asleep right into his breakfast.
"The assassins were being annoying to you too?" Sara asked, glancing at him.
"Yeah. I feel like there are more of them than usual," Helios said, rubbing his eyes. "Do all the factions hate me that much?" He raised a hand, signalling the servants to leave the room.
"Who's going to clean up the corpses?" Sara asked, sitting down to eat.
"The servants will," Helios said. He noticed Luna staring at him with an intense, unblinking gaze. "Moon, I can't read your mind. Are you going to tell me what you want?" he asked with a flicker of interest.
"It's going to be Mom and Dad's death anniversary soon," Luna said, her voice trembling with sadness.
I only have some memories back, not all of the original Helios's memories, Helios thought privately. He reached out, his expression softening. "Don't be sad, Moon. Mom and Dad wouldn't want that," he said in a comforting tone.
"Can I come with you to visit your parents?" Sara asked, her voice tinged with nervousness.
"Yes, that would make me and my brother very happy," Luna replied, offering a small, grateful smile.
A clock chimed, prompting Helios and Sara to stand. "I think we have to go now, Helios," Sara said.
"I'm too tired to attend this morning meeting," Helios groaned, though he followed her out. "Bye, Moon!"
Outside Helios's quarters, Karl spoke to a new maid standing nervously before the door. "Since you are new here, there are things you must know before you enter this room."
"Yes" the maid replied respectfully.
"Whatever you see today, not a whisper of it leaves this mansion," Karl warned coldly.
What's in there can't be that bad, the maid thought, her curiosity piqued. However, when the door swung open, she gasped. Assassin corpses littered the floor, each with a neat bullet hole in their head. The maid collapsed to her knees in shock.
"This will be a normal occurrence for you," Karl said, looking down at her with an icy stare. "One more thing: never say anything that could make Master Helios's sister sad, and never make a mistake around her. Master Helios will never forgive that." Karl's expression darkened as she remembered the last time Helios's rage had levelled the atmosphere of the mansion.
"You two look like you got no sleep," Nova remarked as Helios and Sara entered the Blackthorn meeting room.
"That's not important right now," Ray interrupted, his voice buzzing with excitement. "What really happened at the event?"
"The royal family is claiming it was an attack from one of our kingdom's principalities," Riku explained.
"What's a principality?" Helios asked, tilting his head with genuine interest.
"Principalities are smaller territories ruled by our kingdom on this continent," Sara clarified.
"Are there other continents?" Helios asked.
Seer narrowed her eyes, her voice laced with suspicion. "Leader, I feel like you have amnesia sometimes. You don't know things that even people in Area 4 would know."
"No need for comments. Just tell me about the continents," Helios commanded, dismissing the suspicion.
"There are five continents," Sara explained. "Each has its own kingdom or capital, and the principalities are the lands under those kingdoms' rule. We are located in the middle of all of them."
"Each continent also worships one of the Demi-gods as part of their religion," Riku added.
"Do they have Seekers?" Helios asked curiously.
"Yes," Sara replied. "The Four Great Clans are spread across the other continents, including ours."
"If there are five continents, how are there only Four Great Clans?" Helios questioned.
"The fifth continent was created only a few thousand years ago," Seer answered. "It doesn't have a Seeker clan on the level of the Great Four yet."
"Enough geography," Nova broke in. "Let's talk about your eyes. They are different colors now—one red, one golden."
"If someone saw you with a golden eye, they would think you were part of the royal family," Rio added.
"Oh, this? It's a side effect of becoming a Veilborn," Helios said casually.
"What's a Veilborn?" Ray asked. The entire room, except for Sara, leaned in with intense interest.
"To make a long story short, those of the Demi-gods' bloodline are called Veilborn," Helios explained.
Rio turned to Seer. "I have a better question. Why is the royal family the only ones with golden eyes?"
"I was told this as a child by my mother," Seer said, her voice muffled behind her veil. "She said it's because of contact with the 'Throne artefact.' To identify members of the royal family, it caused a genetic mutation that turns their eyes golden."
"What does the mutation actually do?" Ray asked, frantically scribbling notes.
"I don't know," Seer replied. "They only tell the next King or Queen."
"I have another question," Helios said, looking directly at Seer.
"You can ask me anything," Seer replied.
"Why did you call the Queen your mother? I thought you hated the royal family," Helios noted.
Seer's hands clenched into fists, and she gritted her teeth visibly under her veil. "My mother isn't the Queen," she said, her voice trembling with sudden rage. "She was another woman. She died because the Queen poisoned her."