The morning sky over Ivory Arcanum was a faint gray-blue, washed with the light of a sun that had not quite committed to rising. Mist curled around the towers of the alabaster city, hugging rooftops and drifting between narrow alleyways like ghostly whispers of ancient times.
Red stood at the edge of the cliff wall overlooking the eastern basin, where wind caught his cloak and tugged it gently toward the horizon. The events of the last day played again and again in his mind, the rookies lying broken and bloody, the battle with the impossibly trained orc army, and Volette's grand arrival, a whirlwind of elegance and destruction.
He tightened his hand around the sheath of his blade.
It had been too close.
"Not again," he muttered under his breath.
A low rustle behind him broke the silence. The Mysterious Man appeared without a sound, the hem of his coat catching faintly on the breeze. His mask reflected the dim light, unreadable as always.
"You called?" he said simply.
Red didn't turn. "I need them."
Mysterious Man: The usual kind of help?
"No." Red glanced over his shoulder.
Red: This isn't a usual problem. Trained orcs. Military formations. Something's moving beneath the Kingdom's soil.
The Mysterious Man tilted his head slightly.
Mysterious Man: What are you asking for?
Red exhaled slowly and turned to face him fully.
Red: Call them. All four.
There was a pause.
Red: Tell 'Intel' I need them here.
A faint chuckle escaped the man, amused and cryptic.
Mysterious Man: That's no small request.
Red: I know.
Mysterious Man: She'll want a reason.
Red: She already knows.
The man said nothing for a moment, then nodded.
Mysterious Man: Very well. She's always watching.
Red allowed himself a brief smile.
Red: Tell her I said thank you."
The Mysterious Man turned as if to go but paused and looked back.
Mysterious Man: There was a message for you, by the way."
Red raised an eyebrow.
"She said—" The man's tone deepened theatrically, 'When will my sweet boy finally settle down and give me those little legacy blooms.'
Red blinked. "Legacy blooms?"
Mysterious Man: Her words, not mine." The man shrugged.
Red sighed and rubbed his temples.
Red: Of course she'd say something like that…
Mysterious Man: Shall I tell her you're… working on it?
Red: Just tell her I'm alive.
Mysterious Man: Too cryptic. She prefers answer.
Red shot him a glare, and the Mysterious Man laughed as he vanished into mist, leaving the breeze and the sound of gulls to fill the silence once more.
—
Meanwhile, in a modest private room within Ivory Arcanum's healing institute, called the Elixirum Hall, known for housing both healers and alchemists, a gentle hum of restoration spells could be heard.
Soft glowing glyphs lit the walls, and healing mist drifted above the beds of the wounded. Red's party, all five of them, lay nestled in thick blankets infused with warming magic. Beside each bed stood alchemist pods and mana tubes connected to crystalline blood-restoration vessels.
Healers with gold-trimmed robes and alchemists in smoky aprons moved around with practiced urgency. Vials were swapped, spells whispered, bandages checked.
Selena stirred first, groaning as the haze of blood loss gave way to clarity. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on Red sitting nearby, his eyes closed, arms crossed, head lowered in silent thought.
"…Red?" she whispered hoarsely.
He opened his eyes, tired but relieved. "Welcome back."
Selena: …Did we lose?
He shook his head.
Red: No. You all lived. That's all that matters.
She tried to smile, but pain creased her expression.
Across from her, Hina was still unconscious, her breathing shallow but steady. A wind glyph shimmered over her bandaged stomach, a signature left by Volette's dragon, Tempestra.
"She'll be okay," a healer reassured Red. "The damage was severe, but the dragon's intervention helped seal the spiritual trauma."
Rika and Yuzu remained silent, pale and still, but their vitals steady. Lio, poor Lio, had a swollen bruise on his cheek and fractured ribs, but he was already snoring softly. Trust him to find rest in the middle of a medical facility.
Red looked at all of them, guilt wrapping around his chest like iron chains.
Red: I'll never let this happen again," he muttered.
—
Elsewhere, in the depths of the Midnight Pact's secret chamber beneath the roots of Silverhaven, Intel stood before a shimmering magical map etched into the floor.
Her eyes, violet, calm, and amused, followed the shifting sigils upon the surface. She tapped one slowly, and four others glowed in response.
"They'll need a push," she mused.
The Mysterious Man reappeared beside her. "He wants them."
"I know. He always does when the real danger begins."
Mysterious Man: Do I give the signal?
"Yes," she said, brushing a lock of dark hair behind her ear.
Send for Blue first. He'll be closest. Lyra and Xiao might fight over who gets there faster. Hanagi…" she smiled faintly, "...will just appear without being called."
Mysterious Man: And Red?
She turned, gazing at the glowing sigil labeled "Red."
"He's finally remembering what it means to lead again." Her voice grew soft, nearly motherly. "And maybe…" Her fingers lingered on the map, over the symbols representing Hina, Selena, and the rest. "...he'll bring me a bridge soon."
Mysterious Man: A bridge?
"A legacy bloom, of course." She giggled, the sound unbefitting someone so powerful. "Something delicate... beautiful... part him, part her. Wouldn't that be nice?"
The Mysterious Man coughed. "You've really got to stop calling it that. It's weird."
She just smiled. "Go. Summon them."
—
Back at the Elixirum Hall, Red stepped out into the outer courtyard of the healing sanctuary. The sun was now high, washing the marble stones in warmth.
He knew what was coming next.
A reunion. A rekindling of the past.
And maybe… a reckoning.
The wind stirred, carrying the sound of far-off steps. Not civilian footsteps. These were heavier, deliberate… rhythmic with the kind of grace only forged through battle.
Red looked to the horizon, eyes narrowing.
Red: They're coming," he whispered.