At Ms. Amara's training ground, Sylphie and Garrick found Samantha speaking with Ms. Amara in her office. The room was quiet, filled with the scent of old scrolls and a faint hum of magical wards.
"Ronan's been arrested," Sylphie began, her voice trembling. "They suspect he tampered with Elenor's sword."
Ms. Amara's eyes narrowed. "The sword that Ronan gave her?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sylphie confirmed.
Without hesitation, Ms. Amara stood. "Then we must see what happened."
Sylphie raised her hand to stop her. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Garrick and I can't go with you. On our way here, Oliver and Amelia blocked our path. Darius stayed behind to clear a way for us."
Samantha stepped forward, concern flaring in her expression. "Don't tell me Darius is fighting."
Garrick shook his head. "No, but he's pushing himself too hard. He'll collapse soon."
"Then we go to him first," Samantha decided firmly. "Then to the Flamecrest estate."
They rushed toward the Mindward Tower, their footsteps echoing through the corridor. By the time they arrived, Mr. Arnold had already taken Darius inside to care for him. Darius lay on a padded bench, unconscious but breathing steadily. Mr. Arnold turned to them with a calm but serious expression. "He's alright—just exhausted. And no, he hasn't broken any academy rules."
Ms. Amara sighed in relief. "Then let's head to the Flamecrest estate. We've wasted enough time."
Ms. Rose joined them when they are leaving. Three of them went straight to the teleportation array of the town to visit the Flamecrest estate. What greeted them was unexpected. A guard on the teleportation array said, "As of now, Flamecrest estate is off limits. We can not initiate any more teleportation to the Flamecrest estate." Ms. Rose said, "I am a Flamecrest. Is it also off-limits for me?" The guard said, "Sorry, we didn't close it. The Flamecrest estate has blocked incoming transmissions. We cannot initiate a teleportation until the other side is ready to accept it."
Ms. Amara summoned a sleek flying boat from her storage ring. She, Samantha and Ms. Rose stepped aboard.
"It'll take a few hours to get there," she said grimly.
An hour earlier, at the Flamecrest estate, Ronan had been brought in handcuffed by three stern-faced officers. Kael walked behind them, silent but tense.
The officers led Ronan to the disciplinary cells for interrogation. Kael, without a word, veered off toward the elders' meeting hall.
In the family meeting hall, Kael approached the guards stationed by the entrance. "I need to speak with the family leader," he said, his voice firm.
"He's not here at the moment," one of the guards replied.
Kael's expression darkened. "Then who gave the order to arrest Ronan?"
"The acting head of the family did," the guard answered.
Kael clenched his jaw. "This is going to be a problem."
As he turned to leave, he bumped into his father in the corridor.
"Kael! When did you return?" his father asked with a warm smile.
Kael didn't respond at first, lost in thought, until his father grabbed his shoulder. "Kael?"
Startled, Kael looked up. "Father? Sorry... My mind was elsewhere."
"What's wrong?" Kael's father asked.
Kael opened his mouth, but before he could speak, another elder interrupted.
"The boy Ronan has been arrested. He's being interrogated."
His father's face darkened. "What? Why? We agreed not to take action—why this sudden change?"
"That's why I'm here," Kael said. "We need answers."
As they walked toward the cells, Kael's father explained, "It's about the sword—its spirit awakened, and some think Ronan did something."
Kael exhaled sharply. "That sword was custom-made by Master Ferrod at Iron Ember Forge. I was there when Ronan commissioned it. This is absurd... and infuriating."
His voice grew hard. "If Ronan is harmed, this family of yours will regret it."
They reached the interrogation room. The acting family head was there—Kael's grandpa. His father whispered, "Choose your words carefully. He may be family, but he's strict."
Elsewhere in the Flamecrest estate, Elenor sat quietly with her cousins, Selena and Lyra. Since the incident with her sword, she had retreated into silence.
They were trying to lift her spirits when a maid burst into the room, breathless.
"M-my lady... Ronan has been arrested... The elders... they've taken him."
Elenor's mother turned sharply. "What?"
The maid shrank under her gaze. "The elders ordered it. They say it's about the sword."
Calming herself, Elenor's mother dismissed the maid with a nod. "You may go."
Selena asked hesitantly, "Aunty... what's going on?"
"The elders arrested Ronan," she replied.
Elenor's eyes widened. Her lips trembled as tears welled up. She whispered, "No..."
Her mother stood and picked up the sword resting on a nearby stand. "This sword... it's the source of all this madness."
With fury in her eyes, she stormed out of the room.
"Elenor," Lyra said softly, reaching for her hand. "Let's go. We need to see what's happening."
Elenor wiped her eyes and nodded. "Let's go."
Back in the skies, Samantha watched the clouds blur past them from the flying boat. Her fists clenched. "Hang on, Ronan. We're coming."
In the dim confines of the Flamecrest Family's prison, the tension was thick enough to choke on. Kael stood beside his father, his expression rigid, barely concealing the frustration simmering beneath. One of the family's elders stood silently with them, watching the iron-barred corridor.
Inside, seated calmly as if expecting them, was the acting family head—a man known more for his political manoeuvring than his honour. Kael's father stepped forward, his voice stern and heavy with disapproval.
"Why did you arrest Ronan? We agreed—no action against him until we confirmed the truth."
The acting head didn't respond. He only offered a placid, unreadable look.
Just then, a man stepped out from an adjacent room. He glanced at the family head, then said aloud, his voice clinical.
"Ronan's storage ring contains nothing suspicious. Just three broken Eclipse Edges, two unused Eclipse Edges, several mana recovery potions, a few essence stones, raw herbs, and twenty-five low-grade monster flame cores. No sign of anything related to a sword spirit."
Another group emerged from the different room—two guards supporting a heavily sweating Ronan between them. His breathing was ragged, his clothes damp with sweat, and his eyes dull with exhaustion.
Kael rushed to him, catching him before he fell completely. His voice cracked with restrained anger.
"You used Memory Search on him? Are you all blind? His soul was already injured before!"
"Kael," his father warned, but Kael didn't stop.
"If he's not found guilty, you'd better prepare to compensate him."
The family head finally turned his eyes to the first man, wordlessly prompting a follow-up.
The man nodded. "What Elenor said checks out. The sword was indeed a gift from Ronan. He forged it at Iron Ember Forge. The sword spirit was granted by Mr. Valmire, and the soul bond with it has already been severed."
Kael stepped forward. "Then he's not guilty. Remove the handcuffs."
The family head gave a subtle gesture. One of the guards unlocked Ronan's restraints. The cuffs fell with a dull clank onto the stone floor.
With a carefully measured smile, the acting head spoke. "Ronan, I trust you understand—this was only a matter of clarifying the truth. It has nothing to do with Kael or the family. I hope this won't sour your relationship with him or us."
Still breathing heavily, Ronan straightened up slightly and gave a weak nod. "I understand, Sir. Don't worry... this isn't on Kael."
Kael turned toward the head. "Then he's free to leave."
The man nodded. "Yes. But let him rest a bit before that."
Outside the prison gates, Elenor stood waiting. Her mother stood beside her, holding a sword in one hand. Her father, Selena, and Lyra remained silently by her side. The air was tense, charged with anticipation.
When Ronan finally emerged, his breath had steadied somewhat, though his body still bore signs of fatigue. Elenor instinctively took a step forward, only to be gently stopped by her mother's outstretched arm.
Ronan gave a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.
"Sorry, Elenor. I didn't expect this would happen... just because of a sword. I'm really sorry you had to go through all this."
Elenor opened her mouth, but no words came. Her eyes searched his face, filled with unspoken emotions.
As Ronan turned to walk away, Elenor's mother threw the sword at the ground near his feet.
"Take your petty sword and keep your shadow away from my daughter."
Ronan froze. He looked from the sword to Elenor, whose eyes remained fixed on her mother. Silent. Torn.
He knelt slowly, picked up the sword, and said softly, "Sure. I'll take it. But Elenor... if you ever want it back, just ask. It was always yours. I hope you can keep it one day."
A few steps away, the acting family head cleared his throat.
"Ronan, you're a Fire element user, aren't you? The Flamecrest Family offers the best training and resources for people like you. Why not join us?"
Ronan chuckled dryly, the exhaustion in his voice undeniable.
"I appreciate the offer, Sir. But honestly, I don't think it would benefit you or the family. There are plenty of talented mages eager to get a spot here—mages who are stronger and more capable than me.. If I joined, people would only talk. You'd gain criticism, not power. I think you should reconsider such offers more carefully."
The silence that followed said more than words ever could.