Two days had passed since the prevention meeting. True to her nature as a lethally fast learner, G6 was finally beginning to grasp the control of her mana output.
Her mind had always worked like a high-capacity storage drive; data was input, absorbed, and utilized with ruthless efficiency. Earl had already adjusted the mana restraint on her earrings, permitting her to release Wind Blade and Gust at a stable, mid-level potency.
Time Check: 7:45 A.M.
G6 finished her last set of exercises and walked back to the bench where her three servants awaited her.
"It's time for breakfast, Lady Reise!" Lilia chirped happily.
These past two days, only Earl had been a constant presence in the arena. Prince Dio was buried in his office, managing the immense preparations for the recruitment, and Keith was occupied, designing a suitable endurance training regimen for Eliza.
"Thank you, Lilia," G6 said, sinking onto the bench. A small table had been set before her, already laid with a meal.
I wonder what that witch is really plotting.
She took a large bite of the hearty sandwich Alistair had prepared—stuffed with every healthy vegetable the palace chef deemed beneficial.
"It appears Prince Dio and Sir Keith are quite occupied with their new duties," Edmund remarked, sipping his tea with an ease that had grown in her presence.
"Yeah, it's better than him sitting here like a statue," G6 replied.
But that queen… What's her real game?
"Good morning. Forgive my tardiness; I was finalizing the transfer documents for Brenda and Zen," Earl said, arriving and adjusting his glasses with a slightly stressed sigh.
"You should've just come later," G6 muttered under her breath, "…you freaky taskmaster."
"On the contrary, I can see you are progressing rapidly. It seems my instructional methods are effective," he responded, taking a seat beside her. The seating was now cramped: Lilia on her left, G6 in the middle, and Earl on her right.
"It's cramped in here," G6 complained.
"Give me a break," Earl answered casually, accepting a cup of tea from Tina.
Next, Tina presented a plate with a sandwich identical to G6's.
"Why are you giving him my food?" G6 complained, sounding like a child whose treat was being stolen.
"Do not be so gluttonous, my lady. I prepared this one specifically for Sir Earl," Tina chided gently.
Tch. This pig geek.
"To the matter at hand," Earl began, taking a bite. "Brenda and Zen will be stationed here primarily for intelligence purposes."
"However, they will also be enhancing their offensive and defensive magic. They are both B-Rank, after all," he added.
"Does that mean you're going to stop teaching me?" G6 asked, a flicker of hope in her eyes.
Please take this geek away. Asking for his help was a mistake. He's a trainee torturer.
"Not until you no longer require a mana restraint and can function without that ring regulating your body's stress," he answered smoothly.
Tch.
"Ah, right. Give me those earrings for the Dimensional Vault," G6 said, changing the subject.
Earl looked at her, a smile playing on his lips as if he'd found a new lever to pull. "Not until you graduate from my tutelage."
"You're abusing your authority," G6 accused.
"One should always use the tools available to them. Don't you agree?" he countered.
"Give me a break, geek."
"Oh? Did I hear you correctly? Did you just call me a geek?"
"I said, 'geez'," G6 lied flatly.
Idiot.
"It is good to see the two of them are not yelling at each other anymore," Tina whispered to Edmund.
"I would not celebrate prematurely. I suspect the yelling will resume once they are in the center of the arena," Edmund replied wisely.
Still, I am just happy she can be casual with them without that look of utter contempt now, Tina thought to herself.
"Lady Reise! Did you know Alistair made me a strawberry cupcake!" Lilia said, proudly presenting the treat to get her lady's attention.
"Really? Let me have it," G6 said.
"It was given to her, not to you. Do not steal food from a child," Earl remarked.
"Shut up, mom," G6 shot back.
"Did you just call me your mother? That is profoundly disrespectful to Mrs. Worthon!" Earl said, his tone shifting to one of genuine, if overly serious, offense.
What? This guy is so smart but has zero sense of humor.
"Yeah, go tell her all about it," G6 said, rolling her eyes. She turned back to Lilia. "Then, I'll just take a taste."
Lilia nodded eagerly and held the elegant little cupcake up for G6 to try. "Oh," G6 said after a bite. "It's good! Tell Alistair to make that for me tomorrow. You eat the rest, Lilia. Thank you," she added, the gratitude sounding foreign but not unwelcome on her tongue.
"Shall we begin, Reise?" Earl asked, having finished his food and tea.
Ah. This insufferable geek. Back to work.
"Fine," G6 replied flatly, pushing herself to her feet.
They walked to the center of the arena. "Right. You have mastered the correct output for novice-level attacks and stabilized them at a mid-tier potency," Earl began, falling into his lecturing tone. "Perhaps it is time to expand your repertoire. Would you like to attempt a new spell?"
Hmm. A new spell? Actually, there is. I know exactly what I need.
"Is there a flying spell for Wind Affinity?" G6 asked.
Earl looked at her with pure confusion, as if she had asked if water was wet. It was a question so fundamental it betrayed a complete lack of knowledge of her own family's magical domain. "There is no sustained flight spell. However, there is a specific incantation that can grant a moment of aerial movement," he explained. "It is called 'Gust Step'. It is considered an advanced application."
Temporary? That's not what I want. Tch. Useless.
"How does it work?" G6 asked. Earl sighed yet again at her strange gaps in knowledge.
"You focus mana to your feet and release a controlled, powerful gust of wind beneath you. It can be a single, temporary thrust to propel yourself upward or across a gap, or a brief, continuous stream to slow a fall," he instructed. "Try it. Visualize the wind gathering and erupting from below."
G6 closed her eyes, shutting out the world. In her mind's eye, she didn't just see a gust of wind; she calculated it. She envisioned the precise angle of release, the required force, the pressure needed to lift her specific body weight. She saw it not as magic, but as physics.
A vortex of air shimmered into existence at her feet with an audible woosh, lifting her a few meters into the air.
Oh. Shit. Thrust is decaying. I'm landing.
The spell sputtered out. Earl's eyes widened in alarm and he moved forward, arms outstretched to catch her clumsy descent.
But G6 didn't fall; she landed. As she dropped, her body instinctively twisted in a fluid, controlled motion. She tucked her limbs close, rolled onto the ball of her foot upon impact, and used the momentum to flow seamlessly into a crouch, one hand touching the sand for a split second for balance before she rose smoothly to her full height. It was the flawless, practiced landing of someone who had fallen from great heights more times than they could count.
Earl stared, his arms still half-outstretched, his face a mask of utter bewilderment.
Did she just… execute a perfect three-point landing without a hint of magic or a combat skill? His analytical mind raced, trying to categorize the movement he had just witnessed and finding no reference for it in any noble dueling style.
G6 stood up and brushed the sand from her hands with clinical efficiency. "Five seconds," she stated.
"Pardon?" Earl asked, still processing what he'd seen.
"That's all the lift time it gives. It's not even close to enough," she declared, her tone dismissive.
But thanks to it, I've got an idea. I'll make my grapnel gun here, she thought, her mind already racing through calculations. I don't need to fly. I need to swing.
I'll focus on the gust not just for a push, but for a pull. A continuous, thin stream of compressed air I can anchor to a point. I can use it to swing, to change direction mid-air, to make my body lighter for acrobatics. I'll coat myself in wind to reduce drag. That's how I'll move.
Earl could only watch as she stood there, arms crossed, her grey eyes seeing nothing in the present arena but everything in a future only she could envision, drowning in a sea of tactical data.
"Hmm, okay. Let's try it," she mused, a new idea forming. "Earl, I'm going to try something. Just in case, brace for my fall," she added, her tone casual yet focused.
"Must I?" Earl asked, a dry reference to her perfect landing earlier.
"Shut up," G6 said without heat, stepping away to clear a space.
She didn't close her eyes, but kept them wide open, her gaze turning distant. An invisible calculation was happening behind her grey irises, her mind processing trajectories, wind resistance, and mana flow rates with a speed no native of this world could comprehend. She sank into the deepest core of her concentration, the world narrowing to just her and the intended result.
She channeled a precise stream of mana, not to her hands, but to her feet. A second, lighter flow shimmered over her shoulders and down her back, coating her body in a thin, stabilizing sheath of compressed air. Then, she jumped.
It wasn't a normal leap. It was a powerful, propulsive launch that sent her soaring high above a stunned Earl.
Earl's eyes widened, his analytical mind struggling to categorize what he was seeing. "This is… different," he breathed, his scholarly curiosity instantly overriding everything else.
She maintained her course upward, the primary thrust of mana focused precisely on the soles of her feet. Mid-ascent, she tucked her body, executing a flawless, twisting backflip—a move born of acrobatic martial arts, not magical tradition. It was a display of supreme bodily control, her form a tight, rotating coil in the air. Then, she slowly decreased the mana output, allowing herself to descend with a graceful, controlled lightness. She landed on both feet with a soft, nearly inaudible tap, her knees bending perfectly to absorb the impact without a single stumble.
"This is what I'm talking about," she whispered to herself, a spark of genuine satisfaction in her voice.
"What was that?" Earl asked, his voice full of utter confusion. He stepped closer, his gaze sharp and intense.
"What?" G6 replied, playing dumb.
"That was not the Gust Step spell. I have never seen any member of House Worthon—no, any mage—execute a maneuver like that. You maintained a perfect, controlled aerial course. That was not deflection; that was… sustained propulsion!" His inner scholar was breaking free, his words tumbling out in excited analysis.
"It's my own spell. Give me a break," she said, a sharp, wicked smile spreading across her lips. "I'm calling it 'Reaper's Ascent'."
I can't wait to try this with attacks integrated. The mobility... the angles... It's perfect. I am in love.
_____
[G6's Office]
G6 ended her session with Earl early and retreated to her office. She now sat behind her large desk, boots propped up on the polished wood, intently studying a book.
It was a tome on Wind Magic spells. She was researching what existing attacks might synergize with her newly created maneuver, Reaper's Ascent.
Hmm, Cyclone? Is this what Earl meant for me to do last time? It's more defensive, with a little offense mixed in.
What else…? So far, I've only got Gust, Wind Blade, and now this Cyclone, which is just a smaller, weaker tornado. Tch.
Ah, right. I already have the Classic F5. Not exactly subtle.
"It looks like Lady Reise is very focused on her reading," Lilia observed from where she was lounging on a plush couch. On the adjacent couch, Tina was perusing the daily gazette—a formal bulletin of kingdom news and announcements.
"Let her be. It is far preferable to her spreading havoc across the training grounds," Tina mused, not looking up from her reading. "This serial killer is still at large? It has been two years. Five innocent commoners murdered," she added, her tone laced with disapproval.
"Indeed," Edmund added from an armchair opposite Tina, marking his place in his own book. "The palace guard is on high alert, trying to locate the man. The people are beginning to criticize what they see as a poor response from the authorities."
The atmosphere in G6's office was uniquely casual, a space where rigid status hierarchies seemed to dissolve. Her servants felt more like visitors, a dynamic she quietly permitted.
G6 glanced up from her book at their conversation, saying nothing.
Meh. They're just not good at catching him. What a bunch of novices.
She returned to her spellbook. Air cushion? Aura of Zephyr? These are all defensive! What a useless book.
Whisper of the Gale? Eavesdropping from a distance. Meh, I can do that with my Eclipse-Step + Silence. I could stand right behind them without a sound.
Hmm… this one: The Breeze of Blade. It functions like a Wind Blade, but the cuts are delivered by a gentle breeze that touches the skin. What psycho invented this? It's pure torture. Designed to maximize pain.
Tch. There are so many spells in here, and all the basic ones are so lame and repetitive.
"I'LL BURN THIS BOOK!" she declared aloud, making all three of her companions flinch in their peaceful repose.
"I knew the tranquility would not last," Tina whispered with a sigh.
G6 slammed the book shut, pushed her chair back, and strode to the shelf to stash the useless tome back in its place.
It was decided.
"Listen, I'm staying here tonight," G6 announced.
The three servants looked at her, their composure regained but replaced with concern. "My lady, no one stays here overnight," Edmund stated. "Well, except when the knights are present."
"That's right, Lady Reise!" Lilia chirped, sitting upright. "This place is completely empty at night! It's so large, and dark, and… creepy!"
"Do not overexert yourself with training. You have plenty of time," Tina added pragmatically.
"You can't change my mind. And I'm not afraid. Ghosts? The dark? Please. It's nothing," G6 said with utter confidence.
When I was a child, my father left me in the forest alone to survive. I was seven. This pristine training ground is a five-star hotel in comparison.
"Then I will be staying here as well," Tina stated firmly.
"You don't have to," G6 replied.
"But I will," Tina insisted.
"Me too, Lady Reise!" Lilia added, determined.
"Then I suppose I shall also remain," Edmund said, closing his book with a soft thump.
What? Tch. These damn clingy pets.
"Suit yourself," G6 relented with a dismissive wave.
"Very well. I will return to the villa to prepare provisions for the evening. Lilia, please assist me," Tina said, adjusting her glasses.
"Keep your mouths shut about this," G6 warned them. The last thing she needed was Earl or, worse, Dio, finding out and showing up.
"Understood, my lady," Tina said with a bow. She and Lilia then departed for the West Villa to gather what they would need.
"Edmund, are you fine with sleeping on the couch tonight?" G6 asked.
"Of course, my lady. It is no trouble at all," he answered smoothly. "Besides, the back of this longue is foldable. It converts into a perfectly adequate bed."
"Really?" G6 asked, intrigued.
"Yes. All the seating in the Royal Collegium is designed that way. The scholars in the Omnia and Sanctum frequently pull all-nighters. And when the knights use the Bastion, they also often spend the night in the quarters here," he explained.
"Why doesn't the palace have more knights, anyway?" G6 asked, not out of curiosity, but to assess potential obstacles.
"All knights are nobles, my lady," Edmund answered. "Most hail from lower to mid-tier houses."
"And we're in the higher tier?" G6 asked.
"No, Lady Reise. The Three Pillars do not belong to any class. They are the foundation itself," he clarified.
"Why don't they hire knights from the commoners?" G6 pressed.
"The Einston Kingdom is feared solely on the strength of its Royals and the Three Pillars. Given the vast political connections of House Worthon to other royal families, a large standing army of knights has never been deemed necessary," Edmund explained.
"What do you mean, 'Worthon's multiple connections'?" G6 asked, her interest piqued.
"The truth is, Lady Reise, House Worthon has always strategically avoided marriage within the kingdom's nobility or royalty. They consistently arrange betrothals with powerful noble houses—or even royalty—from other kingdoms."
Whoa. Political chess. Pretty smart, though.
"Is that why they always say the Worthons are the strongest Pillar?" G6 asked.
"It is one of the reasons, yes. But the primary reason is their… savage innate mana reserves and their supreme dominance over Wind Magic," Edmund added.
So, if the Worthons ever chose to betray the crown, they could do it at any moment. Noted.
"This has, of course, bred a hidden grudge amongst some of the classified nobles, particularly against House Worthon. Your House's power, both in affinity and political influence, is considered… ridiculously strong," Edmund added delicately.
"That's just human nature," G6 said, twirling a feather pen between her fingers. "Greed. Jealousy. Hunger for power." She continued, a dark, knowing smile playing on her lips. "Let those things rule you, and they'll lead you straight to your doom."
It sounded less like an observation and more like a promise of what she would deliver.
"You are quite right, my lady," Edmund answered, a shiver running down his spine that had nothing to do with the room's temperature.
—
The comfortable silence in the office lingered until the hour grew late and the Bastion truly emptied.
Time Check: 5:45 P.M.
"It's been two hours since they left. What kind of 'preparation' takes that long?" G6 mused to herself, lounging on the couch.
The door opened, revealing Edmund. "Lady Reise, I have confirmed that Prince Dio, Sir Keith, and Sir Earl have all departed for the evening. In fact, the working hours ended forty-five minutes ago. As far as I can tell, we are the only ones left in the entire Bastion."
G6 immediately stood up, cracking her neck. "Good. I'm heading to the training ground. Wait here for Lilia and Tina; they're a pair of scaredy-cats."
"Are you certain you do not require company, my lady?" Edmund asked.
"Yes. Just wait for me. I'll be done by 7:00," she said. "Just running a few… experiments." She strode from the room.
As she moved down the long, empty hall, her footsteps made no sound. It was pure, practiced technique, a predator's gait that required no magical skill. It was simply how she moved.
This place is a ghost town. I guess everyone here clocks out right on the dot. Lazy.
With the Bastion empty, she had the perfect lab for her most dangerous experiments
---
She went straight to the training arena and immediately began.
She set up a single target and paced out fifty long strides away from it.
Yes. That's far enough.
She stretched out her hand, forming her fingers into the shape of a gun. In her mind, she pictured a bullet—a compressed air, lethal point of force. Then, she released it.
A loud BANG echoed through the vast, empty space.
"Whoa. Just as I expected."
She did it again, this time with a rapid, consecutive release. No precision, just a test of speed and mana flow. "This is good," she said, a sharp smile gracing her lips.
I can fire these consecutively. No cooldown, no reload. Unlimited ammunition. What a bliss.
Now, let's try it with a skill.
<< Perfect Assassin Form: Activated >>
< Speed >
In the blink of an eye, she was standing directly in front of the target.
"Hmm. Not lethal enough," she mused, critically examining the damage.
The impact is significant, definitely enough to kill a person, but it didn't penetrate clean through. It lacks… finality.
She flashed back to her original position fifty paces away.
Ah, that's right. Let's try that.
<< Death's Whisper Aim: Activated >>
The world seemed to sharpen, her focus narrowing to a single, deadly point. The skill was self-piloting; all she had to do was choose a target.
She aimed her 'gun' hand and released another bullet of compressed air.
< Perception: Zoom >
She activated the sub-skill, her vision tunneling to inspect the center of the target from fifty paces away.
Whoa. The description wasn't a bluff.
No matter the movement, distance, or obstruction… the strike is always precise. Perfect.
She then combined it, using Reaper's Ascent to launch into the air. While moving, she released a consecutive volley of shots from above, her Zoom perception allowing her to track and calculate the devastating accuracy. Satisfied, she landed softly back on the ground.
"Very well," she whispered, an utterly wicked grin spreading across her face.
"I'll name you… Bullet of Death."
Bullet of Death. The signature magic of my Death's Whisper Aim skill. You can run, but you can't escape.
<< Death's Whisper Aim: Deactivated >>
<< Perfect Assassin Form: Deactivated >>
"Whoa," G6 gasped as the familiar wave of debilitating cold and exhaustion washed over her. She lay on the ground, letting the soothing energy from her ring calm her screaming nerves.
This isn't as bad as last time. Using two skills at once made me black out before. Now, it just feels like that humiliating crash after I forgot to deactivate my perfect assassin form in front of that Snow White bastard. Progress.
This mana restraint earring is working. I'm so close. I can't wait to tear this thing off.
She lay in silence for fifteen minutes, waiting for her energy to return before pushing herself up. A new, wicked idea came to her.
"I should practice sword magic coating, too. Like Keith and Dio do."
She picked up a practice wooden sword lying on the ground.
Hmm, what should I call it? Reaper's Whisper.
She settled into a ready stance and began channeling mana through the hilt. A violent, swirling light of concentrated wind coated the blade.
<< Perfect Assassin Form: Activated >>
<< Silent Reaper's Blade: Activated >>
< Speed: 0.1s >
In a movement too fast for the naked eye to follow, she was simply on the other side of the target. The hard wooden dummy split cleanly in half with a sharp crack, the force of the blow sending a violent cloud of sand into the air.
"Convenient," she whispered, examining the clean cut. "Now that's what you call an offensive spell."
I wonder what kind of monsters are waiting in that dungeon.
She repeated the attack over and over, until every target Edmund had set up for her was reduced to splinters. Deactivating her skills left her drained once more, collapsing onto the sand.
"Okay. Time to pack up. It's already 6:50," she muttered, glancing at the watch on her wrist before taking a moment to just lie there and breathe.
_____
[G6's Office]
"Is Lady Reise not done yet?" Lilia asked, setting plates on the low tea table in the center of the couches.
"She will be finished any minute now," Edmund assured her, meticulously polishing a set of glasses.
"I made certain Alistair prepared an excellent cut of meat. I also brought rice so she can properly replenish her energy," Tina said, arranging the food from a large basket onto the table.
"But… the Bastion is so creepy at night," Lilia started, her voice a little hushed.
"It is. I am grateful Lady Reise's adjoining room has a bathing chamber," Tina replied.
"Lady Reise was right," Edmund said, finally taking a seat after his preparations. "You two are scaredy-cats."
"You're just too old to believe in ghosts!" Lilia fired back.
"Shut up, you little brat!" Edmund retorted, his usual composure slipping.
"But I heard a story once," Tina began, lowering her voice for effect. "A knight on the dawn patrol claimed he saw a woman all in black, walking these halls without a single footstep."
"Really? That's terrifying!" Lilia whispered, eyes wide.
"That is nothing but a hoax," Edmund stated flatly.
"He said it was just this past week," Tina added ominously.
A high-pitched sound from a night bird outside made them all jump. "Whoa, that scared—AHH!!" Lilia shrieked as the door swung open without warning.
It was G6, covered in a fine layer of sand. "Am I that scary?" she asked flatly, closing the door behind her and collapsing onto the center couch. "Oh. Dinner."
"A lady dressed in black at dawn, just this week," Edmund mused, a smile touching his lips. "So, the knight simply saw you, my lady?" His comment broke the tense mood Lilia and Tina had created.
"Tch. I told you not to listen to hoaxes. What are you, a kid?" G6 said, grabbing a piece of meat with her fingers.
"I am a kid, though…" Lilia answered, genuinely confused.
"Let's eat. I'm starving," G6 declared.
Tina placed a plate heaped with meat and rice on her lap, and G6 immediately began eating as if she'd just returned from a week-long campaign.
The scene was uncanny for nobility: a lady eating from a plate on her lap while her servants casually shared the same meal from the same dishes at the same time. It was a bizarre tableau that made it impossible to discern if G6 was a kind soul masking her nature or a ruthlessly manipulative one crafting unwavering loyalty.
After dinner, G6 retreated to soak in the tub.
I have a beautiful arsenal now. A few spells, but all lethal. That's what matters. Quality over quantity.
Her mind, a relentless supercomputer, continued to run calculations and simulations on her skills, a system constantly processing data.
Freshly bathed, she emerged to find Tina arranging a surprising amount of clothing in the wardrobe of her adjoining room.
"Did you pack my entire villa? What am I doing, moving out?" G6 asked sarcastically, flopping onto her bed.
"I merely assumed you might grow accustomed to staying here overnight. This is a precaution," Tina explained. "However, this cannot become a habit. You must return to the villa and attend to your duties there."
Tch. You don't need me there. There's nothing for me to do anyway.
"I'm exhausted," G6 muttered, completely ignoring Tina's nagging.
Ah. Where are these two going to sleep?
She rolled over and felt under the bed frame, searching for a lever. Her hunch was correct; just like the couches, the bed had a hidden extension. She pulled it, and a second bed frame, slightly lower than her own, slid out with a soft click, easily large enough for two.
"This palace is quietly genius, huh?" she mused.
"Hey, Tina, look. There's another bed. You and Lilia can sleep here. Use the pillows from the couches outside—there are way too many of those damn things anyway." Her voice was laced with annoyance at the excess. "Edmund can use the pillows from the long couch, so don't worry about him."
"But, Lady Reise, it is highly inappropriate for us to share your sleeping quarters," Tina protested.
"Huh? Don't give me that! You're the one who insisted on staying. Unless you'd rather sleep out there with Edmund?" G6's voice dripped with teasing implication.
"Then… I would rather be 'inappropriate' and sleep in here with you," Tina conceded, thoroughly defeated.
"Tch. I'm going to sleep; my body is killing me," G6 said. She walked to the wardrobe, pulled out two extra blankets, and tossed one to Tina. She carried the other out to Edmund, who was already settling the long couch into its bed form. He was dressed in traditional noble sleepwear: a long, comfortable tunic and soft linen trousers.
"Hey. Here. Nice jammies, by the way," she said, before heading back inside.
Lilia emerged from the bathroom in her own nightdress. "Lady Reise, are we having a sleepover?" she asked cheerfully.
"You're sleeping down there," G6 said, pointing to the pull-out bed.
"Lady Reise, I am turning out the lights out here. Please, rest well," Edmund called from the other side of the closed door.
G6 nodded at Lilia, signaling her to respond. "Alright, Edmund! Don't let the ghosts bite!" Lilia called back teasingly.
Only the soft click of the light switch answered from the outside.
Tina emerged from the bathroom last, in her own sleeping attire.
"Then, let us all rest. I suspect we will have a very taxing day tomorrow," Tina said, and turned off the lamp.
Now, the room was lit only by the moonlight streaming through the window, casting everything in soft silver and deep shadow. Tina drew the curtains, leaving just a narrow gap for the moonbeams to slice through.
She then lay down on the pull-out bed with Lilia. "Good night, Lady Reise," Lilia murmured, her voice already thick with sleep. "Good night, my lady," Tina added softly.
G6's back was to them, her breathing already deep and even. It was as if she had a switch to command immediate sleep. The fact that she had turned her back was a silent testament to a trust she would never voice aloud; she did not see them as threats. Allowing them to share her room was the highest, unacknowledged compliment.
Tina smiled in the darkness, staring at her lady's back. She could never have imagined such a scenario was possible. It felt like a dream. Yet here they were.
It felt less like a mistress and her servants, and more like a family—or friends at a sleepover.
That night, the four of them, bound by a strange and unbreakable dynamic, slept soundly and deeply within the silent, stone heart of the Bastion, a small island of peace in a world bracing for war.
— To be continued… —