The rain was falling in heavy drops, each one striking stone with enough force to splash upward in tiny bursts. Lyra looked around the garden, trying to process what she was seeing, trying to understand how things had reached this point.
There was a woman in front of her holding a red katana dripping with blood. Bodies lay scattered around the garden—men Lyra had thought she could trust, guards who'd served the Enchanted Palace for years, now dead or dying on rain-soaked stones.
In front of that woman, two Master Phase experts faced each other with the tension of drawn bowstrings about to snap.
The first was someone Lyra knew intimately. Her second-in-command, the woman who'd helped her manage the Enchanted Palace after her master had left it in her care. Someone Lyra had trusted completely, had confided in, had relied upon for years.
And now that woman looked like she wanted Lyra dead. Her expression was cold, determined, showing no trace of the loyalty she'd pretended to possess.
The person who'd stopped her, who stood between Lyra and assassination, was Crystal Aserra. The woman with the red katana, soaked in rain and blood, exhausted but still standing.
And Crystal's maid Mari was also a Master Phase expert, something Lyra hadn't known until this moment. Mari stood ready to engage Lyra's former trusted aide in combat that would likely destroy what remained of this beautiful garden.
The two Master Phase cultivators were about to clash. Lyra could feel it building, the pressure in the air increasing as both women gathered their qi for techniques that would shake the foundation of the Enchanted Palace itself.
As Lyra stood behind Crystal, watching chaos about to unfold, she tried to trace back the sequence of events. What exactly had happened to cause this? She looked around at the destruction, at the bodies, at the two women preparing to fight.
Then she looked at Crystal again, at this woman who'd somehow ended up protecting her despite having no obvious reason to do so.
This all started when Crystal came to collect the items she'd purchased several days ago. The assassin contacts and political information she'd bought through the black market. That had been the catalyst, Lyra realized. Everything had spiraled from that transaction.
Wait. When had it been exactly? Lyra's mind was foggy with shock and fear, but she tried to count back. Thirteen days? No, twelve. Right, this had all started twelve days ago.
Meanwhile, twelve days ago.
Twenty-six days remaining by the system's countdown. Nineteen days before the Crown Prince's banquet.
The morning air of Asterion's capital was crisp and clear. In a carriage bearing the Asura Clan crest, Crystal and Mari traveled toward the Enchanted Palace to collect what they'd purchased three days prior.
The carriage moved at a steady pace through the noble district's wide streets. Inside, Crystal sat calmly looking out the window, watching buildings pass by. Mari sat across from her, maintaining the proper position for a maid while actually serving as bodyguard and confidante.
What neither of them acknowledged openly was that they weren't alone on this journey.
Behind them, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with cultivator agility, Miralyn Valen followed. Even though she was still only a Mortal Phase expert—albeit at the peak of that phase—she was skilled enough to track the carriage without being spotted by normal observers.
Her purple hair was tied back to keep it from obscuring her vision as she jumped. Each leap carried her across gaps that would be impossible for ordinary people, her cultivation allowing her to cover distances and make landings that defied normal physics.
She followed the carriage as it moved steadily toward the center of the capital, toward the floating structure of the Enchanted Palace.
After a while, as the carriage crossed one of the ornate bridges leading to the palace itself, Miralyn stopped. She stood on a rooftop overlooking the approach, watching the vehicle continue without her.
She couldn't follow any further. Not physically into the Enchanted Palace itself. The establishment had protections, wards that would detect unauthorized cultivators entering with hostile or surveillance intent. If she was caught trying to spy on palace operations, there would be no explanation that would satisfy the authorities. The Enchanted Palace was neutral ground, and violating that neutrality could have serious consequences even for a daughter of House Valen.
So she stopped, watching from a distance with narrowed purple eyes.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Mari looked at her lady with a knowing expression.
"Lady Crystal, should we just continue pretending that Lady Miralyn Valen isn't following us?"
Crystal didn't turn from the window. Her voice when she answered was calm, almost amused.
"Yes. Just ignore her for now."
Then she paused and asked a follow-up question.
"But can you sense her current location?"
Mari nodded, her Master Phase cultivation giving her spiritual senses far beyond what Mortal Phase cultivators possessed.
"Yes, my lady. She's at the second stage of the Blood Tide Realm, still within the Mortal Phase. I'm a Master Phase expert, so sensing her is trivial. And it looks like she's stopped following. She's… she's changing direction now. Moving on foot toward a different location."
Crystal smiled at this information, though the expression held no warmth.
"Good. That's expected. She'll try to continue surveillance through other means."
"Understood, my lady."
After a while, the carriage reached the Enchanted Palace proper. They were escorted to their reserved underground room, the same one Crystal had used on previous visits. Once inside and alone, the hidden staircase revealed itself in the wall, leading down to the black market below.
They walked down together, descending into the underwater marketplace.
In a different underground room elsewhere in the Enchanted Palace, Miralyn Valen had also entered. She'd paid the entry fee, worn the required mask to conceal her identity, and descended her own staircase into the marketplace.
Once she reached the market floor, surrounded by masked vendors and customers engaged in illegal transactions, Miralyn reached into her robes and pulled out a small orb.
The object was glass or crystal, about the size of a large marble. Inside it, a faint light pulsed with a rhythmic glow. This was a tracking device, something Prince Noah had given her specifically for situations like this.
"Use this to monitor Crystal Aserra's movements," Noah had instructed when presenting the orb. "It's keyed to her spiritual signature. As long as she's within range, you'll be able to locate her even through interference that would block normal detection methods."
Miralyn activated the orb with a small injection of her qi. The light inside pulsed brighter, then began pulling gently in a specific direction—toward where Crystal currently was in the underwater market.
Following that pull, moving carefully to avoid drawing attention, Miralyn began tracking her target through the market full of masked individuals.
Meanwhile, after arriving at the underwater marketplace, Crystal and Mari moved with purpose toward their destination. They navigated the winding paths between stalls and permanent structures, heading toward the room where specialized services like assassination contracts were arranged.
They'd barely gone twenty paces when Mari stopped walking. She turned slightly, her head angling as if listening to something only she could hear.
"My lady," she said quietly, keeping her voice too low for anyone nearby to overhear.
Crystal stopped as well, though she didn't turn around. "Yes?"
"Lady Miralyn is still able to follow us. I don't know how—the Enchanted Palace's wards should be interfering with normal tracking methods. But she's definitely moving in our direction, maintaining distance but clearly able to locate our position."
Crystal's hand moved to touch her chest, pressing against where her heart would be. She smiled, though the expression was complicated—part satisfied, part disturbed.
"So it still works this early," she murmured to herself. "I didn't expect Noah to be this ruthless, to have marked me already at this point in the timeline."
Mari looked at her lady with confusion. "My lady? What works?"
Crystal shook her head. "Nothing. Just confirming something I suspected. Continue to the meeting room. Let Miralyn follow if she wants. She won't learn anything useful, and her surveillance might actually help with what I'm planning."
"As you wish, my lady."
They continued walking, Crystal's mind working through implications. In her previous life, she'd eventually discovered that Noah had marked her with a tracking seal. A subtle formation inscribed on her heart using techniques so refined she'd never felt it being placed.
She'd assumed it had been done later, perhaps during one of their more intimate encounters after they'd begun a relationship. But if the tracking orb was working now, that meant Noah had marked her much earlier. Possibly years ago, during some seemingly innocent interaction she couldn't even remember.
The thought made her skin crawl. How long had she been under surveillance? How much of her life had been monitored, reported back, analyzed for weaknesses Noah could exploit?
But there was no time to dwell on it now. She had business to conduct, and dwelling on past violations wouldn't help her prevent future ones.
Meanwhile, at the border checkpoint where travelers entered the capital city of Asterion, three figures on horseback approached the gates.
The guards on duty straightened at their approach, recognizing the quality of the horses and the bearing of the riders even before seeing their faces. These were clearly people of importance, not common merchants or farmers seeking entry.
As the lead rider drew closer, a gust of wind caught his cloak and pulled it back from his face.
The guards' eyes widened in recognition. They immediately dropped to one knee, showing proper respect.
It was Faren, the fourth prince of the Kingdom of Asterion, returning to the capital after his training expedition in the wilderness.
Faren was an imposing figure even on horseback. Tall and broad-shouldered, with the build of someone who'd spent years training in both cultivation and martial combat. His face was handsome in a rugged way, marked by small scars that suggested he didn't avoid danger. His eyes were sharp and intelligent, constantly observing everything around him.
Behind him rode two guards, both clearly skilled cultivators based on their bearing and the weapons they carried openly.
"Your Highness!" the gate captain said, bowing deeply. "Welcome back to the capital! We weren't informed of your return. If we'd known, we would have prepared a proper escort to—"
Faren waved off the formality with a gesture.
"No need for any of that. I prefer to travel quietly. Just open the gates and let us through."
"Of course, Your Highness! Right away!"
The massive gates began to swing open, guards rushing to comply with the prince's simple request.
As they entered the capital proper, riding through streets that grew progressively wider and more elegant as they moved toward the noble district, Faren turned to one of his guards.
"Where is Lady Crystal Aserra currently?" he asked, his voice carrying the tone of someone used to having information available when he wanted it.
The guard had clearly been expecting this question. He pulled out a small communication token and activated it, sending and receiving messages through whatever network the fourth prince maintained in the capital.
After a moment, he reported back.
"Your Highness, our sources indicate Lady Crystal left the Asura mansion earlier this morning. She was traveling by carriage toward the Enchanted Palace, presumably to conduct business in the black market sections."
Faren nodded, processing this information. His expression was thoughtful, calculating.
"The Enchanted Palace. Interesting. Crystal Aserra conducting black market business… that's a change from her usual behavior patterns."
He urged his horse forward slightly, picking up the pace.
"We'll go to the Asura mansion first. If she's conducting business, it may take some time. I'll wait there and pay my respects to whichever clan elders are present. Then when Lady Crystal returns, I can speak with her about… recent developments."
The guards exchanged glances but said nothing. They'd served the fourth prince long enough to know when he was planning something, when his casual words carried deeper meaning.
They rode through the capital's streets, three figures moving with purpose, heading toward the Asura Clan compound.
Behind them, the sun continued its arc across the sky. Morning was transitioning toward afternoon. And in the underwater marketplace beneath the Enchanted Palace, Crystal was about to collect her purchased goods and set in motion events that would lead, twelve days later, to blood and rain and Master Phase experts clashing in a ruined garden.
But for now, none of that had happened yet. The pieces were just beginning to move into position.