Henrietta walked with a swiftness she thought died alongside her best friend down the path leading to the portal hub.

'The Remnants.'

'At first, nine of us existed.'

'The ten humans who were birthed by the Valkyries.'

'Me, Henrietta, who became the Remnant of Fate and Destiny and adopted the name of Enri-Ann.'

'Tetra, who became the Remnant of Time and Space, changed her name to Tia-Norun.'

'The deceased Varellia, who gave her source to her daughter, Stella. We should consider the Remnant of Progress unavailable since Stella herself vanished from our sight.'

'While Silka is gone too, his source was inside Orion, with Tiohr-nam healing his soul. This is also a lost cause.'

'Kearel-si and Charel-si. I still don't know their real names, even after all these years. All I know is that they are in Hocride. The Twin Remnants of Commerce.'

'Tiohr-nam, becoming the 'Seed of Life' after losing her life once. I'll have to change her fate slightly if I want her to be able to help. Now that she has become the Remnant of Life and Death, there is little she can actually do in her actual form.'

'Kagalkan, the Remnant of Peace and Wealth, is dead. The person possessing the source is... Interesting. The soul of the giant isn't lost, yet I won't be counting on it either.'

Feeling the 'Threads of Fate' link with the person becoming the replacement of Kagalkan, Henrietta smiled.

'No, I should seek her out later. We'll see how it goes.'

Then, she searched for the remaining two.

'The Remnant of Agriculture... Where is he? Keleanos... if I recall his name correctly.'

The last time she met him was in one of the failed timelines.

'I should visit Albriar.'

Now, only one Remnant remained. The most troublesome of all and the most enigmatic.

'Where am I going to find Heto...?'

As she thought that, she entered the portal leading to Hocride.

...

The salty air of the coastal city of Hocride.

The cold wind caused by the night contrasted with the hot breeze of the day.

Small, flickering lights were floating above sea level here and there.

Even in the middle of the night, people kept on chatting, but an air of chaos seemed to have replaced the usual cheeriness of the city.

People busily rushed past Henrietta with carts full of items toward the port.

'That's what happens when an unfathomable threat suddenly appears out of nowhere.'

She could discern the fear in their eyes. The fear of death.

Turning around, her eyes fell on a house Orion and his friends often visited in the past. The birthplace of the void element. Kamala's house.

Henrietta walked to the door and gently knocked on it.

*Knock*

Knocking once, she heard footsteps approaching and backed off slightly.

"Yes? Who is it at this hour?"

The busy woman herself opened the door instead of her butler and aid, Timothy, who was absent.

"M-Miss Henrietta?"

Shock appeared on Kamala's face the instant she noticed the blonde woman.

"As the matter is rather time-critical, please pack the items you need and follow me."

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"This is about the surge of giants, right? Give me a moment."

As if already prepared for such an event, Kamala walked away from the door before returning with a suitcase.

"That is most fortunate. Using our time efficiently is a luxury we barely have at this point."

"I agree."

The two mature women looked at each other with a determined smile, understanding each other instantaneously.

Though, Kamala had no idea what this entailed for her.

"Let's move on. I apologize, but your role as Lord will have to be ignored at this time. Do you have a replacement?"

Kamala nodded.

"I have already appointed my aid as the second in charge in case I were to disappear. I have already evacuated most of the citizens through the sea, so there isn't much for me to rule over."

"Understood. In that case, let us hurry."

"To where?"

A silence met her question. A strange silence that wasn't one of confusion or reluctance, but rather one of pure concentration.

Then, slowly, Henrietta turned in one direction.

"Further this way."

The place she was looking at was down the main road, leading to the market.

With that said, they began to make their way down the street.

...

After walking for fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace, they finally arrived at the intersection of the coastal area and the urban area.

On her right, the marketplace looked entirely empty, an unusual sight that caused some mixed feelings in Kamala.

To their left stood an inn. Under the streetlights, it appeared a clear blue, similar to the color of the sea.

"The Flying Fish?"

Kamala looked at the name on the billboard on top of the double doors, which was a place she often went to eat.

"It seems like they are here. They are even waiting for me..."

Henrietta opened the doors without hesitation.

"..."

Kamala followed behind her while keeping her emotions under control, even though she was slightly confused.

"Welcome./Welcome."

Two receptionists greeted Henrietta and Kamala very professionally. Their immaculate and unbroken smiles received them, showing their intent to refrain from fighting at all costs for Henrietta.

The two had black, long hair, with opposite bangs covering a part of their forehead.

A little bead of sweat appeared to roll down their cheeks as she approached the counter. Until the very last second, Henrietta kept quiet.

"I am not mistaken in thinking you know who I am."

"Yes./Yes."

The twin receptionists spoke in synchronization, something even Dramia and Drania were unable to do.

"Enri-Ann, what can we do for you?"

"It is the first time we have received someone of your status at our establishment. Please excuse us if we show slight confusion for the moment."

With a nod, Henrietta gave them a moment to breathe. It appeared those two were very troubled by her arrival.

After a minute, they regained a semblance of composure, which Henrietta took as the perfect time to talk.

She bowed forward.

"I need your help."

...

After explaining the gist of what happened, the receptionists looked at each other.

"Orion... Orion..."

"Orion?"

The one on the left placed a finger on her cheek while tilting her head cutely. The other crouched under the counter, picked up a large book, and resurfaced with it.

"A few months ago, I believe we had a guest registering by that name... There!"

"Orion Feales, Amelia Diom, and Karteira. I remember."

They both smiled, remembering the kind people who came to their establishment.

"If I recall correctly, it was Lady Kamala who recommended them to our inn."

"Correct."

Kamala nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for your constant patronage."

"You are welcome."

The three shared a moment of bonding before Henrietta broke it.

"Kearel-si and Charel-si-"

"We've renounced those names long ago. It was too bothersome to keep them."

"Miss Henrietta, please call us Chelsea/Kelsea."

They bowed forward, feeling more relieved after listening to the reason for her visit.

"But to think that person was a Hero. No wonder our natures activated on sight."

"Yes, this was a very strange moment. Why was a man like him so rich while not being associated with a business?"

"Now we understand./Now we understand."

The twins nodded and placed this information in the corner of their minds. By updating the information about Orion, he became an important individual.

As an ally of the Remnants, he was, by proxy, their ally too.

"The world is at a turning point. I need your help in instructing on what the Valkyrie... your mother, taught you."

Making a difficult face, Henrietta knew that what she was asking was difficult to agree to.

But, the twins looked at her with a straight face and bowed forward.

"It would be a pleasure to be of help in these trying times."

"We were failures in the arts of the Valkyries. If someone were to perfect our mother's arts, it would make us proud."

Their gazes softened.

"We would finally be able to look at her face..."

"At last./At last."

Kamala felt the intensity of their emotions. It was a mixture of guilt and expectation.

As their faces returned to their professional expressions, they nodded together.

"Consider us teachers from now on."

Chelsea, the woman on the right, opened the counter and walked toward the front door.

"We will give our all to instructing those promising individuals."

Kelsea walked out of the left side and followed behind her sister.

"Business hasn't worked well since the start of the war, so anyway."

"We can close down until the situation stabilizes."

They opened the doors and led the two guests outside before closing behind them.

A sign signaling its indefinite closure was placed before the two sighed.

"How long has it been since we've done something like this, Kelsea?"

"No idea, Chelsea."

Though, a smile formed at the corner of their mouths.

"Alright, if everything is settled, we should move. There are still three Remnants we need to pick up."

Henrietta looked up the slope leading to Kamala's house.

Her next stop was Albriar, where the Remnant of Agriculture was last seen.

Will her effort to gather them be fruitful, or will she return with only those two? Even she was unable to know for certain.

The 'Threads of Fate' kept on interlocking, creating an uncertain future for Henrietta.

A future she decided to participate in, one she would lead herself if she had to.