I don’t think that there are many similarities shared between my room and the dining room.”

Yukina completely ignored what I had just said, talking to Evren,

“Why does the food taste so good here?”

“Oh my. Did you notice that too? I thought there was something wrong with my taste buds,” Evren responded.

“When did the two of you get so comfortable with each other, enough to joke around?”

Again, Yukina ignored my question, speaking to Evren.

“Aren't sisters supposed to be this close?”

Evren gave off an expression like she was in some deep thought regarding the question Yukina asked her before she replied.

“Yes, I think so.”

“If you guys are going to keep ignoring me, why bother staying here?”

Evren stood up and turned in my direction,

“Hey,” she called, almost screaming

“Do you know how worried we were? You scared us, you scared us all,” Evren said in a teary voice.

“I am sorry but I am okay now. See, I am fine,” I said to her, shaking both my hands for her to see as if the damage was done to my hands. Rather, Yukina walked into them and hugged me.

“I am glad,” she said sniffing.

Yukina went back to her seat beside my bed after we'd had enough of each other's warm embrace. Evren still stood, smiling.

“Don't you want a hug?” I asked her.

She reacted in surprise,

“Can I?” she asked.

I stretched my arms again. This time, like someone who was expecting a hug.

“Come on, don't make it look awkward. Didn't you just agree that we are siblings?”

While we held each other in an embrace, Evren said to me,

“It was scary, but I knew you would be fine.”

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I was happy. It felt good to feel loved and treated as part of a family; a luxury I thought I would never have. I took in a long breath, the air was crisp, blowing like a lazy wind. I could easily smell the autumn. It wasn't lurking around, it seemed to have finally settled in.

Yukina and Evren continued with their food as both of them sat on opposite sides of my bed. It was easy to tell that they were relieved.

There was a knock on the door and three of us turned in the direction of the door as Lord Edger and Eliora walked in together.

“Wow, you guys look like husband and wife,” Evren teased. Lord Edger ignored her as Eliora whispered to her,

“Aren't we?”

Evren looked at Eliora with a playful disgust on her face, prompting Eliora to let out a little laugh. Lord Edger stood beside Yukina and said to me,

“You recovered a lot quicker than we anticipated.”

I didn't know what to say to him so I just smiled.

“If you don't mind, could you tell us what happened in the dark caverns?”

I expected this from Lord Edger. He always went straight to the point.

“Don't you think we should leave him to have more rest?” Eliora objected.

“It's fine. I don't think it's wise to waste more time. There were demons and falxes. I think they were searching for something in the dark caverns. It's just my speculation because I don't know much about why they were there, after all, the demons don't say much. Mom might just be right. Only adventurers are allowed to explore the dark caverns and I don't think it's a simple coincidence that demons were there too.”

The room was silent when I stopped talking so I continued almost immediately.

“Sadly, I couldn't find out what guild had them covered.”

“How many demons did you take on that left you in this state?” Lord Edger queried.

“There were a handful of them including falxes, but I fought only one demon.”

The shock on their faces said a lot. It felt nice to know that they perceived me as someone strong enough to take care of one demon alone. Learning that I was almost killed by a demon came as a bit of a surprise to them.

“Argh. Just how strong are those people?” Evren queried in a dissatisfied tone as she grabbed her hair in frustration.

“I see,” Lord Edger remarked, nodding slightly.

“I think you should get some more rest,” he suggested before speaking to Yukina and Evren.

“Both of you should get ready for the meeting.”

“What meeting?” I asked, curious.

“Right. Yesterday, we finally received a response from the imperium. I think they are sending delegates to meet with us. House Vaughn would be present too.”

“Can I attend this meeting too?”

Lord Edger was silent as he turned in Eliora’s direction. It wasn't his decision to make

“What?” Eliora asked upon noticing we were all looking at her. She sounded like she was about to scold Lord Edger.

Evren and Yukina laughed in giggles as they left the room.

“Mom, please,” I begged.

Eliora looked at me, wearing a kinder expression,

“But you are just recovering, you need more rest.”

“I told you, I am fine. It's just a meeting after all. All I have to do is to watch and listen, right?”

Eliora heaved as someone defeated,

“Alright.”

I smiled as I watched Lord Edger and Eliora leave my room. Leaving the comfort of my bed, I walked to the window to have a view of the outside. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on as my eyes met with only castle buildings and guards on patrol. I tried to initiate a conversation with Darya but she was silent.

“I knew it,” I lamented.

I tried to relive the moments I had with the auburn-haired demon; Sophia. Somehow, I felt that she didn't intend to kill me. She could have stabbed me somewhere around my chest or high up since she was prepared for my attack. But then, it was difficult to believe because she was the same person who massacred other members of the group without thinking twice. I remembered how furious I was when I found out that I was stabbed. At that moment, I wanted to kill her, I wished Darya did something to put an end to her life. Strangely, all that anger disappeared. The heat had died down and I was thinking more rationally. I wanted to meet her again, I wanted to ask her why she didn't kill me. I had a strong feeling that we would meet each other again, hopefully, sooner than later.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Ah, the meeting,” I gasped, hurriedly walking to the washroom to have my bath.

* * *

The great hall didn't even lose a bit of its disposition even though I visited it more frequently. I couldn't tell why I was eager to meet the delegates from the imperium or why I was interested to know what the meeting was all about. Maybe I was beginning to develop interest in the affairs of House Choryth. It was funny because in the past, I would have sworn that I would never. I could feel the sense of responsibility that came with strength. It wasn't forced upon me, it just slowly crept in on me.

I had constantly asked myself in the past,

“What's next for me?”

I still didn't have an answer in the long run, but at the moment, there was a lot of fighting to do. I couldn't tell if we were going to end up winning or losing, but I knew I had to fight regardless of the outcome. There was Darya too. Somehow, I had to find a solution that would keep the both of us alive even though I had no idea about where to start searching for one.

“It has to work out somehow,” I said to myself.

Eliora, Evren, Yukina, and I, together with a few other nobles all stood behind Lord Edger as we awaited the delegates from the imperium. Delegates from House Vaughn were yet to arrive so we waited for them as well. We didn't have to wait for long as the arrival of the delegates from House Vaughn was announced. Lady Charlotte, Lady Maven, and a few familiar faces were escorted into the great hall by our guards. They exchanged pleasantries with Lord Edger after which, their group stood beside ours. I looked in their direction and immediately, my eyes met with Maven’s. She quickly turned away, flustered, and looked in another direction.

“What's wrong with her?” I muttered

“I think you have an admirer on your hands,” Yukina whispered to me as she was standing beside me.

“A bit startled, I asked,

“What?”

“Come on, Lady Maven has been staring at you all this while. I think she likes you.”

I gave Yukina a little shove with my shoulder,

“What's wrong with you?”

“Don't be dense,” she replied.

“I'm not. You are just getting ahead of yourself,” I said to her.

“Me? But I am not the one the fair lady over there was looking at.”

“Yukina, stop.”

“Yes sir,” she replied mockingly, and no words left her mouth again. I turned and looked at Yukina and she gave me an awkward smile.

“You aren't going to stop, are you?”

“No,” she replied, still smiling.

A clack and creaking sound came from the large door as it opened, letting in our final guests. There were five of them as far as numbers went. One led in front while the others followed closely behind. The one leading the group was older than the rest and I could easily tell that he was a middle-aged man. He wore clothing with shades of white. It was simple, yet exquisite; a shirt, slacks, boots, and a coat that draped around his back and left arm, exposing his right side.

The rest of his group was rather unwelcoming as they appeared in battle-ready outfits and covered their faces with masks. Their masks were different, some scarier than the others. One of them caught my attention even more. His build was masculine and he wore masks with four horn-like protrusions. It wasn't the end, he had two swords and a spear strapped on his back. All four of them had similar attire. It was a familiar attire I had seen on imperial soldiers though theirs had a few differences. What I didn't understand were the frightening masks they all wore. Of the four, three of them were males and the last was a female. Though the imperial delegates gave off an intimidating aura, no one in the great hall wore a frightened expression.

The leader of the delegates stepped forward, while the rest stayed behind. He cleared his throat and formally introduced himself.

“I am Dmir Blaire, advisor to his Majesty the emperor and I am here on his behalf.”

Evren stepped forward to meet with Blaire,

“Lady Evren of House Choryth.”

“I am sorry, but I am supposed to be speaking to the High Lord of House Choryth,” Blaire said to Evren.

“Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I would be sure to relay his intentions to you.”

I could tell that Blaire felt disappointed since Lord Edger made Evren attend to him, but he didn't make a fuss about it.

“I would go straight to the point which is to know why you requested this meeting.”

“Yes. I am here concerning the recent events which I dubbed “the Stavren massacre.”

Evren scoffed,

“Stavren massacre? Does the imperium find it funny? Besides, those events happened not just in Stavren, but all over the southern republic, and if my perception of time is correct, they weren't recent events. We tried to establish contact with the imperium regarding this issue but we never got any response until you decided to show up. What do you think you can do now?” Evren said in an anger-laden tone while everyone else remained silent.

“Now, this is the Evren that I am familiar with,” I said inwardly.

“I understand your annoyance but you have to understand that the imperium does things differently.”

“Oh, like standing on the bylines and watching everything unfold, lives taken?”

“I don't expect you to understand,” Blaire responded.

Evren smiled. I thought she was going to flip out on him but she didn't.

“What does the imperium want?” Evren asked.

“The same thing you want. To nullify the threat.”

“How do you nullify a threat, one which you don't know the stems of its origin? Isn't that as good as chasing after the wind?” Evren queried.

“What if I told you that we know this threat, who they are. Would you believe me?”

Evren was silent. If the imperium knew who the demons were, it was certainly good news. Blaire walked a bit closer to Evren,

“Now, can you let me speak to the High Lord?”

Evren turned her face in Lord Edger's direction. She didn't say any words but that action alone was enough communication. Lord Edger responded by nodding slightly.

“These demons, who are they?” Lord Edger finally spoke.

Blaire was hesitant to reply but he had to if he wanted to achieve whatever intention he had by seeking our audience.

“These demons or so you call them are from a faraway land. Somewhere across the vast oceans.”

The once-silent hall was filled with murmurs and hushed whispers. The information was least expected. I had always believed that there was no sovereignty beyond the imperium, just the oceans. Now, that belief was about to change even though at the moment, there was no way of confirming the existence of this place which Blaire implied the demons came from.

Blaire continued speaking,

“The imperium had always believed that it was best to keep this information a secret but it seems the visitors don't want it to remain that way. It seems that they wish to be known.”

“Why did the imperium keep this information a secret?” Lord Edger asked, with his face as stoic as ever. He didn't even look surprised in contrast to how everyone else reacted.

“What would you have done if you knew about their existence? You may not want to agree with me, but the imperium is always right about its decisions. You can see for yourselves. The moment they made contact with us, death and destruction followed.”

I never thought I would be on the same page with Blaire, but he was right. It would have been less of a nuisance if the demons never existed or if we never knew of their existence. Though maybe, less fun for me.

“I also understand that there are recent developments here in Stavren, one of which is about you being its regent.”

“Does the imperium have any problems with that?” Lord Edger queried.

“No, not at all. But I don't think it’s a good idea at the moment given the current situation and plans on how to move on forward.”

“What are you asking of me?”

Blaire was silent for a brief moment before he spoke up again.

“The imperium appreciates your efforts in maintaining order here in Stavren, but it’s time you stepped aside. The imperium would take care of matters from here onwards. And of course, your counsel would be essential moving forward. This threat, I believe we are best suited to take care of it. I hope you understand.”

I anxiously waited to see how Lord Edger would react. There was no way we could go up against the imperium. Even going up against the demons was a means of survival. Though it was a dead end, I would have preferred a rebellion of some sort.

“And if I refuse?” Lord Edger asked.

“Then you would leave us no other choice.”

Lord Edger nodded,

“You aren't giving me so much of a choice either.”

“Well, they aren't mine to give,” Blaire replied.

“I believe the imperium has the best interest of her people in mind so I have no objections.”

Though I was disappointed, it was the right thing to do. Knowing who Lord Edger was, I was almost certain that he wasn't giving up yet. He wasn't the type to make sudden decisions so I was convinced that he had probably anticipated this turn of events and carefully thought about it.

“We will take our leave now. There is a lot of work to be done and your assistance with that of House Vaughn would be required shortly,” Blaire concluded.

We watched them as they left, escorted out by our guards.

“Wow, they think they can do as they please,” Lady Charlotte said, breaking the silence.

“Sadly, they can. They wield the most power,” Lord Edger replied.

“Be rest assured, my allegiance is with House Choryth,” Lady Charlotte consoled.

“Glad to hear that. Please come with me, House Choryth has a lot more to offer.”

Everyone except Eliora and I left the great hall. I didn't know why Eliora still stayed behind but I just didn't feel like joining the others. Eliora still stared at the exit door of the hall.

“Is anything wrong?” I asked her.

Almost absent-mindedly, she replied,

“Those masked soldiers. They are just like us.”