"Boss, are you sure this will work…?" Keily asked, standing next to Lia, leaning over a wide table, watching the laid-out map they had been scribbling onto in the past few days. Every time they started working on how to set up their own trial, they kept adding and subtracting ideas, sometimes re-adding something from days before just to scratch it out once more, ending up with a genuinely convoluted drawing that only the two of them could read.

"I already sent Shishi and the rest to procure the fire seeds from the Headmaster! All of us will have a set, so anyone entering our territory must navigate through different flames!" She pointed at the map, which was a precise topographic slice of where the Egg Hunt was going to take place. "You all are going to oversee one type of flame and how they do, how creatively they overcome it!"

"Why aren't we planning on this?" Keily asked, projecting a 3D image of the place, but Lia just scoffed.

"You won't have it once we leave the Academy! Stop relying on it so much, and use your own artifact! And head!"

"Hauh! O-okay… S-sorry, Boss!" Keily flinched, turning it off and lowering his head, looking back at the map. “So… Three challenges… put into our challenge…”

"Of course!" Lia grinned, running her index finger through a red line, snaking around the trees until it reached the first circle. "We will fill this gush with golden fire! I will let the twins and their men control it. The group coming here must pass through to continue their journey, and to do that, they have to have a good enough artifact!"

"Or else it will melt." Keily nodded, biting his lips. "Boss, if we melt someone's artifact…."

"Why didn't they make something good?" She scoffed, waving her hand at Keily, "If they start complaining, I will beat them down personally and throw them out of the competition! That type of fire won't hurt a well-made, pure artifact! They should thank me for saving them if it does! Imagine… fighting Undead, and your artifact fails you because it wasn't well made?"

"I was just saying that we should prepare for next year as we may become public enemy number one."

"Hmph! Let them try! Now…”

"The second point will be under My, Shishi, and some of her people's watch!" Keily declared, nodding and reciting his role to the letter while Lias's finger stopped at the second circle. "We will use white flames to trap them and release invisible flames into their 'cage.' We will start out slowly and raise the intensity gradually! They will need to realize the problem, find a solution against it to protect themselves or to break out before it is too late!"

"Good. If they manage to break through and escape, they should reach the final hurdle!" She arrived at the last circle. "They will have to steal the Egg from its pedestal!"

"Boss, you just want to fight, don't you?"

"Yes and no." She stuck her tongue out, "I want to hone my skills against multiple opponents simultaneously! I will only use my regular flames, maybe pop some pills! Besides that, I will also only wield one of my artifacts! I need to be proficient in fighting like that, so I won't always use my trump cards! I need to be focused and not reveal everything in my hand! Not before I ascend to the realm of Three Ri!"

"Boss…" Keily crossed his arms, thinking about it, "What if nobody gets the Egg?"

"Then the Misfits triumph once again!" She giggled in a pretty evil tone but then winked at him, "Don't worry, I am not that nasty! I am not Olivia! If they realize they don't need to defeat me, just get the Egg; it should be easy! How am I supposed to hold back a group by myself?" She laughed, bumping Keily's shoulder, "It could be over before it even starts!"

…

…..

…….

Inside the castle of the Amarins, Reyra, her sons, Kawu and Parthorn, and his son Tamuas occupied an oval table's left side. On the right sat Lothar, the head of the 2nd Branch, along with a few of his children. He was a thin, middle-aged man, having short blond hair and a beard, slowly blinking his black eyes. Next to him sat Sofy, the leader of the 4th Branch, the General of the Amarins, and as she was originally from the same Branch as Lothar, she had long blond hair and chestnut-colored eyes. She looked to be in her early thirties, and both of them were in the 6th Tier.

"It is too soon!" Reyra argued, watching the rest, but two of her sons were clearly on a different opinion.

"It is not, Mother." Solren and Lauron said in sync, making Razael smile but remain silent.

"I agree with your sons." Parthorn chimed in, receiving an angry glare from Reyra, but he remained unfazed.

"Me too," Sofy said respectfully.

"We are talking about one year! It isn't that long of a time frame! One… Year!" Reyra repeated, leaning onto the table, trying hard to convince her sons at least.

"They won't improve much after only one year," Lauron said in a kind tone, looking into his mother's eyes. "Mother, I have been keeping an eye on Lia, especially after what happened in the winter! We could let her spend the last year there, but she would no longer improve herself! She is like you; she needs live experience!"

"Yes." Solren agreed firmly, "Look at Sion and Simbad. They improved considerably in only one year of serving under me! The Institute is great for everyone… but we are Amarins. To us, facing Undeads in the field is what matters the most!"

"Especially now." Parthorn agreed too.

"It is the ideal time to train them right now, too," Lothar spoke up after everyone fell silent. "With so many ancestors back, roaming the continent, with the Undead still in their hiding phase… Right now, it would be the safest for them to go out and earn that experience."

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"And they wouldn't be alone." Sofy said, trying to reassure Reyra, "Solren would be going with them."

"The most reckless of my sons!" She scoffed, making Razael laugh loudly and turning Reyra's frown even more profound, "Second most reckless. Tsk… I hoped for Lia to have an easy life."

"We all hope for that for our children," Tamuas said softly. "Don't forget that my only daughter would also accompany your daughter."

"I know, I know!" She answered with a loud sigh. "What do you think?" She asked, looking at her husband.

"I agree with them." Kawu nodded encouragingly. "They will do fine!"

"Okay! Okay!" Reyra shouted, biting her lips and watching the others. "I will contact Lucian and make arrangements! After the year ends, they will graduate early and join up with you!"

"I will protect her, Mother. Don't worry." Solren replied, looking deeply into his mother's eyes, telling her everything would work out fine.

"I won't butt into your plans!" Reyra sat back and, turning to Sofy instead, "How are the few of the returnees who joined you?"

"No problems," she answered, smiling softly and tucking her golden locks behind her ear. "They never tried to overrule my decisions, and if they had something to say, they did it in private, in my tent. They never went against me before the soldiers. If I can be honest, Lady Reyra…." She watched her while speaking, only continuing after she nodded, giving her permission. "They are much more friendly than I expected!"

"Of course!" Razael grinned, "Two of them joined my group, and I must say, they are people who can drink, ahahaha!"

"Idiot." Kawu scoffed, slapping the back of Razael's head, who just continued to laugh.

"We also sparred a little!" He grinned, watching them, "Even though we were at the same tier, they have a bit more experience, so it was a tie!"

"Of course, you sparred," Lauron murmured, receiving a jab-like stare from his elder brother. "Lia turned out just like you…."

"Good to hear! Because if she were more like you, I would be worried that she would try to hump our newly returned family members!"

"As if I did something like that!" Lauron retorted immediately, making Solren join in on the 'fun.'

"You thought about it."

"You just stay out of it!" Lauron scoffed at his younger brother before Kawu managed to raise his voice, watching the rest apologetically.

"Boys! Stop…”

"What I wanted to say," Razael continued, still grinning teasingly, "We are family! Of course, there won't be problems! The same blood is flowing in our veins!"

"Speaking about blood." Reyra cut in before her children could continue to bicker, "How're our territories doing?"

"The supply lines are strong and working perfectly," Parthorn answered. "We are prepared to welcome the returning members of the family."

"We have enough resources to expand, arm, and maintain multiple armies." Lothar agreed as he confirmed his words.

"I already started recruiting," Sofy said, standing up, officially reporting to Reyra, picking out stacks of documents from her holding bag. "We are going from city to city, town to town, and any talents we find are drafted, regardless of age. I included our plans for the subordinate factions under us and how we plan to mobilize them."

"Solren," Reyra said, flipping through the papers, "You will bring Lia along and show her how it works. That is a good start."

"Good idea, and she could help with recruitment... and... Not just that," Lothar smiled a little, "your daughter made excellent friends! It would be good if she could find more gems for us!"

"You mean Lorin?" Lauron asked, and Lothar nodded.

"His family established a wide range of connections. Our intelligence gathering now covers almost the whole continent. We even have agents directly in their main cities."

"Wouldn't the other Houses be angry if they learn about that?" Sofy asked, but Reyra just chuckled.

"In a time of peace, yes. Now? No. I have already been made the leader of the Six. My main focus is…." She looked around before waving her hand, and the whole room was reinforced by her aura as magical formations appeared around them.

Parthorn and Lothar asked nothing, just replicating the same movement, reinforcing Reyra's spell with their own, making triple sure that wherever she was about to say, it won't leave this room.

"I will have to retreat for a year or more." She began, yet nobody asked questions, listening carefully. "A book appeared to me after coming home. One that was written by Erias… I recognize the handwriting."

"Where is it?" Razael asked, eager to read it, and Reyra pointed before her at the empty table.

"Right here!" She sighed defeatedly. "I left it here from the start! None of you can see, feel or touch it. I was curious, so I tested it out, but… I am not surprised."

"Really?" Razael leaned over, trying to grab it, tapping on the table, but he felt nothing there, thinking his mother was playing tricks on them.

"I'm not joking." Reyra slapped at his hand, making him sit back in his chair, "Its content is for only those who reached my level naturally."

"Naturally?" Kawu exclaimed, catching onto her words the quickest.

"Yes. Do you remember? The fact that the rest of the Ascendri appeared after Erias reached it?" She said in such a deep, serious tone that they all went stiff, only able to nod. "He raised them up personally! I have his method; I just need to learn it… and I can boost them to the top level! Only… they won't be as strong or able to advance further…."

"Further?!" Her sons exclaimed at once.

"I don't know what that means either!" Reyra raised her hands, shushing them, "The book did not explain! The important point is that I can make more Ascendri, but it takes time and takes a toll on me. So I can't do it willy-nilly! I intend to retreat, study it to its fullest, and when I come back, I will raise Rangi first."

"Rangi?" Parthorn furrowed his brows. "Not Lakhmu?"

"I explained this to the Six first… The Head of Marduk does not want it." She smiled happily, "He said he would reach it naturally! On the other hand… the Head of Honu said he long reached the end of his potential. He can't advance by himself."

"But, Mother…" Solren furrowed his brows, "Master Rangi is at the 7th Tier!"

"Yes." Reyra nodded, tapping the thin book only visible or touchable to her. "But this thing is effective on anybody in the Realm of Three Ri. There is only one warning from Erias!" She raised her voice, letting their thoughts settle before continuing. "It can only be used on people I personally trust and know. There needs to be a mutual understanding between us while attempting the ritual! If there are doubts, misunderstandings, or any type of dissonance, it will fail, rebound and kill me."

"Fuck."

Reyra couldn't help but chuckle, looking at Kawu and her sons, who said it simultaneously.

“This is… madness…” Parthorn gulped, licking his dry lips.

"It is. It was Erias's invention and a grasp at all the straws he could come up with… and he succeeded. We need the power that the 9th Tier provides! So I won't hear any complaints; I made my decision! Am I clear?"

"Yes."

It was Kawu who answered first, standing up, kneeling right before Reyra, and placing his head in her lap.

"You will be fine. I know it." He whispered, hiding the tears in his eyes.

"My fluffy papa bear…." She giggled, rubbing his thick, black hair. "You know you don't need to worry about me! Who am I?"

"The baddest mini bitch on Meriath…." Kawu whispered, making his sons giggle uncontrollably, and even Parthorn smiled, feeling nostalgic as when he first heard it, he just couldn't believe it.

"Exactly!" Reyra smacked her lips, caressing her husband's head, remembering the first time they met and fought and how in his big, bear form, he hurled curses at her constantly, repeating a phrase over and over again…