"Heartbroken Goldenglow?" Aleister noted the alchemical ingredient before placing it in a glass jar. With Syn's help, he had been identifying and documenting all the ingredients she bought. "I'm heartbroken that none of these came labeled. What kind of name is heartbroken goldenglow, anyway?"

"Not a name—modifier," Syn said in a relaxed voice, lounging on his bed with glasses and a thick book.

"Yes, wilted leaves and all, but, its neither gold nor does it glow. In fact, it's quite green." Aleister spun around with a vial containing a clear liquid in hand. "This is the hard alcohol, correct?"

"Spirit of alcohol."

He popped off the cork and sniffed the substance. "Huh. It smells like nothing."

"Of course it smells like nothing," she said through a yawn. "Keep that to the side. You need—"

A knock echoed from his door. "Sorry. Can I come in?"

"Yup, door's unlocked."

Myra walked into his room. She dressed in a sumptuous white blouse and black skirt. Shiny onyx barrettes littered her hair and smell of freshly squeezed oranges permeated his room.

Aleister almost fumbled the vial in his hands as he asked, "Nice outfit. Is something happening today?"

"Thank you," Myra said, looking away to hide the smile on her face. "Her Majesty is holding her grand speech about the state of the empire in several hours. Did you not know?"

"Nope, no idea she would hold it today. Can't say I'm surprised though. It has already been a week."

"Are you not going to listen to her majesty's speech?"

"Of course not." Aleister crossed his legs as he closed the vial. "I was there when the whole Vitreus moving and chosen talk happened. So since I already know the details, it would be a colossal waste of time for me to attend."

"Master invited me to attend because she didn't want to bother me with the details." Myra glided her hands across the bookshelf next to his door. They only stopped as she brushed her finger across a jutted out black leather spine. "The Undercity?"

"Catchy name, isn't it? I found it when we cleaned my room yesterday. Quite handy to find it here instead of having to ask about it at the library. There's actually a lot of interesting books here that I never got to."

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She slid the book out and flipped it open to one-third of the way through, where Aleister placed his bookmark. "Osetia's criminal underground gangs? I'm surprised they exist. Surely the City Watch Commander, or Master, or her Majesty wouldn't let them."

"Well, in short—they don't. Exist anymore, I mean." Aleister placed several vials of the alcohol spirit into a wooden holder and marked them off on his inventory sheet. "The book doesn't have a publication date, but there have been several dates referenced throughout. Based on the provided dates and from what I know about Gilmore, he and his sister were still small children."

"Wow. How many years ago is that?"

"At least sixty," Aleister said as he walked next to Myra. "Hand me the book for a second."

"Sure."

Once in hand, he fanned the top of the earlier pages. He stopped at a page with a folded corner. The contents were light word wise as a large illustration took up most of the space. Although it was important, there was a more important detail that caught his interest.

"This is..." Myra twirled her hair as she collected her thoughts to recognize the location. "Crystal Lake? But it looks so different?"

"Hm?" Her answer surprised him. "You've been?"

"I needed to obtain some of the water for Master a few days ago and Kyoko ended up showing me around."

"Ah, that would do it. But, not only that." He drifted his finger down—under the caption.

"An artist's illustration of Crystal Lake after the incident? What's the incident?"

"No idea." He rested the book back into Myra's hands. "But I know some details that are letting me create a timeline of events. This incident, which was most likely some sort of battle based on the picture, was before the Empress became, well, the Empress. That threw out my theory of it having to do with the Purple Wyrm that defeated my mom and dad. And from what I read, the City Watch purged the entire Osetia underground some time after this."

Myra shut the book. "I don't think I understand the point."

"Strictly speaking—there is no point. Just that some event occurred that led to the biggest gangs in the Osetia underground being wiped. But from what Elemmir told me, they have resurfaced after all that time. Well, I'm sure the wipe didn't erase every member, and the survivors stayed low as they lost power, but now, it seems their actions have become much more brazen."

"Really? I don't think I've ever noticed."

"Oh yeah, you weren't there." Aleister relaxed back into his chair. "Well, long story short, someone kidnapped Elemmir's father—"

Myra gasped, interrupting him. "What? How?"

"Now that's a wonderful question."

"Is that why he worked at that underground casino? They asked for a ransom?"

"Yup, although," Aleister shook his hand, "The how is a bit more complicated."

"Did you give him the money?"

"I'm sure he received the money from Nana."

"Kyoko's little sister? What does she have to do with this?"

"Nana knows Elemmir from his sister at the Royal Academy. The complete story is odd, but they know each other and in turn she told her mother."

"So its resolved then?"

"Probably."

"Then why are you reading old material about the criminal underground?"

"Well, even if Elemmir's father returns alive, the gangs won't suddenly disappear, will they?"

Myra took a step back, tugging on her skirt. "I don't think I like the tone of your voice."

"Don't worry, as interesting as they might be. I don't plan on joining a gang."

"Good."

"Well," Aleister mischievously smiled, "At least not for now."

"I should be going now," Myra said, leaving with a concerned look.