image [https://i.imgur.com/rcNJksO.png]

The trio found themselves back at the large, towering front doors of Castle de Belouis. Their pendants had successfully ported them back to the exact spot they left from earlier that week.

“Man, that was super close!” Carmen exclaimed, struggling to catch her breath.

“Yeah, that could’ve ended really badly. Just who was that guy?” Rivell asked with great concern.

“I think he was a Boundless or whatever you call 'em’. His strength was insane. He must’ve been middle Sapphire class at least.” Sarah quickly replied. Carmen gathered herself and motioned for them to follow her.

However, the moment she pushed the door open, Carmen noticed that she couldn’t feel the wood pressing against her palm. Carmen’s hand was completely numb, as though she didn’t have one at all.

“Huh??” She softly said as Rivell and Sarah approached from behind.

“What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?” Sarah questioned, confused by Carmen’s sudden reluctance to enter.

“Uh, it’s nothing. Come on, we’ve got to report this stuff to Azhane and Zalthia quickly!” Sarah and Rivell briefly glanced at each other before shrugging and agreeing with Carmen. They raced into the castle and searched around vigorously for Zalthia. After rounding a few corners, the trio found her talking to a few guards in the hallway.

“Zalthia!!” Carmen yelled out, rushing over to her sister’s side. She turned around and saw them all scuffed up, looking as though they had just been through war.

“What happened to you guys?? Are you all alright?” She asked with concern, brushing dirt off of Carmen’s shoulder.

“Yeah we’re fine, but there’s a lot to talk about!” Carmen frantically replied, still reeling from the previous fight. Zalthia noticed the concern in Carmen’s eyes and she quickly began to understand the gravity of the situation.

“Alright, let’s go to Azhane’s room. Follow me.” She said, quickening her pace down the hall. They headed over to the Queen’s office and saw that the door was open. Azhane sat at her desk, swamped by documents as she signed them one by one.

“Azhane!!” Carmen shouted once she burst into the room, slightly startling Her Majesty. She glanced up with surprise and wondered what all the commotion was about. Everyone piled into the room before Zalthia closed the door shut, ensuring that no one could hear this conversation.

“What’s going on? And, why are you three so dirty?” She questioned with a confused tone, finding their battered appearance rather off putting.

“When we finished our meeting with Raelina, we ran into a Boundless and he was super strong!” Carmen responded, retelling the events of the fight.

“Wait, wait, you mean you all fought him?? I thought I told you all to come back here immediately if anything went wrong.” Zalthia barked in her usual serious tone, glaring at Carmen.

“It looked like he had captured some people. We couldn’t just leave them alone!” Sarah chimed in, not feeling sorry at all about defying Zalthia’s orders.

Zalthia sighed as she shook her head, annoyed that they played hero when she specifically told them not to. Carmen then proceeded to tell them about everything Raelina said during their meeting. She mentioned how she was a dual type Vesta, how her Dark Affinity might be linked to the Boundless, fixing her Manifest, and her new abilities.

Carmen made sure to mention as many details as possible, not leaving anything out. Azhane was overwhelmed by all the new information and it took her a second to process everything.

“Oh wow, that sounds like quite the eventful and informative trip. Goodness..” Azhane replied, now sitting up in her chair while she pushed some papers off to the side.

“I figured something was off about your Manifest. It felt so, hmm, angry for some reason. To think it was because you’re a dual type is pretty wild.” Azhane added. Zalthia walked over to the wall and leaned up against it, crossing her arms before she replied.

“Being a dual type is incredibly rare. I believe this would make you the first one in the Belouis family.” Zalthia said with a matter of fact tone.

“Oh cool, I didn’t think it would be that rare. Are there other dual types out there like me?” Carmen asked with great interest. Azhane glanced up as she tapped her chin, deep in thought.

“Hmm, there are a few, but the only one I’ve met personally is that bastard mercenary, Varric Clover. He can use both Fire and Light affinities.” Azhane tried to recall her memory as best as she could.

“Who is Varric Clover? Can we meet him??” Carmen’s smile was filled with both wonder and excitement, eager to learn more about someone that was just like her.

“He’s another one of the seven Calamity class Vestas in Resotera and no you can’t meet him. That scumbag only shows his face for high paying jobs or when he’s chasing skirts. It’s been years since I last saw him roaming around the continent. He’s not someone worth your time, trust me.” Zalthia chimed in while rolling her eyes, annoyed that she even had to speak his name.

Carmen was saddened by this news. “Ah.. Bummer..” Her tone became rather dejected as she was disappointed she couldn’t meet someone with similar abilities.

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“That stuff aside, this Boundless guy you fought… I find him to be rather concerning. If the Boundless King has his people all the way out in Siestro, there’s no telling where else in Alaira they are at. He seems to have made his move.” Azhane remarked with a sigh, finding this whole situation to be quite stressful.

“Yeah and the guy called himself, Moku. He was really weird and kept talking about how I am ‘betraying my brethren’ and that ‘Dark affinity Vestas need to be on the same side.’ He legit seemed upset that I was fighting him. So creepy.” Carmen chimed in, shivering in disgust at Moku’s words.

“Well at any rate, I am happy you all came home safely and I know you must be tired. Go and rest up for the night. We can discuss things further in the morning.” She said with a kind smile. They agreed and made their way out of the room, closing the door gently behind them. Azhane averted her attention towards Zalthia and got more serious.

“So your suspicions were correct, huh?” You had a hunch that she might be a dual type.” Azhane said with an impressed expression.

“Yeah. When Carmen first got her abilities graded and the shard showed two colors, I thought it might just be a hiccup or a glitch. However, when it happened the second time, my suspicions were all but confirmed. I think the shard was grading both of her affinities. The color black for Dark and light purple for Void.” Zalthia began piecing things together in a skillful manner.

“You think her Dark affinity has Calamity class potential?” Azhane was hoping that this wouldn’t be the case.

“I believe so… But, I don’t think Carmen is capable of tapping into that strength right now. She still has a long way to go before we even see a glimpse of that power, or at least I hope so.” After Zalthia's reply, Azhane sighed as she dramatically leaned back in her chair, feeling stressed that she now had something else to worry about.

“Do you think mother and father knew about this? There’s just no way we would have missed something this big.” Zalthia gave Azhane a slight shrug, not entirely sure how she should answer that statement.

“Maybe. I know father always kept her close by and in the castle. She never really had the freedom to leave home like the rest of us could. I always just thought they were being over protective of Carmen, but maybe there was something about her that they didn’t want to get influenced or awoken.” Zalthia responded, no longer leaning on the wall and walking towards the door. Azhane nodded and agreed, wondering if there was a connection between the two situations.

Just before Zalthia got to the door, she paused and intently looked back at Azhane.

“Have you slept at all?” She asked, noticing the slight bags under her eyes.

“Mmmm yeah.. Here and there.” Azhane replied with a tired laugh.

“Get some sleep would ya? That paperwork can wait til the morning.” Zalthia sharply shot Azhane with a cold glare.

Azhane waved her hand slightly, motioning for Zalthia to leave as she lifted her pen to start working again. She rolled her eyes and swiftly left the room, getting annoyed yet again by one of her sisters.

image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]As the sun set at the Holy Core Church in Lumen, the High Priest made his way into his office where he found Gabriella Ramos sitting down. She took a deep sip of her tea and smiled, ready to get this conversation underway.

Multiple weeks had passed since her meeting with the Boundless King and she wanted to debrief with another like minded leader.

“Good to see that things have been well, Your Excellency. What brings you here today?” Leo asked, taking his seat at the table.

“Thanks for having me, High Priest Vaux’Hallah. I wanted to discuss a few matters with you. I hope you will lend me your ear.” She replied with a kind smile. Leo found her demeanor to be rather suspicious, thinking it was weird that the Empress was in such a good mood.

“Of course. Please, tell me what is on your mind.” Grabriella began to tell him about her meeting with Briddle and what they had discussed. The High Priest was surprised by what she was saying and had to stop her before she went any further.

“Excuse me for stopping you, but I really must ask. You gave that deranged man towns and villages within Arista as a gift??? You realize that all of those innocent people will be killed right?? Have you gone mad!?” He asked with a concerned expression. Gabriella set down her tea cup before loudly cackling, finding his concern hilarious.

“Of course not! I gave that moronic King a list of locations in Volaire. I may not care all that much for those that are useless, but I’ll be damned if he put his grubby, pale hands on my nation.” Leo’s eyes went wide as he realized what she was saying.

“But, why Volaire? And why even give him anything at all?” He questioned, trying to understand her thought process.

“Why not? I want to see that girl sweat and squirm as her nation falls into shambles. And, if enough pressure is applied, she might just pop and interfere with our little Boundless friend...” Gabriella grinned with the most devious smile the High Priest had ever seen. Leo leaned back in stunned silence as he processed her words, not sure how to respond.

“That is.. Uhh.. Quite the grand plan you have there, Your Excellency.” He replied, pushing his glasses back up.

“You remember what Briddle said, right? Those that interfere with his plans will have all of their secrets unearthed and shared with all. If we can get him to poke Azhane Belouis enough, she just might gift wrap all that information for us. Especially considering how unstable and inexperienced that newbie Queen is, it would only be a matter of time.” The Empress said, laying out her ideas more plainly.

“Yes, I remember what he said and I understand what you are saying. But… I guess I just don’t understand the why.” Leo was starting to feel nervous about this conversation. Gabriella sighed as she shook her head, getting annoyed that he still wasn’t getting it.

“Must I spell everything out for you? This is a beautiful opportunity to bring Volaire down to its knees. Who knows what kind of information we can learn from this. If it is significant enough, this could allow us to take that nation for ourselves. My Aristan forefathers couldn’t do so when they lost the first Great Manifest War to Volaire, but things are different now. I would go down in history as the one to accomplish what they couldn’t.” She said with dangerous determination.

The High Priest’s expression went from fearful to that of great interest, now that he fully understood what she was saying.

“Oh my, oh my!! I did not realize you had conquest on your mind! This would be a great opportunity indeed.” Leo excitedly replied, fully accepting her plans and ideas.

“Just think about it. North Arista and East Lumen. They have such a pleasant ring to them, don’t they?” Her smile at that moment was incredibly dangerous as she took another hearty sip of tea.

“They sound quite pleasant indeed, Your Excellency. I am completely onboard with whatever you plan to do. You have the full support of the Lumen Theocracy and the Holy Core Church behind you.” Gabriella graciously nodded while she stood, beyond happy to accept his support.

“Good to hear. I appreciate your support in all of this. For now, let’s just watch and wait over the next few months. Prep your military as well, just so they're ready to move as quickly as possible.” She said with great authority.

“As you wish, partner.” The High Priest gave her a slight smirk as he was eager to get things underway. The Empress smiled and swiftly took her leave, walking out of the heavy oak doors of Leo’s office.