Nesha struggled to steady her trembling hand as she held the doorknob of Carter's room. She felt a gnawing sense of guilt in the pit of her stomach as if she had thrown away this child's life for the sake of the Seedling Union. Doubt consumed her, leaving her unsure if she had made the right choice. The bitterness in her mouth and the heaviness in her heart only intensified her emotions, making her question if she had made a grave mistake.

A few hours earlier, just before daybreak, Nesha and Sivie had been asked to meet with Elder Bran to discuss what decision had been made.

"Is this really the room they wanted to meet in?" Sivie questioned, his disappointment evident as he surveyed the empty room.

“Yes, Vanir is the one that told me to meet here,” Nesha said, taking a seat, exhaustion obvious from the bags under her eyes.

She had stayed up all night, feeling anxious about the upcoming meeting and what information would be told to them. Looking at Sivie, she could tell he felt the same, as he didn't smell like alcohol for once after waking up. Thankfully, Char and Echo were doing well.

"Do you really trust him after everything that's happened in the past few days?" Sivie asked with a snort while his eyes glared at the door.

Nesha laid her head back as her mind raced over everything that had happened in the meetings from the last few days, especially the actions of the Feyrishians that she knew.

“Honestly, not really, but he was in the same situation as us, so…” Nesha sighed.

“Right,” Sivie paused and looked at the red-headed woman beside him.

She had gone through a lot, although not as much as him, but his thoughts stopped. It wasn't just them; their small group had experienced much together and individually, which was why they felt so driven to this mission and similar ones. Even though their group was still regarded as children, they possessed the power to change minds, but now it all appeared pointless and worthless.

Sivie’s thoughts stopped as Vanir walked into the room, his appearance seemed calm, but the air around him was different. The pair watched as the man walked, his eyes glazed, a sign he was mindlessly thinking about something.

“Thank you both for your presence here, and I apologize,” Vanir said, taking a seat across from Nesha, his eyes regaining their luster.

“Sorry for what?” Sivie asked, confused.

Nesha glared at Vanir, “Where is Elder Bran?”

“That is why I am so apologetic. Elder Bran has already left Falling Leaves late last night,”

“And why would he do that, Vanir?” Nesha screamed, jumping up from her seat, ready to barge out of the room and chase that lying old man.

“He did so at my behest.” hearing this, Nesha stopped in her tracks, her eyes blazed as she glared at Vanir.

“Stop with this! Tell me the whole story! Why did you make him leave? He was going to tell us what happened!”

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Nesha’s eyes began to glow, and the air in the room began to rush, cutting gashes into Vanir’s face. Vanir let the blood from his face drip down, ignoring the sting of the sharp wind against his skin.

“Right, as you know, I met with the elders immediately after you both left and after hearing what they had to say, I decided that it was best for me to tell you both about what is going to happen to the young prince,”

“Prince, he has a name, or did you forget it in the last few hours,” Nesha said with a sneer while her eyes returned to normal and the wind died down.

“I think it shows the severity of the situation. Also, I am not here as Vanir, Nesha, but as a Guardian,” Vanir said, pulling a piece of paper from his clothes.

“What is that,” Sivie asked.

“An agreement with the Seedling Union that your mission is over after you assist me in bringing him to the Alchemic Race,” Vanir said, placing the paper on a nearby table

Nesha and Sivie glanced over the paper, “What is this?”

“The Seedling Union and the Gods of Genisis believe you are too close to Car… The young prince and deem the Rosen Blades unfit to keep watch over him.”

“It is the same for you, is it not?” Sivie asked with a serious face.

“Yes… that is why we are the escorts for him. It is to say goodbye, as we will not be allowed contact as long as he remains on Genisis.”

Nesha slumped in her seat, “They can’t do this to us.” her voice was faint, but the others heard her words.

“They can, and they have, and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it.”

“Tell us what is happening to him, please,” Sivie asked.

“Why are the both of you so concerned about Carter? This is for me, not for the Guardians.”

A pained smile showed on Sivie’s face as he thought about his life, “You know our history… is that not enough of a reason to care for a child that seemed to be thrown away and is now nothing more than a doll.”

Vanir looked at the pair before he opened his mouth and took a deep breath, “The young prince is to take part in diplomatic missions across Genisis as part of his trial of leadership to keep his crown prince title.”

Confused, Sivie stated, “This isn’t anything new; Feyrish has done this for a few thousand years now.”

“Indeed, but Feyrish now and then are different; factions have started to form both there and here, and deciphering who is in what faction is nearly impossible.”

“What does that have to do with this?” Sivie asked while Nesha bit her bottom lip, already aware of the correlation.

“Carter going missing was not a coincidence, was it, Vanir?” Nesha asked

“It does not seem so; at least, this is what the elders think, and I was just unlucky to have him end up in the territory my family is in charge of.”

“Wait, so all of this may just be some convoluted plan, then?” Sivie asked

“No, the current plan for the young prince was created with the help of the Gods of Genisis and the four Elder Guardians. It seems like they came to a deal about protecting him from themselves.”

“Alright, I can accept that, but if what this document said is true, then why are we not allowed to help? We are already proven to not be involved, right.”

“At the moment, you are correct, but that may not always hold true. That is why every mission that Ca… the young prince will go on will have one Seedling and one Feyrishian as his guards to ensure that both work together.”

“But what happens when they are both aligned?” Sivie asked

“The Gods of Genisis are sending a nine-star Divine Race to act as Cart…the young prince’s shadow. Their job will be to watch and to not bring attention to themselves so no one will know who they are.”

“There are too many problems with this,” Nesha screamed, “There are so many holes and…”

“That is the point. Carter is bait…”