A young boy with icy-blue hair was restrained by thick black chains on a small stone slab. He looked exhausted with droopy eyes, and his heavy breathing filled the silent cell.

“It seems that he survived another day, but was there any progress.” a voice spoke from outside the cell.

“Very little; it is most unfortunate that this is moving so slowly.” another voice spoke.

An eerie silence took over the area; the only sound that echoed was the boy's heavy breathing.

"We need to act quickly; his guardians are moving faster than anticipated. Let's escalate to more invasive procedures before it's too late," expressed the first voice with a sense of urgency.

The sound of the metal cage door opening echoed, covering the boy’s heavy breathing. He tried to look at the figure walking in but could not find the energy to move.

The boy's luck took a chilling turn as he heard a man's deep voice whispering beside him. "Lucky you, boy; Bossman said I can play with you more… in-depth," the man whispered excitedly.

Time passed, and the boy's heavy breathing was replaced by wails of pain.

“Oh, look at this!” The voice said, curiously pulling at something inside the boy's arm, “It seems like a small tube that sends this red liquid throughout your body. Feyrishians sure are strange, are they not?” The voice sounded so enthused by his actions, but the boy could only hear bits between his screams, “Stop screaming, boy, it makes it hard to concentra… what is this white thing? Oh! A bone…”

The maid Siro stood stoically at the entrance of Carter's room, her back resting against the closed door, observing the wails of pain coming from the child. His fingers were tightly clenched, piercing the skin and staining the white sheets with a deep crimson hue. Siro approached the side of the bed with a heavy sigh, her steps calm and deliberate as if she had done this many times before. She gestured with her hands, and a verdant aura enveloped the room before vanishing into the air.

“It seems that I will have another restless night… How much longer will I need to do this?”

The room was filled with the warm golden glow of Morin's light, but it began to fade as a man with gray icy-blue hair entered Carter's room. He brought a small chair and sat beside the bed where the young boy slept peacefully. The man let out a sigh and gently brushed the hair from the boy's face.

The middle-aged man gave another sigh, “It seems they removed the outer appearance, but… it seems like they failed to actually remove anything else.”

A gentle tap at the door, followed by a voice announcing, "Guardian Cermin, I wanted to inform you that Guardian Vanir will be arriving in just a few hours."

“Good… Maybe someone from the first family can help this child,” The middle-aged man, Cermin, said as he rose from his seat, leaving the sleeping child.

The child opened his eyes and stared at the now empty chair; his eyes moved slowly, and he glanced at the door before turning over and returning to sleep again.

As the daylight faded, Cermin strolled down the hallway and spotted a young man with icy-blue hair entering the courtyard of the guest wing in Falling Leaves Castle.

“It seems that Vanir has finally arrived. With this, all of us are finally here,” he whispered.

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The title of Guardian of Feyrish is given to individuals in Feyrish who exhibit exceptional leadership, decision-making skills, and other qualities deemed essential by the heads of the seventy-two families of Feyrish for survival in foreign lands. Although originally intended for this purpose, the families holding this title have become a permanent fixture over centuries.

One of the notable houses in Feyrish is House Vanir, also known as The Vanir Family. Like all other Guardians of Feyrish, the head of this family adopts the house name as their own. Currently, the Vanir Family is led by a young man, one of the youngest to hold such a position in the Vanir Family. As a subsidiary of the First Family of Feyrish, the Vanir Family excels in the arts of healing and the manipulation of life essence. This specialization is similar to the Divine Race of Genisis, but how Feyrishians and Seedlings use these manipulations differs significantly.

Cermin eagerly greeted Vanir as he descended the stone steps. The young man's arrival was long-awaited, especially concerning the child, “Vanir, I am glad to finally see you, the child…”

“Elder Cermin, it’s nice to see you,” The man, Vanir, spoke, cutting off Elder Cermin, “But I am exhausted after the journey from my territory to here, so if you could allow me a little rest,” Vanir said in a tired tone.

“Of course, but the child,”

“Elder Cermin, the child has been fine for five months. Another day will not make a difference,” said Vanir

“You are right. I am just worried,” Cermin said, following Vanir like a shadow as he walked off.

“How long have you been here, Elder Cermin,”

“Several days,”

“And nothing has happened to the young prince, correct.”

“No…”

“I need to rest,” Vanir muttered in an exhausted tone as he faced the man following him, “I will see him once I am rested.”

Vanir watched intently as the dejected middle-aged man dragged himself away, his head drooping in disappointment. He watched until the man was out of sight, then slowly made his way toward the child's room, retracing the man's steps.

Vanir continued on his path, his pace steady and purposeful. He moved through the winding halls easily, without needing guidance, a strange thing for a man who had never been here before. As he rounded a corner, his eyes fell upon a striking figure - a woman with fiery red hair standing patiently by a door as if waiting for someone.

“I heard that you finally arrived,” She spoke, staring at the ceiling.

The man gazed at the woman blankly, concealing his emotions.

“Still wearing that mask, Vanir,” She said with a sigh, “So where have you been hiding the last few months, Guardian Vanir.”

“What do you want, Princess,” The man said coldly

"Why did you leave and now suddenly return? What are your intentions? Who are you trying to deceive?"

“None of that concerns you, Princess,” Snapped Vanir.

The woman looked silently at the man, “You’re right; it does not, but it does concern others. Maybe you should think about that in the future,” the woman rushed beside him brushing his shoulder, “The Head Maid Siro has already set up a wind barrier inside his room, so visit as long as you like, just make sure to rest before tomorrow morning.”

The woman was ignored by Vanir as he slowly made his way toward the door. She watched in silence before leaving. Vanir's hands shook as he stared at the door, and with a deep breath, he opened it to see a wall of gusting wind swirling around the room. It was eerily quiet, but as he passed through the wall of wind, the boy's screams filled the air.

Vanir glanced around the room and saw a woman with long brown hair staring out the window; her expression seemed tired.

“It seems as if you have returned, Guardian Vanir,” The woman said, turning to the man that just entered.

“I do not understand,” Vanir said blankly.

The woman scoffed before looking at the screaming child, “No, you know… but it doesn’t matter. Princess Nesha said I should care for this child, so I have, and that is all I shall do. Whatever has happened between all of you has nothing to do with an old lady like myself.”

Vanir ignored the woman and walked to the chair beside the bed.

"I understand that Feyrishians may be different from us, but as an old lady that has seen a bit, I can offer some advice. Problems persist until you solve them; ignoring them will only make matters worse," she said as she exited the room. "If you require assistance, I'll be waiting outside this door."

Vanir ignored the woman's departure and the child's screams. He gazed at the child and then out the window, "I apologize, Carter, but I wasn't able to find anything."