"Badass speech back there Lil, did you practice it in front of the mirror this morning?" Henry teases as we walk past the unsettling trees of the Radiant Woods. I look back with a wry smile. It's a universal fact that anything you say with complete sincerity will look at least a little silly to any siblings who love you.

"No need," I quip, "I just adapted my old 'Suffer No Brothers' speech. Just had to drop some of the more violent, hurtful bits to be fair to the genocidal nobles. But the rest transferred pretty well." Ed and Henry snort at this but Autumn looks at me with concern.

"You all know we are walking toward a fight with the most dangerous people in the country, right?" She asks.

"Yeah, we know," I reply. "But hey, I'm Lillith of Endings. The Mage of Mourning. The demon queen of children's nightmares. The original vampire. The death that lurks in noble halls. And Ed is... well he's scrappy too." Henry laughs out loud and Ed rolls his eyes.

"Lillith, you don't even like half those titles," Ed complains and I waggle one finger back and forth.

"No no, I don't like those titles being used as a vector of authority. I loooove rubbing them in my brother's faces as an explanation for why I was always dad's favorite," I challenge. Both Henry and Ed chortle at this. Autumn looks between us and I laugh. "Oh come on, if August were here, you'd do the exact same thing. Brothers are to be kept in check, especially in serious situations." She gives me a half smile.

"I suppose so," she agrees. "Still..." she pauses as we exit the path into a curiously dark cave. The cave Sara lived in for some time. We finally emerge to see the walls of Visenar and that's not all. A wall of ice, surpassing them in height, stands in the distance. I can practically taste the blood in the air. Her point is taken.

"This is just how we handle stress, Flower," Henry assures her. "We are taking this seriously." She nods hesitantly.

"Alright, I get it. I'm just... scared," she replies. "I don't want to lose anyone."

"I can understand that. They'll be careful though. You can trust these two," Henry assures.

"And even if you can't well, you two will be here to get us home, and we trust you," I add. She nods her head slightly but seems unconvinced. We walk in silence for a while after that, until I turn around and look at Henry again. "Flower? Really?" I ask. Henry sighs and rubs the back of his neck while Autumn blushes and Ed laughs.

"Oh shut up demon queen Lillith," Henry retorts, "Sorry if autumn flowers don't strike fear into children's hearts. Not all of us hide under beds to grab ankles as they pass by."

"Fucking hate that title," I grumble. The air is cold as we make our way to the city. Likely on account of the giant iceberg just... chilling in the southern fields. It certainly doesn't help with the goosebumps when we reach the hidden entrance to our tunnel.

"Be careful in there, both of you," Autumn says.

"Seriously. If you need anything at all, let us know. We'll come help. It's dangerous for you in there. More than us, in a lot of ways," Henry adds. "You too, Edward. I know we've had something of a... rocky past. But I love both of you. Come back safe."

"We'll do everything we can, Henry," I promise. "And when we are done, everyone will be more safe. Everyone. I love you too," I respond. Ed looks down.

"I failed you, in the past," Ed agrees. "I'm so sorry. And I won't do it again, I promise. I love you too, Henry."

"And let's not forget everyone's second favorite twin!" I joke. "Keep my brother out of trouble while I'm gone."

"I promise," Autumn agrees. After a round of nervous hugs with three pounding hearts and one still, Ed and I enter the city. Autumn and Henry have brought various medical supplies and will come in to help if something goes wrong and it looks like civilians need help evacuating the area. Ed and I are the front liners. We are quiet by necessity as we sneak into the city. We are surprised to find the streets more active than the last time we visited. Still not bustling, but there are a few people out and about. One of the kings must have decisively won in the last exchange. That could be troublesome, if a magic fight breaks out. Thankfully, it is late at night and people haven't entirely returned to normal life yet.

As part of the plan, Ed and I have to split up right away. We wordlessly nod to each other as he hurries into the dark. I count slowly to ten and take a deep breath. Then, I follow him. Far enough back, with sound and light mana masking my presence where I can. I have to avoid the irritating 'anti-Lillith' circles, which are apparently horizontal and not vertical in many areas. But I manage to keep myself hidden until Ed quietly enters an old, abandoned building. My mana seems to work in the area, so I lift myself with force mana to enter the second-story window.

The stairs leading to this floor have rotted away, and I don't suspect the floor is much safer, so I keep my footing in the window and look down. Edward is meeting with a man I haven't seen in a long time. Well, not exactly, anyway. Richard. My father. A bard now, apparently. If not a terribly talented one. My uniquely invisible mana allows me to replicate the sound waves below near my ear without drawing attention to myself. At the same time, I lower my goggles and use the X-ray enchantment to examine the area for anyone else nearby.

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"Edward, it's good to see you," Richard says. "Do you have the riot spikes?" Ed nods, pulling the bag off his shoulder and tossing them to him.

"Just like you asked," Ed answers. "They're not going to hurt her, right?"

"I'm sorry Edward," Richard answers, "I know this is hard. I know you love your family, and it's not easy to do something that you know will hurt them. But you are doing the right thing, son. You're doing the right thing, I promise."

"I... know. I hate it, but I know. But if there is a chance that no one has to get hurt... please tell me you aren't planning to hurt her," Ed asks again.

"I love her too, Ed. But you've seen what she's done. What she and her friends have done to this country. The same thing she did to our family. Tore it apart. Hurt the people involved. You have to understand, we can't move forward while she... you're a good man son. I'm sure you understand," Richard insists.

Ed sighs. "I do understand. I do. It hurts, so, so much. But I understand completely. Now even more than I did a moment ago. I'm sorry, Dad. I do love you," he apologizes. And that's my cue. I'm now certain none of my father's allies are nearby at the moment. They are still waiting for me near the palace, where Ed told them I was heading. This will work. I jump down, landing in the middle of the room, startling my father.

"Hello, Dick Endings," I greet. "So sweet of you to plan my death like that. I guess I understand. You didn't get the role you were hoping for in my wedding, I do suppose my funeral is the next best thing." He looks between me and Ed a few times.

"Ed what... hurry, we need to fight her together, she-" he starts, grabbing Ed by the shoulder but Ed pushes him off and summons his own wind mana to push himself away.

"No, Dad. You and I are not going to fight her together. That's not what I came here for. I'm sorry. But it's like you said... you have to understand," Ed apologizes. And the penny drops. I see the moment the realization hits and my father's face hardens.

"So you are like your younger brother. Brainwashed. Whipped. A servant of your own kid sister, is that right? After what she did to this family? She managed to twist your mind like the rest of them. To lie to you. To turn you against me," He accuses, straightening up and attempting to project an air of confidence.

"No, Dad. Lily didn't turn me against you. You did. I can't close my eyes without picturing the glee on your face when she came back, bloody and bruised. The satisfaction when she was taken to be beaten. It all made me feel so... ugly. Sick. And even now, you tried the old familiar tactics. The old compliments. Offering your pride in me like poison. It was always a lie. The only way to really earn your pride is to be like you. And... I don't want to be like you, Dad. But I was hoping you weren't trying to kill Lily. It was the last hope I had," Ed responds. Richard scoffs.

"So. That's what this entire thing was, Lillith. You left me hiding. Running from my own flesh and blood for years. Always looking over my shoulder, wondering when I'd be found and killed for putting a roof over my daughter's head and expecting respect in return? For helping elevate this family to a position of authority? For finding a powerful noble house for you to thrive in? For trying to protect you the first time you assaulted a noble? You turn my last son against me and lure me into a trap, destroying so many lives along the way? Were the years in hiding not enough? The loss of my other children, of my wife?" Richard lectures. He says so many absurd things in a row my head almost spins like a loose screw.

He certainly has an interesting version of events bouncing around in his head. Neither Ed nor I missed the way he immediately dismissed his son when he realized the manipulation was failing, either. I want to explain each and every detail to him, but when someone is so convinced of so many silly things, there is little you can do to convince them anything else is the truth. So I focus on the one idea that seems to most support the others. "You think this is about you? Seriously? You think I have been scouring the country for you? Looking for my revenge? I guess I did say I'd kill you after you tried to hurt Mom. But seriously?" I can't help but laugh.

"Dad. Richard. Dick. You didn't have to hide from me. You didn't have to look over your shoulder and hide your face. You didn't have to do anything at all. You are a man remembered only by your petty cruelties. I don't know how to tell you this, but there are far greater cruelties in this world. I wasn't looking for you. I forgot about you. You've been playing chess against yourself. Looking for enemies in every dark corner when you should have been looking for someone to give a single shit," I correct.

He looks like I slapped him across the face, and his face is overtaken by red. "Then what are you doing here? As usual, your words and actions aren't lining up. These greater cruelties of yours are waiting to be fought. But here you are, slinging mud at your father. Explain that," he sneers. I look at Ed but he has nothing to say. He's already said all he can.

"Same thing Ed was doing telling you about this visit in the first place. Same reason he told you about the riot spikes, my allies, and Ember's people. I know he's not the only spy anyone got through. But I needed him to be the most reliable. The closest to me. He told you anything a lot of people would know. And most importantly, he told you I was coming here today. For your master's sake. To ensure they would be here to kill me. And now that you have helped with that, you are going to help bring them outside the city, where I can fight them without anyone else getting hurt," I explain. Ed is staring at me in confusion, while Richard glares at me.

"And why would I do that?" Richard challenges.

"Because you are a coward," I answer offhandedly as I look toward Ed who is still confused about something. I send sparks of electricity across my arm to emphasize the threat. "Remember the years looking over your shoulder while no one was chasing you?" He practically snarls at that, but I already have force mana covering the exits. "What's wrong Ed?" I ask. I mean, I know he just turned on his father, who he admired his whole life. But confusion isn't the emotion I would expect. At least, not this type of confusion.

"Nothing I just, I never told them about Ember's culture. I figured anyone who told them about her wouldn't know that much. Thought it was odd that you listed it, that's all," he replies. Well, that makes sense I suppose. He's right, he was only supposed to share the minimum, and it's not like Ember was running around posting a history of her country and military. But... Didn't Leo overhear a call somehow right after I met Ember? If that wasn't Ed then...

Before I can follow that thought to its conclusion, two things happen. My whisper sphere goes off, and an oppressive mana collapses on us, forcing all three of us to the ground.