A full moon hung high in the sky as our carriage raced south on the road leading into the capital city. There was a ghostly glow cast upon the flat land, making the whisps of tall grass and the city walls look an eerie white. A pair of flickering fires by the gates were the only specs suggesting we were not alone in this vast space.

I gazed out of the window, my mind awash with thoughts of everyone's well-being and the desert that we had left behind.

"Traveling documents," one of the guards outside asked as we stopped at the grand gates into Genise.

Another walked around the carriage. "Clear!" a woman's voice sounded.

"Go on ahead," the guard told our driver, and the carriage rolled inside.

It was a relief to be back in Genise, within the familiar confines of our home city. A warm glow surrounded us as our carriage rolled inside.

Festival decorations still hung between the buildings and the streets were lit up with festive light stones. A handful of people were still moving about on the main street that separated East and West Genise, but it appeared they were the cleanup crew. Whatever festivities were continuing, they were taking place inside, behind closed doors.

Leo and Elda were fast asleep on either side of me. It was well past the children's bedtime, and they must have been exhausted after today's adventures. The Desolate Expanse Desert was about four hours out of Genise. Not to mention, we had to make our way back to the village to collect our horses and stop for supper at one point.

Our carriage continued its journey, the sound of hooves and creaking wood accompanying my silent thoughts. When we neared the city's center, Julius jumped out to return to the palace.

As the carriage entered the Frey Manor's courtyard, Remlend emerged to greet us. He approached the carriage and ushered two more aids to attend to the children. Elda and Leo were carried inside the manor, both still peacefully fast asleep, only stirring when picked up.

"BLEGHHH!"

In stark contrast, Henry stumbled off his horse, collapsing to his knees, and retched violently onto the cobblestone path. The sound of him emptying the remnants of his dinner rang in the otherwise serene and silent night. The desert had taken its toll on him, and he was not the only one suffering. The other guards looked worse for wear as well.

"Remlend, please fetch healing potions for everyone," I ordered.

"Right away, young master Luca. What strength should I fetch?" Remlend inquired. "Or is there a particular antidote needed?"

I bit my lip, pondering what would help alleviate everyone's symptoms.

"Medium strength," I finally stated, my decision weighed down by uncertainty.

I didn't know what sort of poison it was that we were all hit with. But I knew the blue notification classified it as medium.

Hopefully, a general healing potion will, at the very least, help relieve some of the symptoms, if not provide complete relief.

The trouble was the other part of the notifications: permanent reductions to HP.

The guards that traveled with me and I moved inside the manor, clamoring within the large entryway. Crates filled with an assortment of healing potions materialized, carried by diligent servants. The guards wasted no time in uncorking their vials and downing the elixirs.

I held my own glass vial of blue liquid up to the light and downed the syrupy potion.

Notification messages flashed before my eyes. I was relieved to see that the errors that the System had alluded to did not seem to be affecting these.

[ You have consumed a Medium health potion. ]

[ Your HP has gone up: +50 ]

[ Max HP reached: 247/247 HP remaining. ]

Despite the immediate relief that surged through my body, I wasn't entirely pleased.

I frowned at the lowered total number. It was over 50 points lower than what I had started the day with.

However, then another notification appeared, one that was far less comforting.

[ Poison unable to be nullified. The quality of the health potion is not high enough. ]

[ You are still poisoned. Your health is permanently dropping at 1 point per day. 246/246 HP remaining. ]

Damn it.

"Ahhhh, I feel so much better."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"I finally feel alive—I think some proper sleep will do the rest of the trick."

"Yes, a good night's rest is best."

The guards, believing themselves to be fully restored, exchanged words of gratitude and relief. Their spirits seemed lifted, but my gaze lingered on the slowly dwindling number representing my life force.

At this rate, we are all going to die within less than a year. And be incapacitated well before that.

I was going to have to find a permanent cure for this. And soon.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

"You're back," Micah looked up at Henry from his desk.

The curly-haired guard was dust-covered and disheveled and wore an expression of unmistakable suffering.

Henry uncorked a blue healing potion and downed the elixer, immediately looking better for wear.

But not entirely back to his usual self.

"What happened?" Micah inquired. He clasped his hands together and gazed earnestly at Henry.

He knew that Luca, Elda, and the Leo boy had gone off into the desert. He didn't think much of it, given how Elda constantly tested her inventions in the Desolate Expanse Desert. The only curious point was that Luca requested Evelyn for Julius to be dispatched for the trip.

"The children were testing a new explosion. They called it the Wobbly Pebble," Henry explained.

"Wobby Pebble?" Micah raised a bemused eyebrow.

"I know how silly it sounds, but when it was cut open, the explosion was bigger than anything I'd ever seen," Henry explained. "The light alone rivaled that of the sun. We were 1848 skulls away, and the effects still hit us."

Micah's eyes widened as he took in the magnitude of the explosion.

"Is everyone alright?" Micah asked.

"Yes," Henry replied.

"And… how did Elda get a hold of this… Wobbly Pebble?" Micah inquired.

However, he already had his suspicions, which Henry only confirmed.

"Luca."

Micah nodded his head. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, and his eyes moved through the documents on his table: orders for Elda's fireworks. Countries and organizations across the continent pledged loyalty or funding in return for gaining these fireworks.

But this Wobbly Pebble might blow the Scented Fireworks out of the water.

"There's more," Henry added.

Micah returned his attention to the guard.

"It's about the bird that Luca keeps on him," Henry said.

"What of it?" Micah frowned.

"I don't think it's actually a bird," Henry said. He had a serious expression on his face.

"What is it then?" Micah asked.

"I've heard rumors of shape-shifting imps that can take the form of ordinary animals. That bird might be one of them," Henry said.

Micah raised an eyebrow, his skepticism evident. He knew the bird wasn't ordinary, but he knew it was no imp. Imps could only ever be found on the second continent in the high mountain range of the Yenian Alps.

"It ate me and everyone else whole on Luca's order," Henry explained. "Then, it spit us out in a different location."

Micah relaxed upon hearing this and leaned back in his armchair.

"If it was on Luca's orders, it's not an issue." Micah waved his hand.

He had his own concerns about Leona following his brother about, but they had diminished over the past couple of days as it did not appear that she had any ill intentions toward Luca.

And if she is proving useful to Luca, all the better.

"Anything else?" Micah asked, mainly intending the conversation regarding Leona to end.

However, Henry nodded, his tone growing more serious. "We were followed."

Micah leaned in, his attention firmly on Henry.

"Elda conducted a perimeter check, and there were about a dozen Spiders who had followed us inside the Desolate Expanse Desert," Henry continued. "They were well armed."

"Were they taken care of?" Micah inquired.

"They were—they were within close range of where the explosion took place," Henry said. "From what I gathered, they should have all perished in that."

Micah nodded in acknowledgment. This was the first piece of news that was truly concerning. The Spiders' unexpected presence raised questions and concerns about the organization's motives.

Why were they following my siblings? Was it for Elda? Leo? Or… Luca?

"Thank you, Henry," he said. "I'll look into the matter."

With a respectful bow, Henry took his leave, and Micah wasted no time. He retrieved from his pocket his looking glass, clicking it open to establish a connection.

"Yes, master?" Seymour's raspy voice sounded on the other end.

"Regarding the Spiders that you said were monitoring the Frey Manor, have them taken care of," Micah ordered.

Seymour had previously reported the issue, but at the time, Micah had decided it was better to feign ignorance at the indiscretion and carry on while having his own people monitor the situation discreetly. However, now that Luca might have been involved, the stakes had suddenly shifted.

"Yes, master," Seymour replied on the other end.

"And send Claude a fruit basket, will you?" Micah added.

"Are you sure that is that wise, master?" Seymour inquired.

Micah stood up and gazed through the window at the full moon outside.

"Yes," he replied confidently. "If he plans on baring his fangs and testing my patience, two can play this game."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

"It arrived sometime in the night," Belestris explained.

In her hands she held a woven basket adorned with a bright red ribbon on the outside. It was a stark contrast to the gruesome contents it held. Inside, on small wooden sticks were embedded an array of fingers, toes, and eyes. There were even a couple of tongues.

"Did you count them?" Claude asked.

He leaned in and inspected the display. His fingers delicately traced the edges of the small wooden sticks, his touch almost clinical as he examined the lifeless remains.

"Yes, all of the people I had dispatched to observe the Frey Manor are accounted for in this display," Belestris confirmed, instantly understanding Claude's inquiry.

He reached for one of the severed fingers, tugging it slightly, causing it to sway gently on its stick.

"Have the tattoos activate for good measure," Claude ordered and stood upright again. "They're all lost causes anyhow, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Of course, consider it done," Belestris said.

"And it would appear I need a new place of residence," Claude said.

To think he knew where I lived all this time.

He turned away from the grim scene, his gaze shifting to the window. The city beyond remained cloaked in the pre-dawn stillness, with the dark sky just barely beginning to lighten on the horizon.

He tossed the golden coin in the air and caught it in his palm.

Tsk. Not that it'll do much good.

The coin had fallen on tails.

The tattoos on Claude's body might have indicated that Micah Frey was of no concern in the future that was to come, but that did not mean that was the case today. And the hereafter could very well change.

"I hope I didn't start something overly troublesome," Claude muttered.

He tossed the coin again, but he did so poorly that his hand missed catching it on its descent. The golden coin dropped to the ground and twirled on its side before lodging itself into a crack in the wall.