After a few minutes, Anna and Leo traversed a hall of musty walls bearing evident signs of destruction, as if the echoes of several explosions still lingered. Their progression came to an abrupt halt upon the discovery of the lifeless body of an elderly dark-skinned woman.

“Isn’t that one of the Janas from before?” Anna asked, her eyes narrowing at the grim sight. However, she couldn’t stand the gruesome sight. She started gasping for air.

“Are you OK?” Leo asked.

The sight sent shivers down her spine. Her breath caught in her throat as the reality of death unfolded before her eyes. The world seemed to slow down as her mind grappled with the enormity of death. She took a step back; Leo grabbed her by the arm before she tumbled down.

A gasp escaped her lips, and her hands instinctively covered her mouth as if to stifle the scream that threatened to escape. The air around her grew heavy with the weight of the moment, and the unsettling silence settled in. Anna's wide eyes reflected a mix of horror and disbelief.

“Hey, are you alright?” Leo grabbed her by both shoulders, helping her stay on her feet.

“I just never seen something like this before.”

“Breath slowly,” Leo looked at her in the eyes. She nodded.

Breathing slowly, Anna regained her composure. She stopped panting; however, she couldn’t stare at the body without feeling uneasy.

“Isn’t that one of the Janas from before?” Anna asked once again.

"I guess so," Leo responded, approaching the fallen figure and noting a disturbing detail. "She's missing an eye!"

A shiver ran down Anna's spine, but she remained calm. "Who could've done this?"

Leo stayed silent, his only action closing the dead woman’s eyelids in a somber gesture.

“Look at this,” Anna said, her gaze directed at words etched in blood on the floor a few steps away from the corpse.

“They seem to have been written by this Jana before she died,” Anna said, her tone hushed.

“Angra, Visconti, Joanne,” Anna read aloud the three names. “Who are these people?”

Leo, ever practical, transcribed the names onto a small agenda, he needed to leave a tangible record of the unsettling discovery.

“We can’t stay here much longer,” Leo urged, sensing the weight of the situation. Anna blinked, momentarily lost in thought as she processed the brutality surrounding them. She gave a last stare at the body and continued after Leo.

Pressing forward, they navigated through deserted hallways, each step echoing the haunting emptiness of the once-vibrant palace. A sense of foreboding lingered in the air, magnified by Anna’s growing unease.

“Hold on,” she whispered, a sudden awareness gripping her. “Someone’s near.”

Intrigued, Anna entered one of the dilapidated rooms in the huge hallway they were crossing, and stumbled upon a courtroom, a stark contrast to the grandeur it once possessed. Greco-Roman columns stood enveloped in weeds, the once-white ceramic floor now obscured by dirt and earth, cracked by the insistent invasion of tree roots.

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The spectators’ benches lay in ruins, and a hole in the roof allowed cold snow to drift inside. Yet, amidst the desolation, Anna spotted movement within the jury box. Two girls curled up in fear.

Drawing her sword, Anna was ready to confront the unknown threat, but Leo intervened, his calm demeanor prevailing. The girls cowered at the corner of the jury box, the older one watching Anna with a mixture of terror and desperation.

Approaching cautiously, Leo aimed his revolver, a precaution that spoke of the dangers they faced.

“Please, don’t hurt us!” The older girl, an albino with long hair, pleaded for mercy while shielding the younger girl.

“What happened here?” Anna asked with her sword still at the ready. “Why are you hiding?”

“Are you working with Joanne to kill us?” the albino accused, eyes wide with suspicion.

“Joanne?” Leo asked, lowering his weapon. “I don’t know any Joanne.”

“She killed Lady Du Bellay, Lady Sains, and Lady DeVries. And... is coming for us,” the albino stammered, her voice trembling.

Anna turned his stare toward Leo. “I guess we now know what happened,” he murmured.

“Who are you?” Anna asked in a demanding tone.

“Although we joined Habondia, I never expected this kind of thing to happen,” the youngest girl interrupted, her demeanor strangely calm, as if unfazed by the dire circumstances. The albino, however, clung to her, seeking comfort in the face of uncertainty.

“We’re just unimportant apprentices,” the albino sobbed. “We might simply be disposable fools.”

Anna sheathed her sword, the tension in the room easing. Extending her hand to the albino, who still appeared apprehensive, Anna felt a moment of resistance before the girl accepted the help and rose to her feet.

Stopping to face the youngest girl, Anna couldn't resist a playful gesture. She panted the girl’s head before extending her hand to help her.

“We're not here to hurt anyone, we just want to get Alice back,” Leo's question hung in the air. “By the way, why did you kidnap her?”

“I'm not sure really,” the albino sighed, shaking her head. “We are just recruits; we don’t know much about the top brass planning.”

Anna pressed for more information. “Who are you then?”

“I’m Margarita,” the albino responded. “She’s Maria,” the young girl waved her hand at Leo.

Hectic steps interrupted the conversation. In a fluid motion, Anna drew her sword, and Leo, ever vigilant, pointed his gun at the source. Margarita and Maria sought refuge inside the jury box, their instincts kicking in.

Damon entered the scene, flanked by two kids. Leo, reacting to the sudden appearance, pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted into the ceiling. Although he followed the bullet with his stare, he didn’t voice any complaints.

“Anna!” Damon's enthusiasm was tangible, seemingly oblivious to Leo’s near miss. “Where’s the pit you fell into?”

“Hmm,” Anna pondered. “I don’t really know how to get there.”

“Take the ring Völundr gave you and picture the pit in your head. Then kiss the ring to share your thoughts,” Bietka, the girl accompanying Damon, interrupted.

“Share it how?”

“With Naga. Just say his name.”

Anna frowned but ended up complying with the instructions, pressing her lips to the intricately carved white fox on the ring. At that moment, a flood of memories surged into her mind—snippets of the fight against Alice, the escape with Aria. The details became clearer, filling in the gaps in her recollection. Then he whispered the recipient’s name.

“Leo, Anna,” Damon asked. “Who are these two girls?”

“Please, we need help or we’ll get killed,” Margarita pleaded.

“I recognize you,” Damon frowned.

“They are just apprentices. There seems to be another Jana of the group that kidnapped Alice that wants to hurt these two,” Anna explained.

“Why did you kidnap Alice?” Damon scowled.

“I’m sorry,” Margarita pleaded. “We’re just apprentices following orders.”

Damon sighed. “Do you know anything about the flying core?”

“Flying core?” Margarita tilted her head. “I apologize.”

“And you?” Damon pointed at Maria, but she shook her head.

“What will you do?” Damon rubbed his forehead.

“We want to help them,” Leo said.

“Do as you wish,” Damon sighed. “I’ll keep searching for Alice with the kids.”

And with that, Damon and the two kids left, the urgency of his mission propelling him forward. Anna and Leo remained, now in the company of Margarita and Maria.