Lilinoe looked up at them with a sickly smile.

Talia frowned when she looked at the imprisoned girl.

Her facial traits were somewhat familiar.

The mana-draining cuffs on her wrists glowed faintly.

“Well,” Lilinoe said, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. “This should be interesting.”

Talia pictured the girl in front of her piercing Takai's abdomen and felt like slapping her pearly teeth out of her mouth.

“We have questions,” Talia began. “And you're going to answer them.”

Lilinoe's smirk widened into a cold smile.

“And why would I do that?”

Nami stepped forward, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Because if you don't, your stay here will become far less comfortable.”

Lilo nodded in agreement.

“We have ways of making you talk—”

But, surprising both noble girls, Talia simply took the glaive off her back and placed the blade under Lilinoe’s neck.

“Talia, what are you—”

“Who are you?” Talia asked coldly.

“Wow, you can bluff—”

Talia pressed the blade to Lilinoe’s neck, drawing blood off the superficial layers of skin.

“I can’t wield this glaive well,” Talia said. “Can you see my arms trembling? It could slip at any moment.”

Lilinoe looked at Lilo and Nami, the two noble girls, and frowned as blood dripped on her collarbone.

“You actually want to kill me,” Lilinoe said with a surprised tone.

“You almost killed my best friend,” Talia said. “I would take your life in an instant if I was allowed to.”

“I’ll talk. Put your weapon back.”

Talia waited a few tense seconds before slamming the staff of her glaive into the ground.

Lilinoe's eyes darted between the three of them, her expression unreadable.

After a moment, she shrugged. Her bound hands made the movement awkward.

“Ask your questions then.”

“You said your name was Lilinoe, right?” Talia asked.

“Yes, milady.”

Talia didn’t break her composure in response to the taunting.

“Why did you attack Takai?”

“I had to make sure my brother wasn’t a useless tool,” Lilinoe replied with a wide smile.

That made Talia frown.

“Your brother?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Lilinoe smirked. “Of course, of course. I am the Sword Demon’s daughter. His only capable child.”

She’s a cultist, Talia realized. Takai’s father is a cultist.

“Why are you here?” Talia pressed her.

“What do you mean?”

“Did I stutter?” Talia said, her shining blue eyes locked on Lilinoe's green ones. “Why are you here in Placid City? Dodge the answer again, and I’m cutting one of your fingers.”

Lilinoe raised an eyebrow.

“Isn't it obvious? I'm here for the same reason you are - training.”

“Liar,” Lilo spat, taking a menacing step forward. “You're no student. You came and attacked Takai without being provoked.”

Lilinoe's smile didn't waver.

“Ah, yes. Well, the motive was to weed out the weak branches of our family tree, you know?” The girl smirked. “How is he, by the way? He was so shaken when he came to talk to me.”

Takai spoke to her. Talia thought. Why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he tell me that this crazy girl is his sister?

Talia felt a surge of anger at Lilinoe's casual tone.

She clenched her fists, forcing herself to remain calm.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Takai is fine. But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you really here?”

Lilinoe leaned back against the wall, her chains rattling softly, fixating her eyes on Lilo.

“I told you, I'm here to train. Just not in the way you Water Riders do. My training is slightly different.”

“Different how?” Nami pressed, her voice sharp.

“Your father, the Sword Demon.”

“Yes, and do you know how he got the title?”

Talia turned to Nami.

“The Sword Demon killed the strongest swordsman of his generation, Afu Pele, the Chosen from the Pele Family.”

Pele Family? From the North Deep?

It was currently the second strongest family in the North Deep, even above Professor Iakopo's Kane Family.

Talia turned back toward Lilinoe.

“If you removed these,” the girl said, raising her cuffed wrists, “maybe we could do something similar, you and I.”

Talia realized that Lilinoe wasn’t looking at her.

She was looking at her left.

At Lilo.

Lilo is a future swordmaster of her generation, Talia realized.

A Chosen.

Takai’s sister wants to get her own title by killing Lilo.

Nami, who had reached the same conclusion, moved a step forward.

“He's here too, isn't he?” Talia asked.

For the first time, Lilinoe's composure slipped slightly.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she schooled her features back into a neutral expression.

“What makes you think that?”

“It's the only thing that makes sense,” Talia said, gaining confidence. “You wouldn't be here alone. Not for something this important.”

Lilinoe remained silent, her eyes never leaving Talia's face.

Lilo stepped closer to the cot, her voice low and threatening.

“Answer the question. Is the Sword Demon here in Placid City?”

Lilinoe's lips curved into a mocking smile.

“Oh, you poor, naive little Water Riders. You have no idea what's really going on here, do you?”

“Then enlighten us,” Nami said, her tone icy.

Lilinoe's gaze swept over the three of them, assessing. After a moment, she spoke, her voice taking on a sing-song quality.

“In the depths of Placid, where shadows grow deep, ancient powers stir from their sleep. A well of darkness, hidden from sight, soon to unleash its terrible might.”

Talia frowned, trying to decipher Lilinoe's cryptic words.

“What are you blabbering about? What well?”

Lilinoe's smile widened, showing teeth, but didn’t provide any explanation.

Nami and Lilo exchanged confused glances, but Talia felt a chill run down her spine.

She remembered the vision she had seen in the Darkstorm Sphere, in which her mother mentioned a Dark Water Well in Placid City.

“Are you talking about the Dark Water Well?”

Lilinoe raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

“How do you know about that? And what is it?” Talia demanded.

Lilinoe leaned forward, her chains rattling.

“Oh, I know many things, Talia Solara. Things that would make your blood run cold. The question is, how much do you really want to know?”

Before Talia could respond, Nami stepped between them, her expression hard.

“Enough games.”

But Talia, feeling that this was somehow connected to her mother, roughly shoved Nami aside and kneeled in front of Lilinoe.

The girl, who was clearly enjoying herself, was about to make a witty remark when Talia clenched a fist and punched her nose.

Not once, not twice, but thrice.

Lilinoe fell to the ground, coughing and groaning in pain, her nose now bleeding profusely.

Nami and Lilo looked at each other but let Talia do her thing.

“Why are they interested in this Dark Water Well?”

No response came from Lilinoe, who just slowly sat up again, now looking at Talia with genuine anger.

“Why are Cultists interested in the Dark Water Well?”

This time, Lilinoe's eyes widened in mock surprise.

“Cultists? Who said anything about Cultists?”

“Don't play dumb,” Lilo snapped. “We know they're involved. The summoning circles on the beach and the increased monster activity all point to Cultist interference. You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

Lilinoe threw her head back and laughed, echoing off the stone walls.

“Oh, this is too rich. You think you've got it all figured out, don't you? But you're looking in all the wrong places.”

Talia felt a growing sense of unease.

“What do you mean?”

Lilinoe's laughter subsided, but her eyes still danced with cruel amusement.

“Tell me, Talia, have you ever wondered why Professor Iakopo brought you all to Placid City? Why is he so invested in this little backwater town?”

Talia's heart skipped a beat. She thought of the red powder she had found in Iakopo's office, of Lana's tearful accusations.

“Why?”

Lilinoe leaned in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“Maybe the Cultists aren't the ones with secrets in this city. Maybe the real danger is closer than you think.”

Nami stepped forward and grabbed Lilinoe by the collar of her bloodied shirt, yanking her forward.

“Stop speaking in riddles. Tell us what you know, or I'll-”

“You'll what?” Lilinoe challenged, seemingly unfazed by Nami's rough handling. “Kill me? Go ahead. It won't change the truth.”

Lilo touched her sister's shoulder, gently pulling her back.

She's trying to confuse us, Talia realized.

Suddenly, she got a massive hunch about what was going on.

It can’t be Professor Iakopo. Can it?

Talia stood there, her mind whirling.

“One last question,” Talia said, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her mind. “What's going to happen in Placid City? What are you - or the Cultists, or whoever's really behind this - planning?”

Lilinoe's smile faded, replaced by a look of grim satisfaction.

“What happened twenty years ago will happen again. Only this time, there won't be anyone left to stop it. Darkness will be tamed once again.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as the weight of Lilinoe's words sank in.

Talia felt a cold dread settling in the pit of her stomach.

Nami was the first to break the silence. “We're done here. Let's go. This is just messing with our heads.”

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Placid City, Keanu followed Professor Iakopo through the streets of the ruined town.

The man had left the dormitory in a hurry, and Keanu's curiosity had gotten the better of him.

The buildings here were in even worse condition than the rest of the city.

Many were little more than hollow walls.

Keanu moved carefully, keeping to the shadows and staying out of Iakopo's line of sight.

He wasn't sure why he was following the professor, but something in the man's demeanor had set off alarm bells in Keanu's mind.

Suddenly, Iakopo stopped in what might have once been a town square.

The remains of a fountain stood at its center, dry and cracked.

The professor stood there for a long moment, his back to Keanu, his shoulders tense.

Then, without warning, Iakopo let out a roar of frustration that made Keanu jump.

“I should have killed her when I had the chance!”

Keanu's blood ran cold.

Who was Iakopo talking about?

And why did he sound so... unhinged?

The professor began to pace, his movements agitated.

“All of this... all of it could have been prevented if I'd just...”

He trailed off, his voice dropping too low for Keanu to hear.

But the young student had heard enough.

His mind immediately went to Talia, to the obvious tension between her and Iakopo.

Could the professor be talking about her?

As quietly as he could, Keanu began to back away before the man could notice his presence.

Luminescent Water could erase his presence, but Professor Iakopo was too high-leveled not to notice him if Keanu lingered any longer.

He needed to find Talia, to warn her.

Whatever was going on, it was clear that Professor Iakopo was involved.