Riala had been three years old when their mother had gone to face the Kraken and had never returned since.

Riala had notes that their mother had left them regarding Skills and Classes—mostly general principles of fighting, nothing extremely specific.

Yalena had been so consumed with killing the Kraken that they hadn’t accumulated much knowledge of the rest.

One of the things that her mother had stressed, something that went against the grain of what was commonly taught, was that over-specialization was crippling, especially at lower levels.

Their mother's theory was that the most important thing for an aspiring Water Rider in their early levels was survivability, not to blast the monsters in the most spectacular way ever.

Yalena had also written that unlocking all the Talent Trees as soon as possible gave one the opportunity to change the path if they deemed it a good option.

Yalena had started as a physical fighter when she had entered the Academy, only later turning into a full-blown caster—which was the path that Talia’s sister, Riala, was currently going down.

So, with that kind of advice in mind, she made a quick decision.

She would spend one Talent Point on each of the three remaining trees: Bloodborne Warrior, Carmine Thunder, and Sanguine Guardian.

Without allowing herself time to second-guess or pore over the individual paths, she swiftly allocated the points.

A warm sensation spread through her body as the new Skills settled into place.

Talia closed her eyes, allowing her mind to absorb the information flooding in.

When she opened her eyes again, she focused on examining each new Skill one by one.

[You unlocked the Bloodborne Warrior Talent Tree.]

[New Auxiliary Skill obtained!]

[Bloodbath]

[You unlocked the Carmine Thunder Talent Tree.]

[New Auxiliary Skill obtained!]

[Bloody Tracks]

[You unlocked the Carmine Thunder Talent Tree.]

[New Auxiliary Skill obtained!]

[Blood Fortress]

All three descriptions slowly flowed into her mind, and Talia winced.

“Oh, that’s not good,” she cursed to herself.

Somewhat surprisingly, all three Skills had essentially the same effect but on different Attributes.

[Bloodbath] temporarily increased her Strength based on how much damage she had dealt to monsters.

[Bloody Tracks] and [Blood Fortress] did the same but for Agility and Constitution.

Talia winced.

“This…”

This hadn’t been a great move.

Talia could probably inflict damage to the Slashing Cruster Boss with Mana Crystallization, but she would have gladly taken a more powerful Skill than the ones she had received to help her out with it.

Ok, I’ve got an idea to make this work, she thought. But first, I need to talk to the others.

* * *

Talia entered Takai’s room.

She was hesitant as she approached her friend.

Takai sat on the bed, staring out of the window with a gloomy look in his eyes.

He barely turned as she entered, offering a weak smile.

“Hey,” Talia said softly. “How are you doing?”

Takai shrugged. “I’m ok.”

Talia could see the lie in his slumped shoulders and the dark circles under his eyes.

She sat down beside him, her voice filled with regret.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. Things have been crazy, but that’s no excuse. I should have checked on you sooner—I know that Lilinoe is your sister.”

“It’s fine,” Takai mumbled, barely registering those words, but Talia could hear the hurt in his voice.

She took a deep breath.

“Takai, I... I hate to ask this of you right now, but I need your help.”

Takai looked up, his expression a mix of surprise and resignation.

“My help?”

“Yes. I need you to put aside whatever it is that you are feeling and help me out.”

“I don’t know what I can do. I’m not... I’m not strong like you or the others.”

Talia’s heart clenched at his words. She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“That’s not true. You’re not weak, idiot. You’ve got your father’s Skill and talent.”

“But my sister—”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Your sister doesn’t matter,” Talia said. “You’re strong enough for this.”

Takai didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t pull away.

Talia continued.

“I need you to go with Keanu. There’s something important that needs to be done, and I trust you two to handle it.”

“What is it?” Takai asked, a flicker of curiosity breaking through his melancholy.

Talia hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

“It’s crucial for uncovering the truth about what’s happening in Placid City. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I just need you to trust me on this one. Please, just say yes.”

Takai was quiet for a moment, considering her words.

Finally, he looked up, meeting Talia’s gaze.

There was a determination in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in days.

“Ok,” he said. “I’ll do it. Just tell me what you need.”

Talia felt a wave of relief wash over her. She squeezed Takai’s shoulder, grateful for his trust and willingness to help despite his own struggles.

“Thank you. I promise I’ll explain all the details after. For now, I need you and Keanu to steal the key to Professor Iakopo’s cuffs and go free him. I know that Mayor Boro has a copy. So…”

* * *

Talia hesitated outside Fiora’s room, her hand about to knock.

The sound of frustrated groans and muttered curses filtered through the door.

Talia frowned, wondering what could be going on in there.

Taking a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles against the wood.

There was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of shuffling feet.

The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Fiora.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her usually neat blonde hair was a tangled mess.

“Talia,” Fiora said, her voice flat. “What do you want?”

“I... Is everything ok?” Talia asked, taken aback by Fiora’s appearance.

Fiora let out a harsh laugh.

“Oh, sure! Everything’s ok! Everything’s always damn ok!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like I’m failing at everything!”

Talia blinked, surprised by the outburst.

“What are you talking about?”

Fiora’s shoulders slumped. For a moment, it seemed like she might slam the door in Talia’s face.

Instead, she stepped back, gesturing for Talia to enter.

“It’s this stupid Speed Glyph,” Fiora muttered, almost forgetting her recent animosity towards Talia in her frustration. She waved her hand, and a complex pattern of Mana appeared in the air. “I’m supposed to learn this to enhance my casting speed, but I just can’t get it to damn work.”

Talia activated her [Eyes of the Abyss], studying the Mana structure of the Glyph that levitated in the middle of the room.

The intricate patterns swirled and pulsed, revealing their purpose to her enhanced perception.

“Maybe I can help,” Talia offered cautiously.

Fiora turned to her, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Of course you can,” she said bitterly. “You always have the answers, don’t you? Even though I was the one who actually passed the Academy’s test, I’m the one who gets treated like dirt. And you... you can feel like a monster all you want, but you... You know what? Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”

The blonde waved her away, but she could clearly see the hurt in her eyes.

Talia felt a pang in her chest at Fiora’s words.

Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde girl.

Fiora stiffened for a moment before softening into the embrace, her body shaking.

“I hate you,” Fiora mumbled into Talia’s shoulder, even as she clung tighter. “I hate how easy everything is for you.”

It hasn’t always been, Talia thought, but she avoided pointing it out to Fiora.

She could understand the girl’s pain very well and she chose to just let her friend feel what she was feeling and not disprove it.

They stood like that for a while, Talia rubbing soothing circles on Fiora’s back as the blonde’s tears gradually subsided.

Finally, Fiora pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Show me what you’ve been doing,” Talia said gently.

Fiora nodded, taking a deep breath to compose herself.

She summoned a globe of Sunwater, then attempted to superimpose the Speed Glyph onto it.

Talia watched through [Eyes of the Abyss], noticing how the Mana reacted poorly as the Sunwater orb had already solidified its structure.

“I think I see the problem,” Talia said. “You’ve already mastered the structure of the Glyph, but you’re trying to apply it after forming the Sunwater. Try summoning the orb through the Speed Glyph instead.”

Fiora frowned but nodded.

She dispelled the current orb and focused, visualizing the Glyph as she called forth her Sunwater.

This time, the orb that formed hummed with power, visibly vibrating with enhanced energy.

Fiora’s eyes widened in disbelief. “It... it worked,” she breathed.

[Solar Glyph Mastery has reached Level 5!]

[You learn Solar Glyph - Speed]

[Solar Glyph - Speed has reached Level 1!]

“That’s amazing, Fiora!” Talia exclaimed, genuinely happy for her friend’s success.

Fiora stared at the pulsing orb of Sunwater, a mix of emotions playing across her face.

Finally, she turned to Talia.

“Thank you,” she said quietly with contrasting emotions.

Talia smiled, then took a deep breath.

“Listen, Fiora... in exchange for this, I need your help with something. Something that might get us both killed.”

Fiora snorted.

“As usual,” she said, but there was no real bitterness in her tone.

“We’ll need Lilo and Nami, too,” Talia continued. “If we’re going to survive what’s about to happen in Placid City, we all need to work together.”

Fiora studied Talia for a long moment, then nodded.

“Alright,” she said. “I’m in. What’s the plan?”

“Let’s go get Nami and Fiora first. Without them, it’d be impossible to succeed.”

* * *

Mira strode toward the older Moana sister, who currently lounged with the Retinue of their Chosen in the common hall.

The younger Moana sister looked up as Mira approached.

Nami had an instinctual dislike for the girl.

If it had been up to her, she would have thrown her out in a second.

Professor Iakopo might have been guilty, but he was part of the Kane Family.

The minimum Mira should have done was to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

“Nami,” Mira began, her voice carrying a newfound, crisp authority, “I need you to take charge of the students for the upcoming expedition into the Placid Cave. You’ll be leading them.”

“Excuse me?” Nami frowned. “I have other duties.”

“I understand your dedication to your sister, Nami, but circumstances have changed. Lilo has been summoned to the Mayor’s office by the investigators.”

“What?” Nami exclaimed, her composure slipping for a moment. “Why would they need Lilo for that?”

Mira sighed, running a hand through her hair in a rare display of frustration.

“As the Chosen of the Moana Family, she’s required to bear witness to Professor Iakopo’s preliminary sentencing. It’s a formality but an important one. The presence of a Chosen adds weight to the proceedings.”

“So, have they found more proof?”

“As I mentioned already,” Mira said with an annoyed tone. “They quickly scouted the Placid Cave to make sure it would be safe for us, finding some half-evolved Torpedo Snappers in the main nest at the end. They killed those and saw that they were too strong to be normal ones, considering the last complete clearing had been done only two years ago. They think Professor Iakopo might have also been behind the Catastrophe of twenty years ago himself. You know it involved evolved Torpedo Snappers and Drakes, right?”

Nami’s frown deepened.

“So…” she muttered, more to herself than to Mira.

“So, Professor Iakopo might have been planning to get more Drakes and start another catastrophe in a few years. Maybe those he killed had found out.”

Mira’s patience was clearly wearing thin.

She crossed her arms, her voice taking on a sharper edge.

“Those are the orders, Nami. I don’t have time to debate their merits with you. Your sister will be with the investigators. You think she won’t be safe with them?”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was likely only a few seconds, Nami nodded reluctantly.

“Alright,” she said, her voice heavy with resignation.

“Noted,” Mira said curtly, already turning to leave. “Alert the students. We will leave soon.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in a basement different from Professor Iakopo’s, close to the Mayor’s office, a very different scene unfolded.

Apikalia moved silently through the shadows, her footsteps barely disturbing the thick layer of dust that coated the floor.

In her hand, she clutched a small, ornate key—a gift from Mayor Boro.

There was no guard since the schedule had accidentally been altered.

With a glance over her shoulder to ensure she wasn’t being followed, Apikalia inserted the key into the lock.

It turned with a satisfying click, and the door swung open.

Lilinoe sat in the center of the small cell, her wrists bound by mana-draining cuffs.

Despite her captivity, there was a fierce light in her eyes.

“Took you long enough,” Lilinoe growled.

Apikalia smirked as she knelt beside her companion, deftly unlocking the restraints.

“Good things come to those who wait, my dear. And believe me, the wait will be worth it.”

As the cuffs fell away, Lilinoe flexed her wrists.

“Finally,” Lilinoe breathed, her voice thick with anticipation. She stood, stretching like a cat waking from a long nap.

She massaged her wrists with a malicious smile on her face.

“Now I can go earn my own Cursed Sword.”