"What's so funny?" Aurianna asked, raising an eyebrow while puffing her cheeks in slight annoyance.

"I like your enthusiasm," Zorian replied, his voice carrying a hint of warmth.

"Well, I better sleep. It's late here, so we can talk another time," Zorian said, a yawn slipping into his tone as he stretched.

"Sure, sure. Enjoy your sleep," Aurianna said with a small smirk.

On the other side, Zorian ended the call with a smile before laying down on his bed, tucking himself into the sheets. His mind wandered, unable to settle. He whispered to himself, the words barely audible, "You're alive... I'm so glad you're alive."

Memories flooded back. "I'm telling you, my master is not dead," echoed Yui’s voice in his mind. Zorian remembered the day he had been investigating her mansion, searching for any trace of Aurianna.

"How would you know that?" Zorian had asked, frustrated at the lack of clues.

"This thing in my eye... I can feel her. My master. So it means she’s not dead!" Yui had insisted whiles pointing at the mark in her eye, her voice trembling.

Zorian had scoffed at the time, but now he believed her. He muttered to himself, "Seems that maid was right after all."

______

"Done chatting with your friend?" Avriel asked, lounging lazily on the couch opposite Aurianna, eyes flicking up from the book she was pretending to read.

"Yes," Aurianna replied, her tone detached.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Avriel teased with a sly grin.

"No," Aurianna replied, her voice icy and indifferent.

"Damn, she said it with a cold tone too!" Jugi sighed.

Avriel chuckled. "Don’t worry, she’s still a kid. One day, she’ll get a boy—"

"I'll kill you..." Aurianna shot a glare, her voice cold.

Unfazed, Avriel raised an eyebrow and leaned back. "I’m just sayin’."

Aurianna ignored them both, her thoughts already elsewhere. “Hmm, now that I think about it… since I’ve got my connection back, I need to talk with Ostusi.” She reached into her inventory and pulled out a sucker. The once droopy spider looking device suddenly perked up, glowing faintly with energy.

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Triple-tapping the sucker, a screen projected in front of her, shimmering with a blue color as it connected to the other side.

Meanwhile, in a large room filled with serious faces, a meeting was in progress. Before the discussion could go any further, a loud ringing sound echoed from Ostusi’s pocket. A familiar sucker—Aurianna's first gift to him—crawled out, jumping onto the table with a thud. The group watched in confusion as it projected a screen, revealing none other than Aurianna herself.

"Aurianna?!" gasped Helua, an orc humanoid from the Goblin Express. Her spiky black hair and piercing red eyes widened in surprise.

Zalfar, sitting at the far end of the table, chuckled in relief. He was a Death Folk, his skin black as coal, eyes burning red like embers. His long hair and beard, brushed neatly, shimmered with a crimson hue as he leaned back. "Looks like she’s still kicking."

"Well, this is a surprise," Mike, the incubus, remarked with a smirk, crossing his arms as he glanced at the screen.

"It’s really her," Ostusi muttered, his usually stoic face softening in disbelief.

“To verify it’s me,” Aurianna said, raising her arm. A green snake materialized, coiled tightly around a black pole, its emerald eyes gleaming for just a moment before it vanished.

“She has Vatium’s symbol…” someone gasped, eyes widening in recognition before they all turned toward Vatium, seated at the other end of the table.

"Ostusi are you there old man?!" she called, her voice carrying a teasing edge.

“I’m not an old man!” Ostusi yelled, clearly exasperated. He stood tall, his gray skin accentuating his muscular build. Short, vibrant orange hair framed his distinctive face, two lengthy side bangs falling past his shoulders. His mismatched eyes, one glowing orange and the other a striking blue, illuminated his black sclera as he glared at her through the screen.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever," Aurianna waved him off. "I just called to let you know I’m alive."

"I can see that... and I’m glad," Ostusi said, his voice unsteady, betraying the emotion he tried to suppress.

"Why the hell are you crying?!" Aurianna barked, her irritation clear.

"I knew you weren't dead," Valfar interjected with a relieved smile.

Aurianna narrowed her eyes. "Wait, what’s your name again?"

"Valfar! The Death Folk, remember? How could you forget me so soon!" Valfar exclaimed, feigning offense, his blackened skin and fiery red eyes glowing slightly with an amused chuckle.

"Oh yeah, you," Aurianna replied nonchalantly.

Before Valfar could say more, Ostusi’s tone grew serious. "The people who kidnapped you will pay. Mark my words."

"Oh, you heard about that?" Aurianna arched an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah," Ostusi confirmed.

"Don’t worry about it," Aurianna said coldly. "I’ll kill them all before I come back. I’ll find them... and settle the damn score."

Ostusi’s thoughts echoed one word seeing her expression, ‘Scary.’

“She looks like a goddess,” someone murmured in awe, unable to take their eyes off the screen.

“Don’t be fooled,” Ostusi muttered. “She’s not as she seems.”

“Her lighting is too good," Valfar mused with a grin, trying to ease the atmosphere. "Almost like she’s showing off.”

“Wow, so that’s Vatium’s sister?” someone else whispered, staring at Aurianna before turning to look at Vatium. A handsome young man with brown skin and a pair of mesmerizing emerald eyes. His long green hair reached his back and two dark horns free from his head.

“They look nothing alike,” another added, glancing between Vatium and Aurianna.

Unbothered by the side chatter, Aurianna asked bluntly, "Oh yeah, how’s the organization holding up?"

Ostusi sighed. "So far, no serious casualties, but we’re still in hiding. What’s more, our food rations are depleting quickly, and our finances are in a bad state. Luckily, we have a few plant magic users to help grow crops, but it’s not enough."

Aurianna’s expression turned colder. “What about training?”

“Training for... what exactly?” Ostusi asked, already fearing her answer.

“War, of course,” Aurianna said flatly, her eyes narrowing as her intent became clear.

“Aurianna,” a deep voice called out.

Her head snapped toward the screen. “Oh, it’s you, Vatium!” she beamed.

Vatium, silent until now, locked eyes with his sister through the screen. “I’m glad you’re well,” he said, his voice calm but holding a weight of unspoken relief.

“Yeah, yeah, forget the sentiments. Are you training all the people you’ve saved?” Aurianna cut straight to the point, her tone sharp.

“No," Vatium replied, shaking his head. "We can’t involve normal people in our war.”

“Pathetic,” Aurianna sneered, her eyes narrowing. "This is how more than 200,000 people get slaughtered. I didn’t take my dearest brother to be such a fool this time."

“I have my reasons,” Vatium said evenly. “I won’t make the same foolish mistake as last time. Right now, I’m training a specialized combat group."

“Oh yeah, I think I remember," Aurianna said thoughtfully.

“Master, what are you guys talking about?” Valfar interjected, clearly lost in the tense exchange between the siblings.