A woman held a ladle firmly, slowly stirring the contents of a pot. Its steam rose like a ghostly silhouette.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MxzJnIgkm
It's ready.She assesed the stew beneath her with her sense of smell: a thick mass of purple beans simmering in their own broth. She turned her head, observing two similar pots placed on a wooden counter, one with white rice and the other with a red meat stew respectively, both emitting equally delightful aromas. 176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLt9d6Onhm
Covering her hands with a cloth, she lifted the container by its handles to detach it from the iron burners of her stove and placed it next to the others. The woman wiped a few droplets from her forehead with her cloth before resting her hands on her waist, pleased with the result. She finally completed the most laborious part of the dish she had been preparing all morning.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg3jhIogTa
Glancing at the burners, still glowing red from the residual heat of a source hidden behind the rustic bricks of the stove, she began to plan her next tasks.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtg7OGZ5scK
Now, all that's left is...
KNOCK KNOCK176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02mesenNg5
A couple of small knocks on her home's door distracted her from her chores. Someone opened it, moving with calm steps to stand behind her.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7T6C5UHkYb
"Four Colors." She could hear him saying behind her.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZUVQudMB6
Charlen?By his voice, she didn't need to turn around to realize it was her husband.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKY4GjjcQ2o
"Exquisite, as always." He continued, praising her culinary talent.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCfdbANzic
As she turned, she was met with his understated but warm smile, his most characteristic display of affection.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqhtfmkO6v
"And what about you? Did 'His Majesty' wake up in a good mood today and give you the day off?" she asked somewhat ironically. Although she was happy to have him at home, his unusual presence at this hour intrigued her equally. "I swore you'd arrive much later, given how occupied you've been with the preparations for the Maskirian Week… and what has happened since Ventodi." She moved closer to him, adopting a more serious expression. "Tell me, has more information arrived? Does 'she' know anything more about it?"
She interrupted her words as she noticed how her children, Gabran and Olivrin, appeared and joined their father, followed almost immediately by a couple of companions.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeHjdzDUkf
"Mother. We have visitors." Gabran announced, introducing Luciara and Mavros with noticeable enthusiasm.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIQqCyzAJ3
The young girl's eyes met her aunt's. The gleam of Dana’s emerald irises, as vivid as her mother's, made Luciara quickly avert her gaze with slight embarrassment.
Although she lacked that distinctive trait of her family, the Diklah, she took much less time than her children and husband to identify the young girl as a member of the same clan. With her mouth slightly open, still convincing herself she wasn't dreaming, she moved with slow steps until she stood in front of her niece.
For a few seconds, she silently regarded her like a solemn sculpture.
"Luciara!" Finally, her aunt caught her with a strong, warm hug, the surprise preventing her from returning it. "Heavens! How much you've grown, girl!" she exclaimed, having to raise her hand a bit to her forehead to measure her height. "And how beautiful you've become!"176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdWXDc0kFm
Luciara simply gave her a nervous smile, still struggling to assimilate her jovial character, which remained just as she remembered.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1u8Uh22jn
Of all things, you had to inherit that from 'her' too… Her aunt managed to conceal an inevitable envy, comparing their contrasting figures with a smiling expression as artificial and unsettling as a porcelain doll's.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kq6FlLJjC
Is this woman Luciara's aunt? Lady Menuha's sister?… Mavros wondered for a moment, appreciating her with understandable bewilderment. Her childlike appearance, emphasized by her short stature and slender build, paled in comparison to the majestic and more mature Lady Menuha. However, her delicate features, the ashy blond tone of her hair, and the magnetic emerald eyes she shared with her, immediately dispelled any doubts about their relationship.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1BhDTJONQ
"Ser Marlon." The General's voice brought him back to reality. He touched him gently on the shoulder and nudged him a bit toward his wife. "Allow me to introduce my wife, Lady Dana."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPn6f8c01s
The knight made a slight bow. The petite lady extended her arm, inviting him to a handshake, which he promptly reciprocated.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45gkCyrvWs
"Ser Marlon of Ha, Amberfalls. Pleased to make thy acquaintance."
After sharing his full "name," they separated, but Dana did not take her eyes off him. She appeared as captivated as the rest of her family by the sublime appearance of his armor.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoAGHNyyxd
She raised her eyebrows a bit, noticing subtleties that had escaped the others.
That slight gleam, that shade of gray... It's painted with dinachrome… Although she never specialized in it as much as her sister, she also knew Ramij well, the nefeshic art of touching up and restoring materials, preserved by their clan for generations. The appearance of an object that had been treated with dinachrome, its secret substance capable of changing color when stimulated with Nefesh, was unmistakable. It was a service that was only offered in exchange for a hefty sum of money unless the client was a family member or someone of utmost trust.
In that case, the last option seemed the most plausible to her. A mere client wouldn't accompany a Diklah to such an intimate gathering.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKJkdviMJN
"Luciara, who is this knight?" she turned to her, unable to contain her curiosity. "A friend? … Your beau?"176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFi2IGJ0zI
Both she and the knight were startled by the question, which couldn't be more uncomfortable for both of them after their recent arguments.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId7NXmMwmP
First Menuha, then Sheida, and now her too? Mavros thought, increasingly exasperated by the frequency of that insinuation—one of the many topics of conversation he had with the mother of his 'protégée' after the surreal altercation of the previous night. Why is everyone getting these absurd 'ideas' now?176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5LhI0foy3
"No, no, no," Gabran clarified to his mother with laughter, to their relief. "Ser Marlon is just her escort." He observed them over his shoulder with a mischievous face. "Or... am I wrong, and there's something more you haven't told us?"176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkRU2vYLyC
"NO!" They denied in unison, with such emphasis that only amused him and the others even more.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5rjFRzzNV
Dana took advantage of the brief distraction to check her pots.
There's enough food for everyone. She judged, reassured that she wouldn't be caught off guard by the unexpected visit. 176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeQbDaz5Qi
She turned around to rejoin the others.
"You must be starting to get hungry, but you won't have to wait long because I'm almost done with lunch," she said. She turned to her husband and children. "Charlen, please take them to the table and set their places."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Wub2QNPZ4
The General complied, instructing his children and guests to follow him with a gesture. Dana returned to her kitchen tasks.
What's going on? Why, after so many years, does Luciara suddenly appear here? She wondered, letting her conflicting emotions flow in solitude. Seeing her niece again was bittersweet. She was far from angry about the visit, on the contrary, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy. It's as if those incidents are pulling me back to 'her' by force.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkOxOqQtBN
Mavros and Luciara were led by the General and his sons, who took them to a living room with a large rectangular table. Chatel Chatel pulled out a couple of chairs, indicating them courteously. Both sat down. Next, they watched as their hosts headed towards some cabinets, pulling out various items. Gabran and Olivrin returned with plates, glasses, and utensils for each place, as well as a small bowl of nuts. Chatel Chatel brought a bottle of wine, which he placed on the table.
"’Le Art duDu Clar,’ ‘The Art of Du Clar,’ recited the general, alluding to the wine's name as he prepared to carefully uncork it with the help of a corkscrew. "According to folklore, the first wine ever known, created by the hermit Du Clar during the Age of Empires, before the Holy Rebellion itself. Whether those stories are true or not, its name has been synonymous with good wine in Grianz since time immemorial." He narrated, with a cool yet inspired fervor that captivated his listeners. In that bottle, his love for the history and legends of old were blended with his love for fermented grape juice: his greatest guilty pleasure.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21C2EEaC1q
As he successfully removed the cork, Olivrin flashed a mischievous smile. He had just had one of his many ideas.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SfUuaffav
Just as his father was about to pour the drink into the guests' glasses…
"Dad, wait!" he exclaimed, touching him on the elbow.
"Uh?" Perplexed, he stopped and turned toward Olivrin. "Olivrin?"
"Please, could you let me pour the Du Clar in your place?... I think I can add a bit of 'magic' to the occasion."
"You want to serve the Du Clar?" Chatel Chatel raised his eyebrows for a moment, not understanding his son's interest in taking on a task that usually seemed so irrelevant to him.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvQDoSGoW1
One moment... Did he mention 'magic'? However, he then displayed great displeasure as he deciphered his true intentions. "Fine... but if you want it so much, you'll do it with your hands, as it should be," he said, handing him the bottle. "I don't want any 'magic.'"176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFggyI4yzZQ
"I'm just going to use an 'Invisible Hand,' like the ones Luciara used to show us during dinners," Olivrin defended himself, refusing to be discouraged by his father's evident disapproval. "It's going to be perfect, just like hers, I promise."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrArzn3QtE
The General wrinkled his face like a raisin in response.
"Dad!" The young man insisted, not willing to give up.
"Relax, father. You can't deny that Olivrin has improved quite a bit since the last... 'accidents,'" Gabran said, coming to the defense of his younger brother. "Something as basic as an 'Invisible Hand' is a piece of cake for him." He turned to the guests. "Luciara, Ser Marlon, you wouldn't mind if my brother gives you a little demonstration, would you?"176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeuGu63aLN
They both shook their heads playfully.
"Not at all," Luciara said. "I'd love to see how good his 'Invisible Hand' is."
Gabran turned to his father. "As you can see, even the guests are against you," he said, shrugging mockingly.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLKVRfWjHS
The General placed the bottle on the table and stepped back from it reluctantly. He wanted to stop his younger son's wishes at all costs, but he also didn't want to antagonize in this cheerful atmosphere unnecessarily.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVWbdtTSf4
"Very well, you have my permission for your 'demonstration,'" he announced to Olivrin, crossing his arms. "Don't make me regret it."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNh3wWYZvgk
"Thank you!"
The young man brimmed with excitement at that approval. He pulled out his wand and approached the guests.
"Please, stand up. You'll be able to see it better that way." He politely asked them. Both complied, circling the table with Gabran and the General. Olivrin took a strategic position and aimed his wand at the bottle.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9ge0GIxzo
"Ladies and gentlemen, witness the miracle of the 'Invisible Hand.'" he began with an exaggerated theatricality that even embarrassed his older brother.
Chatel Chatel approached Luciara and Mavros.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNpdEoRMlh
"You're too close; you should stand back more, like us," he advised them."The last time Olivrin tried an 'Invisible Hand' on the table, we all ended up with the dinner scattered on our clothes."
"Calm down, calm down!" The boy immediately sought to silence his father's persistent pessimism. "The 'Invisible Hand' will lift the bottle and pour the wine into the glasses with the grace of a maiden."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN2s5lLM62
"Urmpf," grunted the General. "We'll see. The real 'miracle' will be if it does it without the clumsiness of a drunkard."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBKLU8yrPJ
The audience couldn't help but let out a few small laughs at such a retort, but Olivrin ignored them. He aimed his wand at the bottle again, this time with total concentration. Multicolored pigments intertwined in his thoughts, constructing celestial designs that, together, resulted in the necessary sequence to materialize his spell. A faint light flickered at the tip of the tool as a sign of his success.
Invisible hand! Serve the Du Clar!176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSp0OLsMyL
The onlookers fell silent; the bottle obeyed the command.
Surrounded by a layer of fluid air that enveloped it, it began to levitate gradually, rising a few inches above the table. Just as the precocious wizard had promised, he proceeded to pour the reddish wine into each glass through delicate tilts, following the careful movements of his hand.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeGLTkNSZy
His control of the Nefesh is quite advanced for his age. I've heard that many enter university without even knowing how to execute an 'Invisible Hand,' let alone with such finesse, judged Luciara, delighted, feeling identified with that vocation she also had at his age for nefeshic arts. It's clear that he takes it as much more than just a simple trick.
As he poured the last glass, the bottle returned to its original position, gracefully maintaining its float.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu50YMbxjv5
"TA-DA!" Olivrin raised his free arm in celebration. He stole the applause of the onlookers for a well-deserved moment of glory.
At last, he got it right... Maskirio took pity on us today. Even his father couldn't help but join the others, sighing more out of relief than pride.
However...
"AH?!"
A sudden and intense white glow burst into the room, dazzling everyone amid a muffled explosion.
Olivrin was one of its victims. That mere interval when he lost his connection with the bottle was enough to unleash the disaster: the Du Clar spun out of control. It spilled its contents until it collided with an obstacle.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwidOdsdhaT
The first thing everyone encountered upon regaining their vision was the spilled wine, as well as the nearly empty bottle at his father's feet. To his horror, the general noticed how his once impeccable officer's uniform had been dirtied with large splashes of the liquor.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvRtBoZV3j
"Olivrin!" he shouted, shaking his fist in anger. His uniform was as sacred as his Du Clars, and now both were ruined.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58bCoQTWsi
"Oh..." Olivrin curved his lips fearfully but soon turned to the rest of his audience, with no intention of wanting to suspend his performance. "To make amends for this little accident, my next trick will be..."
"THE ONLY 'TRICK' I WANT TO SEE NOW IS YOU DISAPPEARING!" The General lunged to silence him with new outbursts, leaving his guests perplexed.
"Hahahaha!" Gabran burst into loud laughter. He was accustomed to these kinds of tantrums from his father. Despite their intensity, they were harmless.
A little uncomfortable with the scene, Luciara averted her gaze.
“Hm?” In doing so, she distinguished a man in the room who wasn't there before.
He advanced toward them with slow but confident steps.
"Please, forgive my abrupt entrance." he briefly knelt in apology as he made them aware of his presence.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU44wc4A8An
That armor...
Is he an agent of the Order of Lebias?176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTXvsxHH0t
Luciara and Mavros speculated as they appreciated his exotic attire: white fabric with silver protective pieces. The metallic mask that concealed his face, except for his mysterious brown eyes, was its most striking component.
Chatel Chatel and his sons approached him, suspicious. The strange white glow that had blinded them now made sense.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUhGGkXl6Y
"Zeham!" A voice called him from behind.
It was Lady Dana. The Nefesh mark emitted by an agent of the Order when using instant transmission would never go unnoticed by her. Feeling it—along with her husband's furious voice—was enough to pull her away from the kitchen.
"How many times have I told you not to enter my house using ‘Instant Transmission’?!" she protested. The agent had never been to her liking for multiple reasons. "Is it so hard for you to knock on the door?!"176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FjgZ9s9w2
"I'm sorry, Dana," said the agent, with a calmness unaffected by the lady's hostile attitude."But the urgency justifies me doing it this way."
Urgency?
Such mention sparked everyone's intrigue.
"What 'urgency'?" Chatel Chatel questioned, eager to get to the point. Though he had dealt with him for years, he didn't enjoy his company much either.
"Charlen, Renardin has given me orders to find you and bring you immediately to him," he informed him. "He has summoned you to discuss your actions in the Ahmal station incident."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlua5mUzH7U
The Ahmal station incident? Dana shot a look at her husband, demanding explanations. 176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eXh7p7eIM
The Grianzan General released a small exhale. "So you've already informed him. I expected this would happen," he responded to the agent, ready to go out and defend his decisions. "Say no more. Take me to the Royal Palace."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iwZl6PKGO
The agent seemed to ignore the general. He stared fixedly at Mavros.
"You are that knight..." he said, adopting a more formal tone. "By orders of His Majesty, the king, I also have to bring you into his presence. He wants you to answer for your actions," he announced. He furrowed his brow a little. "Come closer. If you refuse, I am authorized to arrest you."176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xaunDIF6R
Despite that warning, Mavros stood firm next to Chatel Chatel, thus fulfilling his demands.
"I shall not offer resistance," he simply stated, showing no signs of insecurity.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Zeham nodded, relieved not to be obliged to use force in such an inappropriate place. He looked at Chatel Chatel, especially at the sorry state of his uniform. "Charlen, I can give you five minutes to change your clothes. You wouldn't want to present yourself like that to..."
"I don't care!" the General rejected him, extremely impatient. "Take us to Renardin now!"
"Well…" Zeham held both of them by their arms. Soon, their bodies bathed in a white light, and they vanished from the room, with a flash as blinding as the one the agent emitted upon his arrival.
Everyone was left speechless by the unusual events, uneasy about the uncertain fate of the summoned ones.
Renardin wants that knight to answer for 'his actions'?... What does Charlen have to do with all this?
Dana wondered. She cast wary eyes on her niece.176Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9suhrHhEX7
Who is your escort, Luciara? What has he done?
ns 18.68.41.147da2
