The streets of Gaite were restless under the pale shimmer of the moon. Nairena stepped down from the carriage that had brought her this far. Without a word, the driver snapped the reins and vanished into the night, leaving her alone among the echoing stones.
Her emerald eyes scanned left and right as she walked, searching for Pierce's residence. Hours slipped away in her restless hunt until a sudden sight froze her steps. Up ahead—Aaron and Ashin, running as if death itself chased them.
"...Aaron?" Her voice cracked with disbelief.
She sprinted after them, her boots clattering against the uneven stones. She shouted his name again and again, but Aaron never turned, never slowed. Soon, a roar of iron boots thundered from behind—royal guards, chasing them down with drawn blades.
Within moments, the two boys were cornered.
"Not like this," Nairena hissed. A surge of black light exploded from her, an eerie glow marking the back of her neck. In an instant, she was faster than wind, faster than sight. She dashed forward, striking one guard away with a force that rattled the ground, then stood firmly behind Aaron and Ashin.
The guards came at them. One swung his blade down, a steel arc aimed to cleave. Nairena met it with a brutal kick, her movements fluid yet feral, dismantling one attacker after another. Within minutes, the street lay littered with fallen soldiers.
Breathless but proud, she turned to Aaron and Ashin. "You're Aaron, right? I'm Nairena, a friend of Kain. He sent me to help you."
No answer. Neither boy spoke, their silence unsettling.
Frowning, she touched Aaron's shoulder—only for both of them to dissolve into mist, their bodies vanishing like smoke torn by the wind.
Her heart pounded. "Illusions...? No. Ghosts? How...?"
Above the city, a colossal bird soared. Its wings stretched across the heavens, carrying with it the real Aaron and Ashin. The queen's castle glimmered in the distance, its banners fluttering under the moonlight.
Aaron leaned forward, eyes fixed on the horizon. Ashin beside him wiped sweat from his brow, still shaken. Hours passed in silence until Ashin suddenly stiffened, pointing downward.
"Look there!"
Aaron rubbed his eyes and blinked at the sight: a blue banner emblazoned with a wolf's head pierced by a sword.
His breath caught. "That's it… Ashin, that's the castle."
"You're certain?"
"Yes. That symbol matches the tale exactly. The impaled wolf."
The giant bird descended, its claws gripping the rooftop of the queen's fortress. Dust swirled as it dissolved into thin air, leaving Aaron and Ashin alone under the night sky.
Aaron turned to his companion. "Listen. Create a phantom to scout the entire castle. I'll draw everything it sees."
Ashin nodded grimly. He gathered the light into his hands until it formed a glowing sphere, then shaped it into a bat of shimmering shadow. Its eyes gleamed red, and its wings spread with an eerie flap.
"Scout every hall, every corner," Ashin commanded. "Do not be seen. Return when you are done."
The phantom screeched and vanished into the rooftop door, melting through wood and stone as if they were nothing.
Exhausted, both boys sat down. Aaron tilted his head back against the cold stone. "How long do you think it'll take?"
Ashin shook his head. "No idea. Could be minutes, could be hours."
"Then we wait." Aaron sighed and lay down, pulling out his notebook to sketch.
Time crawled. While Ashin drifted into a light sleep, Aaron mischievously doodled exaggerated caricatures of him—oversized ears, clumsy eyes, awkward postures. When Ashin stirred awake and caught a glimpse, he scowled.
"That's not funny."
Aaron smirked. "It's hilarious."
Their playful quarrel was cut short when the phantom bat returned. It perched on Ashin's hand and whispered visions into his mind before fading into ash. Ashin relayed everything he saw—the guards, the halls, the secret passages. Aaron's pencil moved furiously, sketching every detail until a full map of the castle was etched on paper.
"Good work. Now, we move."
Ashin summoned the great bird once again, its wings cutting through the night as it carried them away. But as they rose into the sky, a guard below spotted them.
"Shoot them down!"
Cannons roared, spitting fire. Bolts of flame tore through the night air, chasing after the bird. Aaron shouted over the storm, "Faster, Ashin!"
The phantom beast dove and swerved, each movement narrowly avoiding death. Fire streaked past them like arrows of wrath. At last, with one final surge, they escaped the castle's reach.
Both boys collapsed against the bird's back, panting.
"That… was close," Ashin muttered.
Aaron laughed weakly. "If even one hit landed, we'd be roasted meat."
Hours later, they landed on Pierce's manor rooftop. Ashin dismissed the bird, its body scattering like starlight. The two slipped in through the window, weary but alive. Yet before they could catch their breath, a voice echoed from behind.
"Welcome back. I've been waiting."
They turned, startled—Nairena stood in the shadows, her eyes unreadable.
Far away, in the queen's throne room, a report arrived.
"Your Majesty, there were intruders. They escaped."
Queen Lora's cold smile never faltered. "Forget them. For now, there are more pressing matters. Summon the Ka syndicate. Let them hunt Aaron Hotveil."
Alone, she whispered into the silence:
"Nineteen days remain before my husband and daughter return from the Granzo continent. I will capture that boy before then… no matter the cost."