The interior of the Wintercroft Estate was another world entirely. If the Sump was defined by its oppressive density, the manor was defined by its breathtaking, quiet expanse.
Soaring ceilings vaulted overhead, supported by pillars of polished marble veined with what looked like liquid silver. The floors beneath their feet were seamless obsidian, reflecting the holographic art on the walls—masterpieces that shifted with mesmerizing, liquid grace, depicting ancient histories and swirling nebulas.
Dozens of maids in crisp, immaculate uniforms moved with the silent, predictive efficiency of ghosts, their heads bowed. Butlers, radiating an air of timeless, aristocratic professionalism, paused their duties only long enough to register the newcomers.
Every single head turned as their group passed. Curious, shocked, and disapproving eyes landed on the two strangers who were so clearly, viscerally out of place. Their rugged Sump attire was an open wound in the sterile perfection of the hall. Yet, protected by the Young Madam, no one dared to speak.
Lyra took in the sights, her gaze sweeping over gilded fixtures and priceless artifacts with a calculating, appraising eye, as if she were mentally cataloging every item for a pawn shop.
Finally, her stomach made its demands known with an audible growl.
"Alright, I'm impressed," she announced, her voice deliberately loud, shattering the reverent hush of the hall. Several maids visibly flinched. "Now, where's the food, and where are we sleeping?"
"Dinner will be brought to your suites," Elysia replied automatically, her composure regained now that she was back in her own domain.
"No," Lyra interrupted, stopping dead in her tracks. The entire procession halted. "We're all going to your room. We have a partnership to discuss, don't we? Let's get it all out on the table now."
Elysia froze, and a violent, crimson flush flooded her cheeks and neck. "How utterly uncouth! Have you no sense of propriety? My private chambers are not a meeting hall!"
Her eyes flickered instinctively, furiously, towards Orion—the only man in their group—before snapping away as if she'd been burned.
Lisanna burst into a fit of bright, tinkling giggles. "Oh, Ellie, why so worried? He already saw you at your worst today. Besides, this silver-tongued charmer," she winked at Orion, "is clearly a gentleman."
"We do have important matters to discuss," Orion added, his voice a smooth, charming current under Lisanna's bubbly outburst. He gave them both an easy smile. "And why would I ever reject an invitation to spend more time in the company of two of the Apex's most brilliant princesses?"
Elysia scoffed and rolled her eyes, but the genuine blush remained, warring with her innate hauteur.
Lisanna beamed. "He really does make it hard to refuse, doesn't he?"
"Save the flirting for later," Lyra waved her hand impatiently, cutting through the social games. "Let's not waste time. I want to eat, and then I want to sleep in a bed that doesn't feel like a pile of rocks."
Exasperated, Elysia threw her hands up in a rare gesture of complete defeat. "Fine! It's not worth arguing with you brutes. Let's just go. Get this over with."
She turned to their silent, silver-haired guide. "Chloe, if you please."
Lisanna smiled, linking her arm with Elysia's and dragging her forward. "See? They know how to get things done. It's efficient."
Chloe blinked once, her gaze moving from Lyra's demanding, uncaring expression to meet Orion's calm, smiling eyes. She didn't speak, but a hint of something new—curiosity, perhaps, or even the faint shadow of respect—flickered in her professional gaze.
She simply nodded and led the way down a grand corridor, her footsteps making no sound.
As he followed, walking beside his sister deep into the heart of the lion's den, Orion felt the threads of fate coiling perfectly around him. Two prime targets, a secure foothold in the Apex, and a mysterious power that was growing with every passing moment.
The future was looking brighter and brighter.
Following Chloe's silent lead, the group moved through corridors that felt less like residential walkways and more like the private halls of an ancient museum.
The air itself was different here, cleaner, and imbued with a palpable, resonant thrum of concentrated Aether. It made the very marble under their feet feel alive, and Orion felt his own core gently pulse in response.
Finally, Chloe stopped before a set of massive double doors carved from a single piece of what looked like polished, snow-white oak. She gestured, and they sensed her authority, sliding open with a whisper.
Lisanna darted inside immediately, throwing her arms wide in a grand, theatrical pose.
"Behold!" she announced, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space. "Our lovely ice princess's humble abode! Isn't it just so... her? Neat, nice, and efficient as one would expect!"
Elysia let out an exasperated sigh, a visible plume of frosty air briefly misting before her lips. "Must you, Lisanna? Just get in."
She turned back to their guide. "Chloe, please have dinner for four brought here. Anything substantial will do."
Chloe offered a single, silent nod of acknowledgment. Her silver eyes briefly flicked to Orion one last time, holding his gaze for a fraction of a second, before she turned and departed as quietly as she had come.
As the door slid shut, Orion and Lyra took a moment to truly survey the room. It was, without a doubt, the most luxurious space they had ever set foot in, a place that spat on the very concept of poverty.
A massive four-poster bed draped in silks the color of a winter sky dominated one wall. The furniture was a flawless mix of dark, polished wood and brushed chrome, a perfect blend of old-world, dynastic wealth and cold, modern minimalism.
Yet, what truly defined the space were the intricate, decorative ice crystals. They weren't just objects placed on shelves; they were part of the room.
Delicate, fractal patterns of frost crept up the corners of the walls, glowing softly with contained Aether. Entire miniature glaciers served as bookends for data-slates. A chandelier made of a thousand flawlessly carved ice shards hung from the ceiling, refracting the soft light into a shower of miniature rainbows.
This was not decoration; this was a permanent, passive display of Talent.
Lyra, with the unearned confidence of a conquering queen, strode into the room as if she owned it. She ran a finger along one of the frost patterns creeping up the wall, her head tilted.
"Too unique for a generic noble's room," she remarked, her tone less a question and more a statement of fact. "Don't tell me you're a painter."
Elysia, who had been moving toward her desk, bristled, her back straightening like a rod of steel. "Naturally, those without manners do as they please," she said, her voice dripping with aristocratic condescension. "Only those who care for such things learn to hone their craft."
"Very pristine of you," Lyra shot back, rolling her eyes as she tested the softness of the bed.
"I think your art is cute, Ellie!" Lisanna giggled, completely ignoring the barbs flying between them. She bounced over to Orion. "Don't you agree?"
Orion's gaze wasn't on the walls, however. It had settled on a small, obsidian box resting on a nightstand. The box was intricately carved with patterns of roaring, stylized flames, a stark and absolute contrast to the room's entire icy theme. Resting atop that fiery box was a single, masterfully crafted crystal gem, shaped like a blooming rose with impossibly thin, delicate petals.
"One finely crafted ice gem," he said, his voice a low, charming murmur. He looked from the gem directly to Elysia. "And one intricately designed flaming box."
His gaze then shifted to Lisanna, a warm, knowing smile playing on his lips. "Both noble princesses just keep surprising me."
Lisanna's cheeks flushed a bright pink, and she let out another bright giggle. "Oh, you. Such a cheeky silver-tongue."
Elysia scoffed, though the corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "Save your crude flirting for someone who cares. Sit down. We have matters to discuss."
"Finally," Lyra grumbled, flopping backward onto a plush chaise lounge, sinking into the cushions with a groan of pleasure. "She says something sensible."
Once they were all seated in a small arrangement of armchairs, Lisanna leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her chin cupped in her hands, her emerald eyes sparkling. "So! What's this top-secret partnership you four have going on? I'm all ears!"
Elysia adopted a posture of composed, refined elegance, her hands folded neatly in her lap, ready to take control of the conversation. "Our families have a long-standing rivalry with the Valerians. Their methods are primitive, savage, and—"
"Gods, you're boring," Lyra cut her off flatly.
Elysia's jaw dropped in open, sputtering outrage.
"Let's skip the political science lecture," Lyra continued, waving a dismissive hand. "Here's the deal: we're a team now. A new faction. And Orion and I are the leaders. We're going to actually bring about some changes around here, not just posture at fancy parties."
"You—!" Elysia snapped, her composure shattering completely. "How dare you! You can't possibly expect everything to go your way with mere force!"
To her utter astonishment, Lisanna's eyes lit up with pure, unadulterated excitement. "Ooh, I like it! You're really confident! But... what makes you two qualified to be the leaders?"
"Lisanna!" Elysia shot a venomous glare at her friend. "You can't be seriously entertaining this absurdity! This is madness!"
Lisanna just shrugged, but her expression turned thoughtful, her playful demeanor replaced by a sudden, sharp intelligence. "Why not? Think about it, Ellie. These two, who have never set foot in an Aegis Academy, who have never had a formal trainer or a single resource in their entire lives, just demonstrated an Aether purity so immense it annihilated the Frost-Ward Shields of two Bronze-Rank guards."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping. "Guards who, by my family's standards and yours, are certified to suppress multiple D-Rank villains. This is the kind of raw, untamed potential that our families would go to war over. Why shouldn't we listen to them?"
Elysia fell silent. She had no counter-argument.
In their world, talent and bloodline were paramount, but the quality of one's Aether Core was the absolute bedrock upon which all power was built. A purer core meant more efficient energy usage, a higher potential ceiling, and a growth rate that defied logic.
Those with lower Aether Core purity were doomed to live a life of stasis. No matter how much experience they gained, no matter how hard they trained, a D-Rank Aether Core Purity meant they would only ever be a D-Rank forever. That was the iron law of the universe.
For two unregistered, untrained Talents from the Sump to possess purity that so casually overwhelmed elite household guards was more than an anomaly; it was a fundamental challenge to the established order.
That's why Commander Magnus didn't press the issue; the purity they sensed within that single blast had to be, at minimum, on the level of a low-tier C-Rank, if not far, far higher—and that was before they had access to resources or formal training.
The siblings knew it, and they were pressing their advantage.
"Firstly," Orion spoke, his voice calm and steady, breaking the loaded silence. "We have something you two lack: experience. Not just in fighting, but in raw survival. We've dealt with the dirty rats in the gutters and analyzed the polished snakes in the corporate boardrooms. We know how to read people whose very lives depend on deception."
His gaze softened slightly, but his words remained sharp. "This doesn't mean your own experiences aren't valuable. But if I have to guess, I doubt that before today, the troubles you encounter often escalate to a true life-or-death situation. Hell," he said, gesturing at Elysia, "even those kidnappers only wanted you for money from your father. None of them had real killing intent until we intervened."
Elysia could only stay silent, her jaw tight. Every word he spoke was the absolute truth.
"Secondly," Lyra followed up, picking up the thread seamlessly. "Our potential is off the charts. You saw what we did with zero training. Imagine what we can do with your resources. In terms of raw power, I have no doubt we can already contend with C-Rank villains."
"And thirdly," Lyra grinned, a feral, mischievous light entering her eyes. She jabbed a thumb towards her brother. "Most importantly... this guy can perfectly replicate and master Talents."
She paused, letting the impossible statement hang in the air for a dramatic beat.
"By kissing them."
"WHAT?!" Lisanna yelped, leaping to her feet, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.
Lyra's grin widened into a predatory smirk. "Yep. It can be with any woman. Or man, for that matter."
A strange, complex, and utterly unreadable expression crossed both Lisanna's and Elysia's faces at that last part.
Before they could even process the information, Orion just smiled and roughly flicked Lyra's forehead with a force that made her yelp and see stars.
"Ow! Gods! Can't you take a joke?" she whined, rubbing the rapidly reddening spot.
Orion shook his head, a wry, apologetic smile on his face as he turned to the two utterly stunned women. "My sister exaggerates for effect. The truth is... slightly more refined."
He leaned forward, and the playful charm vanished, replaced by an intensity that captured both of their gazes.
"I can form an intimate bond with a woman through a kiss. Through that bond, I can share my Aether with hers, fusing our energies together. This process," he stated clearly, "enhances the purity of both our Aether Cores. And yes, as a result of that bond, I can replicate the Talent of the woman I kiss and quickly master its core principles."