Hope had raised his scythe, focusing his [Flame Spirit] at its tip.
One strike. That was all it would take to destroy the barrier's control panel and shatter Octavia's chains.
But then…
BOOM.
The dungeon's heavy iron door burst open from an impact outside.
Four Royal Guards stormed in, electric spears crackling in their hands.
"Breach!" the one in front shouted. "Unauthorized entry in Princess Octavia's cell!"
Hope swore under his breath.
"Timing error," he muttered through clenched teeth.
Elara grabbed his arm in panic.
"Hope! You can't! If you break the panel now, the alarms will scream and the entire palace will swarm here! Even my father might come!"
She looked at the guards.
"We have to run! Now!"
Hope glanced at the chains, then at Octavia.
There was no disappointment on her face. If anything, she looked entertained.
"Go, handsome," Octavia said. "You're not strong enough yet. If you get caught here, the Prince will chain you beside me. And trust me… those chains are incredibly boring."
The guards fired their spears. Blue lightning cracked through the air.
Hope grabbed Elara by the waist.
[SHADOW STEP]
He slipped aside like a living shadow, out of range.
He appeared behind the first guard and struck the back of his neck with the blunt side of his scythe. Hard enough to break bone, not to kill.
THUD.
The guard collapsed.
The other three turned in shock, but Hope was faster. He kicked one away and hurled another into the wall.
More footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Armor. Dozens of soldiers.
"We promised!" Hope shouted to Octavia, his green eyes blazing. "I can't leave you here!"
Octavia laughed.
"I'll wait for the day you keep that promise!" she called, rattling her chains. "Go and grow stronger, Architect! Go and bring those bastards to their knees!"
Hope hesitated for a second. His logic said Run. His heart said Fight.
Elara pulled his arm desperately.
"Please, Hope! For Lypin! If we get caught, who will save her?!"
Lypin's name made the decision for him.
He gave Octavia one last look.
"I'll come back," Hope said, his voice like an oath. "I promise."
Octavia smiled.
"See you, sweetheart. I trust you."
Hope and Elara vanished into the dark corridors of the dungeon, Octavia's laughter and the guards' shouts echoing behind them.
Palace Corridors – Ten Minutes Later
Breathing hard, they emerged through a hidden passage into the guest wing of the palace.
Elara leaned on her knees, lungs burning.
"That was… close," she coughed. "If that Scale-Skin guard had recognized you… you would've been executed."
Hope leaned against the wall. Even the [System] struggled to track his pulse.
"They didn't recognize us," he said. "I was too fast. The shadows hid our faces."
But he was not at ease. He had given his word and failed to keep it. That violated his Architect code. A plan left unfinished.
Just then, a massive familiar silhouette turned the corner. Deniz.
He was holding a huge roasted sea haunch, biting into it cheerfully.
He stopped when he saw them and swallowed.
"Ooo!" Deniz said brightly. "Youth! What's up? You both look pale. See a ghost?"
Hope straightened.
His eyes locked onto Deniz.
Before, he would have labeled this man as Reliable Teammate / Tank.
Now…
Octavia's words echoed in his mind. Nereus is a traitor. Deniz said the Prince saved his life… Was that a lie?
Hope's gaze turned icy.
"Training," he said flatly. His voice was so distant that Deniz paused.
"Training? At this hour?" Deniz raised a brow. "The Prince is pushing you hard, son. You need rest. Look, I stole some great stuff from the kitchen, if you want—"
"I'm not hungry," Hope said, walking past him. "Coming, Princess?"
Elara gave Deniz an awkward look.
"Uh… yes. We're just tired. Enjoy your food, Deniz."
And she hurried after Hope.
Deniz remained alone in the corridor, meat in hand.
"Hmmm," he muttered with a shrug. "Teenage years. Tough times."
He returned to eating.
But in his eyes, behind that cheerful façade, a sharp calculating glint flickered for just a second.
Royal Dungeon – Pearl Cage
SLAP.
A water whip cracked across Octavia's face.
She did not scream. She merely turned her head and spat blood onto the floor.
Prince Nereus stood before her. This time, the mask of false nobility was gone. Only raw fury remained.
The four guards lay unconscious. None had seen the Shadow clearly. They remembered only green light and impossible speed.
"Who was that?!" Nereus roared.
He formed a blade of water and drove it into Octavia's right arm. CRACK.
The blade hit bone.
Octavia hissed in pain, then grinned.
Her violet eyes locked onto his.
"Ooo… jealous, big brother?" she panted. "My one true love came to visit me. He was very passionate."
"Don't lie!" Nereus twisted the blade. The sound of tearing flesh filled the cell. "Who could breach that security? Who is it? Tell me!"
"I am a Noble, Nereus!" Octavia shouted, laughing. "I am an Octopus! Our blood is black but our word is clear. I never lie. Unlike you slippery Sirens, I am honest!"
"WHO CAME?!"
"Go to hell!"
In a rage, Nereus slashed his hand downward.
Octavia's left arm tore off at the shoulder.
Black blood sprayed.
She did not scream this time either. Only a hoarse, rattling laugh escaped her. Her body trembled, regeneration pushed to its limits, but her will remained unbroken.
She remembered Hope's final look. I'll come back.
There had been no lie in that boy's eyes.
And until he returned, Octavia would take this secret to her grave.
Nereus stopped, breathing heavily.
He stared into her eyes and saw a terrifying truth.
The girl was telling the truth. Someone had come. And Octavia was protecting him.
The Prince stepped back and wiped the blood from himself.
"Fine," Nereus said, voice shaking. "Don't tell me. I'll find out. I'll interrogate everyone in this palace. And when I find that rat… I will skin him alive in front of you."
He left the cell.
His mind raced. Who could bypass that security? Who could knock out the guards so quickly?
He paused.
His eyes narrowed.
The hunt for a traitor had begun.
Princess Elara's Room
For the first time in his life, Hope entered a girl's room.
It was nothing like he expected.
It was a battlefield.
"First time in a girl's room, little Architect?" Elara teased, her voice sharp. "What's wrong? Embarrassed?"
Scrolls, maps and ancient magical tablets were piled on the floor. Clothes covered the bed. Half-finished potion bottles and dried seaweed cluttered the desk.
Hope hopped to avoid stepping on a book.
He scanned the room critically.
"I do not get embarrassed," he said flatly. "I am surprised. You should be the embarrassed one. This level of disorder indicates mental turbulence."
He lifted a scroll with two fingers.
"Truly chaotic. Inefficient layout. Poor oxygen circulation. And I believe that corner is molding."
He looked at her.
"This does not meet princess habitat parameters."
Elara flushed bright red and kicked a piece of underwear under the bed.
"HEY!" She threw a pillow at him. "I WAS DOING VERY IMPORTANT RESEARCH, OKAY? About Leviathan, about history… I didn't have time to clean!"
She exhaled deeply and sat on the edge of the bed.
"God… forget that. We have bigger problems."
She rang a bell on the wall.
Within seconds, the door opened quietly.
A thin Scale-Skin maid entered, head bowed, wearing an old gray tunic.
"Yes, my Princess?" the maid asked, trembling.
"Bring us something to eat," Elara said tiredly. "And tell no one we're here."
The maid nodded and backed out.
Silence returned.
Hope sat in a chair by the window. Elara curled her knees to her chest on the bed.
They were both trying to process what Octavia had revealed.
Hope broke the silence.
"What are we going to do, Elara?" he asked, gazing at the glittering city outside. "We promised her. We have to free her. And the guards saw us. Even if they didn't recognize us, they know someone entered. Your brother is probably interrogating Octavia right now."
He clenched his fist.
"From what we learned… your brother isn't gentle during interrogations."
"HEY!" Elara snapped reflexively. "WATCH HOW YOU TALK ABOUT MY BRO—"
The words died in her throat.
Octavia's severed tongue… her mother's story… Nereus's cold eyes…
Her shoulders slumped.
"You're right," she whispered. "My brother might be torturing her. And I… I can't do anything."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Do you know the worst part, Hope? That girl… Octavia… we're so similar. Both cursed for being special. I command Leviathan, she commands Kraken… Both of us turned into weapons by our families."
Elara smiled bitterly.
"If history hadn't been written in blood… maybe she could've been my closest friend."
A knock interrupted her.
The Scale-Skin maid entered with a tray of blue fruits and seaweed tea.
As she set it down, Hope's gaze drifted out the window.
Elara's room overlooked the palace courtyard.
And in the dim light below stood two figures.
One tall and regal. Prince Nereus.
The other massive, carrying his fists like anchors on his back. Deniz.
Hope narrowed his eyes and focused his [Architect Sight].
They were speaking.
This was no casual conversation.
Prince Nereus handed Deniz something resembling a scroll.
And Deniz… that always cheerful, simple-looking Deniz… bowed slightly before the Prince.
A posture of respect.
A soldier's stance.
The maid left with a soft, "Enjoy your meal, my lady."
Hope felt his blood run cold.
Octavia had been right.
Everyone here was lying.
Even their teammates.
Hope slowly drew the curtain shut.
"Elara," he said, his voice like ice.
"I think… the only person we can trust in this palace is the mad girl in that dungeon."