Hope slowly drew the heavy curtain closed. The green flame in his eyes faded, replaced by an icy stillness.
"Elara," he whispered, his voice barely piercing the silence of the room. "I think… the only person we can trust in this palace is that crazy girl in the dungeon."
Elara's eyes widened. She was already tense, and Hope's words only deepened the crack in her composure.
"What? What do you mean, Hope? What did you see?"
She hurried to his side and pulled the curtain open again, looking down into the dim courtyard.
"Deniz and the Prince…" Hope pointed toward a shadowed section of the courtyard. "They were talking. Deniz bowed to him. That's not how a friend bows, Elara. He's not—"
Hope stopped mid-sentence.
Because where Elara was looking… there was no one.
The courtyard was empty. Only the faint sway of coral shadows danced beneath the flowing water.
"Hope," Elara said, frowning. "There's no one there. The courtyard's empty."
Hope pulled the curtain fully aside and stared down.
He blinked. Activated [Architect Sight] again.
Nothing.
No thermal trace. No mana residue.
"But… they were just there," he muttered. "I saw them. Deniz had a scroll in his hand."
"Maybe you're exhausted," Elara said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You nearly died in the Mirror Dome today. Your mind might be playing tricks on you."
Hope was about to argue—
CLICK.
The door opened without warning. Silent. Sharp.
Prince Nereus stepped inside.
The temperature of the room seemed to drop.
Hope and Elara stiffened.
Nereus was wearing the same clothes Hope had seen in the courtyard.
So he hadn't hallucinated.
The Prince had been outside.
And he had reached this room incredibly fast.
Nereus stood in the doorway, eyes scanning them like a predator studying prey.
"Who was out there?" he asked.
His voice echoed like it came from the depths of a cavern.
The room froze.
Elara's throat locked. The dungeon. Octavia. Deniz. Everything felt exposed.
Hope's mind moved at [System] speed.
If I say I saw Deniz, he'll think I was spying.
If I say I saw nothing, he'll question why we were at the window.
Generate a logical variable.
Hope looked directly into Nereus' eyes. Relaxed his face. Slipped into his usual naive boy expression.
"I thought I saw Kai and Bianca," he said quietly, with a faint note of longing in his voice. "But I was mistaken. Just shadows."
He lowered his gaze.
"I haven't been able to spend much time with them lately. I guess I miss them."
Elara stared at him in disbelief but kept quiet.
Nereus studied Hope's expression. That emotional softness. That human vulnerability.
Then his expression eased slightly.
Weakness was something he could control.
"Yes," Nereus said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Your training has consumed most of your time, Architect. These sacrifices will pay off. Emotional attachments only slow you down. Remember that."
His gaze shifted to Elara.
He looked at the scattered clothes. The parchment. The chaos.
He rolled his eyes.
"You should keep your room more presentable, little sister," he said sharply. "We are royalty. We must maintain appearances."
"O-of course… brother," Elara replied, lowering her head. "I'll clean it immediately."
Nereus nodded and left, shutting the door firmly behind him.
The moment it closed, Elara collapsed to her knees and let out a shaking breath.
"My heart almost stopped…"
Hope stood frozen.
Staring at his hands.
"I…" he murmured, eyes wide. "I just lied."
Elara blinked. "So?"
"You don't understand," Hope said, pressing a hand to his chest. "In my system, lying is an error code. Data manipulation. But just now… it felt natural. Effortless."
He looked stunned.
"I didn't know I could lie."
It was a strange step.
A step away from being a machine.
But they had no time to celebrate.
The palace was wrapped in a web of lies.
Elara now felt disgust every time she looked at her brother.
Hope felt the urge to attack Deniz every time he saw him.
The only logical strategy?
Minimize contact.
"I need to go," Hope said. "I have to see Lypin."
Royal Infirmary – Midnight
The infirmary was the quietest place in the palace.
When Hope entered Lypin's room, the scent of medicine and burnt flesh filled his lungs.
Lypin looked small in the bed.
The bandages around her arms couldn't hide the faint violet glow beneath her skin.
Hope sat beside her.
Lypin opened her eyes.
The warmth in them was dimmer now. Replaced by pain. Purple creeping deeper.
"Hope…" she whispered. "You came."
"I did."
He brushed her hair gently.
"Are you feeling better?"
She gave a faint, bitter smile.
"I don't want to die," she whispered. "Like Yaat… I don't want to disappear in the dark. But this power inside me… it's tearing me apart."
Hope's chest tightened.
"I'll save you," he said firmly. "I swear it. Even if I have to tear open the path myself and bring the World Tree to your feet."
She squeezed his hand.
"I believe you."
Later, when Hope left to train and research alone…
Lypin lay awake.
Everyone had their own battles.
Hope was being broken daily in training.
Kai and Bianca were preparing for future threats.
Deniz… was everywhere and nowhere.
Lypin stared at the shifting reflections on the ceiling.
I can't just wait for Hope to save me.
She was a healer.
If she could mend others…
Why not herself?
The problem was the cosmic [Starfallen] energy inside her. Too vast. Like trying to pour an ocean into a cup.
For the first time, she directed her mana inward.
Into her veins.
Into her heart.
Instead of healing outward, she forced it inward, suppressing the raging energy.
The pain was unbearable.
Her body arched.
Her lips parted in a silent scream.
But she didn't stop.
You won't burn me.
This body is mine.
[NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED: INNER CAGE (PASSIVE)]
[MANA CIRCULATION REDIRECTED. STARFALLEN DAMAGE REDUCED BY 40%.]
Hours passed.
When it ended, she collapsed back into the bed, soaked in sweat.
The burning pain had dulled.
The purple veins hadn't vanished…
But they had sunk deeper.
Lypin looked at her trembling hands.
"I can fight too," she whispered into the darkness. "Wait for me, Hope."
Royal Interrogation Chamber
Prince Nereus stood in the center of the stone room.
Four elite guards knelt before him, trembling.
"So," Nereus said slowly, "you're telling me… that the intruder who entered the Pearl Cage, defeated all four of you within seconds, and left no trace… cannot be identified?"
"Forgive us, Your Highness!" one guard pleaded. "We only saw a flash of green light! Then we were struck from behind! He moved like a shadow!"
Nereus silenced them with a gesture.
Punishment could wait.
When the room emptied, he began pacing.
Who could do this?
Kai and Bianca were the first suspects. Skilled. Silent.
But illogical. They had just fought against Octavia's army.
Hope?
Nereus smiled coldly.
Impossible. He had shattered that boy in the Mirror Dome. Broken ribs. Drained mana.
That left one option.
An outsider.
A hired ghost.
A name surfaced from the blood-soaked underworld.
The Poisonous Eel.
A human–moray hybrid. Smaller than both Sirens and Octopus.
Small enough to slip through cracks.
Fast enough to leave only a green venomous streak.
And his toxin caused short-term memory loss.
That explained the guards.
Nereus slammed his fist into the table.
"The Octopus King," he hissed. "He hired the best assassin to retrieve his daughter."
The Poisonous Eel had to be somewhere inside the palace.
Nereus stormed out.
"Guards!" he barked. "Bring me the Architect! Now!"
Elara's Room – Dawn
Hope and Elara hadn't slept.
Maps covered the table.
Hope sketched possible escape routes.
"We could use the sewer channels," he murmured. "If I reverse the mana current—"
BAM!
The door burst open.
Prince Nereus entered with two armored guards.
He looked exhausted.
Elara's heart dropped.
He knows.
Hope tensed, ready to summon his scythe.
But Nereus ignored Elara.
He walked straight to Hope and grabbed his shoulders.
"We have a serious problem, Architect," he said urgently.
"What happened, Your Highness?"
"They infiltrated the palace. Someone tried to free Octavia. And I believe the assassin known as The Poisonous Eel is hiding inside."
Hope nearly short-circuited.
The Poisonous Eel?
Who?
"You will help me find him," Nereus said firmly. "You will hunt him down."
Hope and Elara exchanged the briefest glance.
Their crime…
Had just been assigned to an absent assassin.
And that…
Was the greatest opportunity they could have asked for.
"Of course, Your Highness," Hope said calmly. "Whoever this Poisonous Eel is… I'll find him for you."