The shadows cast by the figureheads equally matched the darkness of the unkempt room. Both kings of Truebirth and Pathfist stood at the far end of the table, pondering their future endeavours. Inclark stood dignified, while Ectarod leaned over the giant, mapped table.

For centuries, the floor had been left and used for minor meets, mostly by the white knights and the superior ‘greater’ white knights. Rarely, would the king ever set foot into this floor.

War wasn’t a common endeavour for Truebirth.

Surrounding the table, were a few others. There was a woman who introduced herself as Anoma Trueborn. In other words, she was the queen of Truebirth. Unlike Inclark, she suited plated armour, forged by the fabled limeite. Her position as the queen was more of a superficial title, since she beared little responsibility for the kingdom.

However, her current role was detrimental to Truebirth’s growth and function as a country – she handled the entirety of the Guild in both Truebirth and Pathfist.

Naturally, her words would have unparalleled influence on the many thousands of adventurers across both kingdoms. After all, they weren’t citizens or soldiers directly under the control of the kings; they were individuals, with a vast spectrum of ideals, motivations and strengths.

And adventurers who have had a taste of the wonderful benefits the Guild provided, could never resist its addictive honey. In conjunction to the massive member list and renowned support – adventurers who weren’t part of the Guild were rarely recognised, or even adequately paid for their work.

Truebirth at its heart, was a kingdom that boasted strength by the adventurers who called this place ‘home’ or a ‘haven’. Security, crime fighting, and even economic stability was managed by the many adventurers, who worked whether for money, strength, fame or had a sense of duty.

The woman folded her arms, her face showing little emotion, apart from her furrowed, dark brown eyebrows.

Beside her, stood an old man wearing bright-blue robes and a funky wizard’s hat. However, his lacklustre appearance didn’t detract who this aged man was.

He was the founder of the Institute of Magic, which dominated most of the eastern side of the Capital. Under the supervision of the king, he constructed the Institute to facilitate the growth and development of magic.

Cardinal, as the old man was called, was a man of great wisdom and knowledge in the arts. He wished to spread it across to those who genuinely sought for it – and did it for free.

What made the Institute of Magic so important to the kingdom, was because of the ‘mana links’ which were fitted onto every test dummy and target. Essentially, it would absorb most of the magic and use it as an energy source for both the Capital, and the rest of the kingdom.

It was truly the powerhouse of Truebirth.

Cardinal patiently rubbed his wooden staff as he glanced at the dwarf and Otherworlder across the table.

“Ain’t this a problem, aye yer’ highness? Yer’ putting me and this star-gazer fella on the spotlight with the whole airship ordeal.” The dwarf spoke in an accent that was very typical of the dwarves.

While his chest barely reached up to the edge of the table – his voice was certainly predominant.

Clark and the daughter of king Ectarod, Sectra, glanced at each other for a moment. The Heroes, who stood by them, were humoured by the dwarf’s way of talking.

“No less in the Institute of all places. Aye, Cardinal, yer’ not gettin’ paid for this, are ya?” He suddenly turned his attention to the old man.

“Fortunately, no.” Cardinal slowly answered, his voice slightly hoarse.

“Fortunately? – I hope yer and whichever lads you’ll be bringin’ won’t work half-assedly on the airship.”

“I assure you, they will work to the best of their capabilities.”

“They better, old friend. The plans this fella Stan showed us was quite exquisite. Otherworlders are somethin’ else, aren’t they? Would be a shame if yer lads chickened out.”

Stan, the astronomer, proposed a rather interesting concept for Truebirth’s first war-based airship. It was so intriguing, that even Eldor, the famous airship technician who helped create the Commander’s airship, had his attention stolen.

He left his main manufacturing team in Pathfist and joined Ectarod on his journey to the Capital days prior. And he didn’t regret his decision. The airship design on paper was as promising as he initially heard it to be.

It was simple – reduce the magical and energy load by making it both self sufficient and rely on a concept Stan called ‘aeronautics’.

Whatever it was, he was certain an Otherworlder could pull it off, just like how one did with the original concept of the airship. It was an honour as a dwarf to create the plans of someone with knowledge beyond their own world.

Ectarod slid a black, crowned figure across the table, landing precisely onto the northern trade city of Fairant. This was at the heart of both kingdoms, and thus, naturally became the place where merchants and adventurers thrived in search for goods; whether it be expensive consumables, armour or even contraband – like explosive powder.

“Pray that my Commanders don’t require repairs when they return. Your team in Pathfist will be far too busy building another airship for the upcoming war.” Ectarod warned Eldor, immediately causing the stubby dwarf to inadvertently gulp.

“They’ll be fine.” He crossed his arms, a bead of sweat running down his forehead.

“But how do we know we’re about to war with Di-Lock?” The old man asked, unsure of their premonition.

As someone who secluded themselves within the Institute, he rarely heard from the outside. The call for him into the eleventh floor was seemingly out of nowhere for the great wizard.

“Pathfist has been fighting with them for the longest time – ever since Di-First invaded the old kingdom and turned it into that damned puppet state. Their trades have been decreasing over the past few months and have finally ceased as of recent. And now, with the news of an envoy approaching – there can only mean one thing.”

“War. They’ll undoubtably declare war on both our kingdoms.” Inclark spoke with a clear voice.

He gently moved a figure towards the mountains with a long broom.

“However, it’s strange if they’re choosing to openly warn us of war, rather than to take us by surprise or through sheer force.” He added.

“They control more than half of Colight, so of course they could destroy us at any given moment. But the question is – why haven’t they already?” The woman chipped in, wondering why that was the case.

With their sheer numbers, they could overwhelm their cities with attacks from multiple fronts. No matter how strong their individual soldiers and committed adventurers were, an all-out war was a losing battle.

Or, a battle of attrition, if Di-Lock wished to torment them before their inevitable demise. However, the kings didn’t show any signs of falter or weakness. In fact, their sheer numbers didn’t discourage them from trying to evaluate the situation and the kind of war they’d be rallying.

“Some of my soldiers have mentioned that even when they’d infiltrate a fortress, they’d only be met with minimal resistance. It’s like they don’t give a damn about their own people!” Ectarod slammed his fist against the table in a fit of rage.

A king must always put their people first, is what he believed. He was also one who would join his men in their battles, and at times would wonder whether they were fighting actual soldiers – or civilians dressed as soldiers.

The thought sickened him. His moral code was to only kill those who sought to retaliate. Civilians, slaves, healers – they weren’t their enemies. It may have been due to how large their territory was, and they retained their strongest warriors near the castle or Capital.

But even so – they were far, far too weak compared to the affiliate knights, who were among the lowest ranks and the weakest soldiers of Pathfist. They were mostly comprised of rookies or young people.

Something wasn’t adding up.

“Where’s Inkshard?” Amy quietly asked her peers.

Lizen sighed. “Helping Exrite and the others with their attires. You’ve seen how they look, right?”

Reminded of Khaos’ burnt shirt, and particularly Exrite’s cloak, she hummed.

“Well… wouldn’t it matter?”

“Not in front of the kings.” Haiyoto intervened, his arms folded as he tried to wrap his head around the current situation.

He knew that somehow, they’d be involved in the war. But how exactly remained uncertain. The events from that one night constricted his throat as he tried to battle it with everything he had.

They weren’t as weak as they were from that time – but that didn’t mean that they could kill another human.

He mentally cursed at his inability to drive a blade into someone’s flesh. It was ridiculing for a ‘Hero’ to not be able to save lives, but the hypocritical nature of it was a gruelling reality.

To save a life, another must be taken.

“What about that light, father?” Clark asked as he stared at the table.

The light-blue figure which sat in the illustrated mountains wasn’t there by chance.

Inclark scanned the room with his eyes momentarily. Everyone here was a trusted aide, even the Otherworlders, and especially Eldor; who had given so much to the kingdoms with his work on the airships.

“It should be fine, Inclark.” Ectarod seemed convinced and tapped him by the shoulder.

He swallowed his fears and spoke.

“That light wasn’t a miracle of the Exrenity.” He began, causing confusion to suddenly appear on most of their faces. “Bear with me, for no matter how hard it is to believe, I speak the truth – that light was caused by the next the Maiden of Time.”

And within an instant, everyone but the kings and the Otherworlders flew into an immediate fit of confusion.

“Yer’ majesty! Do you know what yer’ sayin’!?” Eldor was the first to retaliate out of pure instinct, for he knew that the Maiden of Time was but a legend amongst legends.

Even the dwarves questioned the legitimacy of the Maiden of Time’s existence. With barely any evidence of her, she was a phantom amongst the other Maidens who were proven to exist due to their Domains.

The Maiden of Time had no Domain they knew of.

“Inclark! If that’s what you think – then why aren’t you sending your men into the mountains to secure her!?” Anoma cried, critical of the king’s judgement.

If the Maiden of Time was only but a juvenile, she was just as vulnerable to the corrupting hands of the world as anyone else. She was prepared to take it upon herself to salvage the forgotten Maiden.

But as she turned away, Inclark spoke.

“Priestess Talia has already gone to fetch her. However, the Maiden of Time isn’t who you think she is.”

“What do you mean!?” She immediately turned back to him with clenched fists.

“She’s also our Exrenity.”

The old man could only handle so much shock and disbelief. He constantly tried to calm his mind with magic but was rendered useless as a result of the Inclark’s outrageous claims.

“That boy is the Maiden of Time!?” Anoma growled, remembering the face of the Exrenity, who had passed her in the hallways during the night of his arrival.

Could such a person be qualified to be Exrenity, let alone the Maiden of Time? She sincerely doubted it.

“We’re certain.” Ectarod assured them, placing a figure onto the city of Palvel, which was one of Di-Lock’s closest cities.

“Even so, that can’t- “

“We saw her with our own eyes!” Amy cried, unable to keep still any longer. “She’s here in the castle, if you want to see her for yourself!”

Anoma’s frustrations of the impossibility of such a thing wouldn’t leave her so easily. It was the same for Clark and Sectra, who struggled to digest the fact, while Eldor remained silent and lost in an everlasting trance of confusion.

The old man Cardinal however, suddenly became more excited than shocked when he realised that the Maiden wasn’t the same as the old, long standing one – but was in fact her first next of kin.

He saw the prospects of such a being and wished to teach her everything he knew about the arts of magic. And since they were supposedly also the Exrenity – it was in their best interest to strengthen her for the sake of their kingdom.

And most of all, for their Gods.

As Anoma allowed it all slowly to sink in, her fists suddenly loosened as she growled a heavy sigh.

“In the castle, you say? Please, let’s get this over with. I want to see this ‘Maiden’ myself.”

“Our thoughts align.” The old man spoke, his dark brown eyes filled with invigorating energy.

“Wish we had the time fer’ that, right Stan?” The dwarf nudged the man’s side with an elbow.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. We’ll probably get in their way.” The professor scratched the back of his head and tried to keep a steady smile.

“Yer’ right. They’ll get in our way.”

“No, we’ll- “

“Yer’, in our way.”

“… haha.”

After their little moment, Ectarod slid an airship figurine towards a fortress residing in the north of Palvel city.

“My Commanders – they’ll take the fortress north of Palvel. In the likely chance we’re at war, we’ll want to take the southern plains first and secure a path straight into Palvel. But with small forces, however.” He instructed rather simply.

“Why smaller forces?” His daughter, Sectra asked.

“My dear, war isn’t only a battle of soldiers, but also of the mind. If we commit too many soldiers, they may retaliate with a larger force elsewhere. With small forces, we can keep them guessing where our main force may be. But that’s if they don’t decide to push through with everything they have.”

“Precisely. Our plans now may not come to fruit at all. The frightening part of this war is that they have every capacity to destroy us.” Inclark added as he stared at his wife, Anoma, with gentle eyes.

“… and the envoy has all the answers... but Palvel is an odd choice.” Anoma stated.

“It’s their closest city to the mountains. We want to intercept any forces trying to move towards the birthplace of the Maiden of Time.” Inclark explained.

She suddenly had an ‘ahh’ moment, realising that was the case. It suddenly became more believable, now that he mentioned there was a possible force trying to pursue the Maiden of Time.

“We’ll be attending that meet in Fairant. Inclark, are you sure you won’t be participating?” The Pathfist king wanted to confirm his decision.

He nodded.

“I’m certain. We have other things to work out in Truebirth. A war of this scale isn’t something I’d want to involve adventurers in, but if the time comes – we’ll have to make it worth risking their lives.” Inclark’s sentiments were clear as he began to part from the table. “However, Clark and the Heroes will go in my stead.”

“W-wait-! Us!?” Lizen suddenly blurted out as Clark glanced at his friends with concerned eyes.

“Rest assured, you’ll be with my greater white knights as well. But I hope it’ll be for naught. Please stay safe, my son, and this kingdom’s Heroes.”

His footsteps clacked with his leather shoes as he walked towards the exit. Upon passing Anoma, he uttered:

“Sorry, but please treat Exrite well.”

“Ah, you’re always like this. Sorry this, sorry that. Stand straight.” She suddenly tugged on his royal garbs and straighten his fuzzy, pale cloak.

“You’re still rash, as usual.” He spoke with a gentler, more casual voice and warmly smiled.

“Damn right. Who’s going to keep you on track if everyone’s your ‘yes’ man?”

Inclark nearly laughed, the woman suddenly pecking at his bearded cheek before she took a step back.

“Stay strong, dear.” She managed to smile, despite the frustrations still pent in her system.

“I will.”

With his departure, she quietly stared at his back with mellow, brown eyes. Disappearing into the vertic-port, she turned to the others with a renewed face.

“I hope you kids will be fine out there. We don’t want to lose you guys in the calm before the storm.” She directed those words to the awestruck Heroes.

Haiyoto didn’t know what to make of the situation, and neither did Amy. Lizen was the only one who had mustered enough willpower to further question her.

“But… of what use will we be there?”

“Exposure to the world. Think of it like the time you went to Farshard to meet the priestesses.” Anoma answered.

It was a reasonable yet simplistic explanation, but the Heroes still couldn’t quite come to terms with it just yet. Their recent training with Kalis was something they didn’t want to stop, but they also realised that thinking in such a way was naive.

Comfortably training against something that wouldn’t lethally injure them, would be hazardous to their sense of security and danger in a real battle, where even a single hit could spell the end.

Much like Acacia’s arrow on that one night – she won the battle against Exrite before it even began. Or she would’ve if Exrite was a normal human to begin with.

Haiyoto growled at his weakness and remembered Kalis’ words.

“Have more resolve!”

He wondered if he’d eventually be able to forge enough resolve to finally drive his blade into the depths of someone’s nape. But until then – he was someone with the moral outlook of a different world.

“Having such a carefree attitude is a good thing, however.” Ectarod spoke, as if reading Haiyoto’s mind.

Shocked by the words, he immediately turned to him with broadened eyes.

“Don’t kill off your emotions just to do one thing, no matter how monumental or insignificant it is. Do what you believe is right, our young Heroes of Truebirth.” He spoke with a sombre tone.

A hand gently glided across his black eyepatch.

“Because sometimes, the cost can haunt you forever.”

His words were nostalgic to the group. For a moment, he became their father, who tried to look out for them.

Haiyoto shut his eyes and smiled.

“Yeah. We’ll keep that in mind, your majesty.” He bowed with everything he had.

Amy and Lizen stared at him with curious eyes and were tempted to join him, however –

“Please raise your head. I’m but a man who fights with his people. No mortal should ever bow down to man, no matter who or what they are.” His sincere voice shook Haiyoto upright.

Eldor stared at the small group of Heroes, then back at Stan who idly stood beside him with sheets of white papers.

“Are those kiddies from the same world, Stan lad?” He asked.

“Uh, hey, Amy – Haiyoto, you’re from Earth, right?” The professor asked with a quick voice.

“Yep. Definitely from Earth!” Amy replied as Haiyoto gave him a small nod.

“Well then, kiddies there are pretty well mannered. Better than the lot in the Institute who don’t give a bloody damn about learnin’ anythin’.” His voice suddenly grew louder, making the old man leverage a hefty sigh.

“Don’t remind me.”

Ectarod, seeing that their meeting had finally come to a closure and was replaced with small talk, parted from the table.

“Let’s go, my dear. We’ll prepare for our trip.”

Sectra firmly nodded and turned to Clark. The shade of violet her hair was perfectly matched her directing eyes.

“We’ll meet again, Clark.” She grinned and took off with the king.

“See you around, I guess.” He casually replied and watched the girl closely follow her father.

Acknowledgements for their safe travels were given as they left, silently disappearing into the hallway leading to the vertic-port.

And when they vanished, the dwarf let loose of a violent sigh.

“I bloody forgot about those insane Commanders of his! Stan lad, we can’t dabble around ‘ere any longer! Yer’ part of this deal now, an’ you’ll die with me if we can’t get this airship up an’ runnin’!”

Eldor held either side of his pale cloak and shook him from his stomach, rather than from the collar. Amy wanted to laugh at the sight but managed to restrain herself.

“Wait, what are you talking about!? Why are we going to die!?” Stan had absolutely no idea what the dwarf was saying, but because of the urgency in his voice, he had no choice but to listen.

“Lad, we’re not just goin’ to die. We’re goin’ to die by them, do you understand that!? There’s that vampire-looking woman who’ll probably eat your neck, and the insane black-haired lady who’ll shoot iron pebbles at us!”

Whatever he was saying, he concluded with one thing – finish the airship and pray that someone wouldn’t bite his neck or shoot pebbles at him.

In an entirely different world to Earth, he couldn’t help but to abide and heed Eldor’s warning. With haste, he broke free from the dwarf and quickly made his way towards the exit, nearly losing his glasses in the process.

“Oi! Abandonin’ me are ya!? Ah, that man walks faster than I can run.” He muttered, following the astronomer into the black-bricked hallway. “Oh yeah, don’t forget about the number of logs we’ll be needin’ Anoma. And plenty of good steel as well!”

“I’ll let the adventurers know.” She hummed, watching the dwarf waddle hurriedly after the man.

And in their disappearance, silence returned at last.

For a moment, anyway.

“Hahaha. What was that all about?” Amy suddenly giggled to herself. “A comedy skit?”

“What just happened?” Haiyoto could only utter.

“Eldor Karkel, that’s what.” Clark sighed.

Anoma took a step towards the hallway and hummed before spinning around again.

“That’s our que to leave. Let’s go, Cardinal. Let see if our Exrenity really is the Maiden of Time.”

At those words, the old man lit up.

“Ah! Give me a moment.” He rubbed his wooden staff with a free hand, the rougher edges smoothening out with each stroke.

Anoma turned and made her way for the vertic-port, a hand raised to say a goodbye to her son and the Heroes behind.

She walked with hasty strides through the rather tight passageway. It was shorter and much smaller than the entrances of the other floors. As she just about reached the vertic-port, a sudden group of unfamiliar faces appeared before her.

And before she could stop herself – she failed to notice the dangerously close girl beneath her nose. With a heavy thump, she ran into her.

“Ah! Are you ok!?” She immediately reached a hand to the girl by reflex.

However, the black-haired girl was thankfully able to hold her ground, only stumbling back a few steps as she hovered a hand over her nose.

“Sorry Exrite! I didn’t expect someone to be on their way out!” Talia quickly used her healing magic to sooth the pain, as Anoma silently gazed at the girl.

She had heard that name before.

Inspecting the girl further, she noticed her eyes.

“Your majesty Anoma!?” Inkshard suddenly realised who the woman was.

Talia, who heard the cry, immediately faced the heavily armoured woman with a peculiar face. She wondered what the queen, or rather, the Guild master was doing on this floor.

It should’ve just been the kings and a few of their knights, or so she thought.

“Priestesses – who are these people?” She asked, almost demanding

For some reason, she couldn’t tear herself away from Exrite’s eyes. The dangerous crimson-red of her left was identical to the Exrenity’s Eye of Despair. But what intrigued her more, was the bright, light-blue eye.

By instinct, she knew it was different. Her honed ability to assess individuals just at a glance was second nature to her as the Guild master of both kingdoms.

“They’re companions of the Exrenity.” Talia only answered with.

Anoma hummed to her response. She was certain only two of them were with the Exrenity during that night.

Then it hit her. A quaking realisation suddenly caused her to shudder. The metal gauntlets groaned under the might of her strength as her scrutinising eyes drilled deep into Exrite’s uncertain ones.

Is this perhaps the Maiden of Time?

A wry smile formed on her face.

If what Inclark said was true, then this person was perchance the Exrenity, but in the body of the Maiden of Time. It would explain her eyes, and why she was among the companions of the Exrenity.

Her heart raced at the thought of this girl being the Maiden of Time as her breaths became stagnated.

Exrite noticed the woman’s prying eyes and raised her guard. Even if she was an important figurehead, the stigma of royalty remained. Only the kings were the ones she could bring herself to wholeheartedly trust with any of her secrets.

“You’re Exrite, aren’t you? Our supposed Exrenity?” She asked, a slowly stroking her chin.

Exrite looked over at Talia, then Inkshard for their input. With Talia’s stern eyes, and a nod from Inkshard, she reluctantly sighed.

“Yes, I’m the Exrenity.” Her voice was slow and wary.

While Khaos and Frosty were more simply dressed, Exrite was the only one who donned more comprehensive gear. Pale plate armour scattered in various places across her body, particularly the vitals. Beneath, a long, black dress covered her body and arms, while black pants hid her bare legs from sight.

The tightness of it was uncomfortable, compounded by the heavy armour. However, Talia insisted that she should make her first impression as memorable as possible, since it would the first time a Maiden, no less the Maiden of Time, would shed light of their existence.

Exrite, who had only recently been a man with a curse, found herself in a situation where history could repeat itself. Like immortality, there was no knowing just how much people would sacrifice to harness the power of a Maiden.

Would they experiment on her? Entrap or imprison her? Make her conform to their ideals?

Her extreme thoughts weren’t from wild speculation or paranoia; these came from experience. A decade of it, no less. Even if she knew this was the trusted king’s aide, and the possibilities of such a thing occurring were low – she couldn’t bring herself to shake off the intense fear.

Her blood began to boil.

But before she could say anything, Talia’s voice suddenly emerged from the silence.

“Are the kings still here?”

“I’m afraid they’ve just left. However, there’s a few of us still on this floor.” Anoma stated, removing the green gauntlet from a hand.

She never broke away from Exrite’s eyes. More than anything, she wanted to feel for her girl’s body to accurately gauge her mana capacity, among other things.

But of course, she wouldn’t do it without her consent.

“Exrite, are you perchance the Maiden of Time?”

The girl in question replied with only a stern gaze and lightly clenched fists. Frosty wanted to ask how she knew, but considering the kings were recently here according to her – they must’ve told her.

For the time being, Frosty and Khaos were sceptical, but rather fine with her knowing this. Exrite was the same, except a part of her subconsciously gnawed at her mind.

“Anoma, was there a reason the kings told you this?” Talia curiously asked.

“I wish I could read my love’s mind and tell you why. He only told me to take care of Exrite, not that I know what he meant by that.” She said.

Exrite blankly blinked to those words.

“Take care of me?” She uttered in confusion.

The woman sighed.

“Don’t ask me. I’m just as confused as you are.” She hummed with an annoyed voice and held out her bare hand. “Maybe, he wants you to become stronger through me.”

It would be a reasonable explanation, but the king was someone who looked out for others more than anything. It could’ve meant to just treat her well or on equal terms. But considering her position as the Guild master, who was rumoured to be at the peak of strength – there was a chance that the king wanted her to tutor Exrite personally.

She hummed at the thought, realising that through monitoring her, the Exrenity and the Maiden of Time, she could become a powerful asset to the kingdom’s might. However – that role was for the Heroes and their greater white knights. She knew that much, at least.

But Truebirth and Pathfist were the only kingdoms who followed the Children of Balance. The Exrenity surely wouldn’t turn their back on the people of the Gods.

Above all, she hoped that Exrite would return the favour.

“May I check your general strength, Exrite?” Anoma asked, the hand growing closer to the girl.

“For what reason?” Exrite asked, still untrusting of the woman.

“I want to know what you, the Maiden of Time and Exrenity, are capable of. It’ll help create a baseline for what I can teach you to get stronger. You’ve only just become the Maiden of Time, after all.”

Exrite’s eyes lit up for a moment. It seemed to good to be true. There had to be a catch.

“And what do you want from me in return?”

“Your strength in the eleventh hour.”

Exrite tilted her head slightly, wondering what she meant by that. It was an odd phrase. One she had never heard of.

Seeing the confused girl, Anoma smiled.

“We want your help when all else fails.”

“Shouldn’t that be a given?” Exrite grinned with passionate eyes. “But I want my friends in as well.”

“Those two? Sure. But don’t expect me to pull any punches, just because you’re the Maiden of Time and the Exrenity. We’re at the brink of a war, and every second counts.”

“We understand.” Exrite proudly stated.

The woman wanted to sigh, but she refrained. The girl’s earnest face reminded her of herself when she was younger.

With her bare hand, she gently reached for Exrite’s forehead as everyone intently watched from aside. Footsteps approached them from the hallway behind, revealing the wrinkled face of the old man Cardinal and the rest.

“This won’t be long.” She assured.

Anoma’s finger tapped her forehead, a translucent magical circle suddenly taking form as her eyes flickered with shining symbols. In the course of only a few seconds, over a thousand had passed, each distinct in shape and size. By the time Cardinal had completely emerged from the passageway, Anoma reeled her hand and stagged backwards.

Her eyes were suddenly filled with utmost disbelief as a stinging pain throbbed from her fingertips.

“Two readings?” She uttered in confusion.

“What did you see?” Exrite keenly asked as the woman tried to recuperate from the shock.

For every person she had analysed, there would only be one reading. If she wasn’t mistaken, Exrite had two bodies, rather than just the one.

But that wasn’t why she had backed off. Other than noticing the two bodies, there was nothing else – except for a ticking sound. And when she tried to have a closer look at the source, a surge of pain suddenly electrified her body and shoved her out of the analysis.

“Just ticking, and that’s it. But I didn’t expect to get ejected like that. That’s a first.” She rubbed her finger soothingly before rearming her gauntlet.

“That’s because of the phenomenon known as magical resistance.” Cardinal informed Anoma as he took a stand beside her.

The old man had quite the impression on the group, particularly Exrite who was immediately drawn to the pointy hat and staff. He was the very definition of a mage.

“A vastly superior mana reserve can entirely dilute lower-tiered magic.” He added, garnering more eyes towards him. “Ah, I apologise, young Maiden. This one is Cardinal, and I am the founder of the Institute of Magic. It is an honour to stand before you.”

Exrite’s blood suddenly chilled the moment the old man lowered his head. Without a second thought, she held out her hands and urged him to stop.

“Please, there’s no need for any of that.” She spoke with a stern yet gentle voice.

“Humble of you, Maiden.”

“She’s Exrite. Stop trying to win favours.” Anoma nudged him.

There was a soft frown that hovered on Exrite’s face. She wanted to avoid any ‘special’ treatment for being the Exrenity, let alone the Maiden of Time. If she let it go on, there was no telling how easily her ego could inflate and blind her.

She intrinsically feared corruption, or anything that could potential deviate her from her normal state of mind. Neither did she want to be part of the higher ups – particularly when she hadn’t done much at all for the kingdom.

It would all feel artificial. No genuine warmth – just cold eyes.

Her fists clenched. But before she could stray any further into the depths of her thought, Frosty flicked her arm.

“Don’t doze off on us again.” She hummed beside her.

It seemed like she could tell when Exrite was falling to the Eye’s control. From her subtle dazes, to the overt anger, Frosty felt like she had somewhat of a handle of it. For now, at least.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Exrite.” Talia heard her voice and simply called her name.

“Sor- Thanks.” Exrite nearly fell victim to her habit, causing Khaos to chuckle as Anoma stared at her with a peculiar face.

“Exrite, is it? Are you sure you don’t have any other names you want to be called by?” Cardinal asked.

“Just… yeah, Exrite.” She wondered if ‘Frost’ would be ok, but immediately realised that it could end up rousing the Eye and leak her identity.

Frost Extrial, the ‘kidnapped’ son of the king of Enthile.

In the background, Khaos unknowingly walked into Inkshard, causing the girl to hiss at him in anger as she cried “Are you making fun of my size!?” from out of nowhere.

“My bad, I didn’t see you at all. Can’t you light the vertic-ports up?”

“We’ve tried, but it creates an explosion of light during teleportation. Not to mention the heat.” Talia sighed and stared at the towering Khaos who carefully lumbered towards Exrite in the dim light.

She wondered if it really was too dark in the vertic-ports.

“Can we take this elsewhere? We might be blocking people from using this.” Khaos asked, just grazing Exrite’s shoulder with his fingers in a failed attempt to tap her.

“Yeah, we’ve been stuck back here for a bit. Can we please move on?” Amy’s voice loudly called from the congested passageway.

Chatter amongst the Heroes erupted, but their thoughts remained the same; they needed to prepare to travel to Fairant with Clark and the greater white knights.

Remembering this was the case, Anoma clicked her tongue and glanced at the old man before directing her brown eyes at Exrite.

“We’ll continue this conversation on the floor below. I hear you’re living there, Exrite and Co.” Anoma hummed and stepped away from the entrance, allowing the Heroes and Clark to flood through.

With a scanning glance, she snapped her fingers with a satisfied grin.

“I hope you’ll let us investigate that ticking of yours.”

“So long as you don’t cut me open.” Exrite half-joked.

There was an eerie tone hinted in her voice, one that only Talia seemed to pick up.

With narrowed eyes, she wondered whether there was a deeper meaning behind those words.

But she would have to ask another time.