By nightfall, the shadow returned.
It didn't knock or announce itself. It simply formed, seeping from the corner of the glass-paneled lounge like darkness given shape. The temperature dropped subtly. Ania sensed it first, pausing mid-sketch as she sat with her colored pencils and Yureiv quietly watching over her from his canvas perch, propped up with care in a sunlight-safe frame nearby.
Everyone fell silent.
The Shadow Guard Sofie had sent earlier now stood among them, its form solid and brooding. Its presence was different this time, tense, heavy, like it had passed through something vile.
Sofie stepped forward calmly. "What did you find?"
The shadow lifted its head ever so slightly.
"Volton is not hiding," it said with a whisper like wind over bone. "He is waiting."
Slacovich clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he approached.
The shadow continued, voice steady. "He has four Reapers, perfect ones. No decay, no rebellion. These are not defectives. These are refined. Obedient. Dangerous."
Diego muttered under his breath. "So the defectives were just noise."
Li snorted from where she lounged on the stairs. "Like tossing scrap metal to keep dogs barking while he preps the real blades."
Just then, the front door unsealed with a subtle hiss.
Tyler stepped in, coat slightly torn, dust along his boots from the field. A report scrolled on the datapad in his hand, and in his other arm, he was already lifting Ania up mid-conversation.
"I told them I'd pick up the storm in here," he said with a chuckle. "Looks like I walked into the eye of it."
Ania clung to his shoulder, eyes serious now. "Did you know Volton's playing chess with monsters?"
"Yeah, sweetheart," Tyler said, tossing a look toward Slacovich. "And we're holding the black pieces."
Yureiv remained silent in his painting, but his eyes followed her, always. Sofie glanced toward the canvas, noting how naturally he fit in this space. After all, the argument had been settled before. Ania had made it clear: she wouldn't be going home without him.
And Nicholson, bruised heart and all, didn't dare say no.
Slacovich turned back to Sofie. "It's time we plan our next move."
Sofie gave a nod. "The storm's close."
Outside, the sky hung still, quiet, deceptive. Volton's war hadn't even started yet.
As the Demonfire talked about their strategy, Ania, while playing with one of Li's tools, heard a silent whisper echo inside her head. She walked toward Sofie, gently tugging her sleeve.
Sofie looked her way, pinching her soft cheek gently.
"Bored playing? Want me to play with you?"
Ania shook her head, then spoke. "Big Sis Sofie, she said my body can handle another fragment of her soul."
Sofie, General Richard, and Slacovich stiffened after hearing Ania's words.
"Queen Nimpha talked to you again?" Slacovich now knelt in front of her, worried.
"Yes. She said I can handle it now."
"But wait a minute, a fragment of her soul? I thought you were just able to feel her presence." Richard asked as he also walked toward Ania.
"No, she came back with me, a part of her. When she showed me her memory last time."
Yureiv then remembered the note in that particular memory. "The note. If she's here to tell the truth about the Shadow Guards, then that memory holds the key."
"Guys, guys, what's this about?" Tyler picked Ania up, out of concern. "Soul fragment? Her body can handle it now? What's happening?"
"Tyler, calm down. We will tell you everything about it, all of you. This is something everyone should know anyway." Slacovich headed toward the conservatory, followed by everyone else.
They all headed toward the resting nook, settled themselves, and tackled Ania's situation.
"Now that we're settled, what's going on?" Tyler still held Ania in his arms, no intention of letting her go.
"Actually, we don't even know the full details, as we just also heard about it recently," Sofie responded.
"Then what did she mean about her body being able to handle a fragment of whoever's soul it was?" Tyler wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt Ania.
"The first time Queen Nimpha approached her, she was suffering from a mysterious fever." Sofie now felt the sudden shift in the air around Tyler.
"I'm not letting her suffer the same thing twice. Ania's just a child!" Tyler's fangs showed up, ready to fight against anyone.
Ania, with her small hands, held Tyler's hands and gave them a squeeze.
"Big Brother Tyler, Nimpha wouldn't hurt me. She said that time was an accident. But this time she's making sure I'm okay." Ania gave him a smile that instantly softened Tyler's rage, retracting his fangs.
"I just don't want you getting hurt, Ania. You know how precious you are. Ara asked us to protect you in her dying wish. I hope you understand my worries." Tyler gave Ania a kiss on her forehead.
"I know. That's why I'm trying to be strong too, so I can protect myself and protect all of you." Ania's words reached each of their hearts, showing how pure and deep her love for them goes.
"If you want to protect us, then you shouldn't hide anything from us. Why did you have a fever that time?" Tyler put her down on the seat next to him.
"That's because her soul was unstable. She said that it'll hurt, and I need to endure it a bit."
"How did you end up with her soul in the first place?" Li asked while giving her a snack.
"She came out with me when Yureiv and I got pulled into her memory. I saw her crying, so I went to her and asked if I could take her away. She was crying, so I needed to comfort her. I took her with me."
"Wait Ania, ahmmmm... can you ask someone to take me there too? I need to be close to you. They need to hear my side too."
Yureiv, left inside Ania's room, listened to their conversation and communicated with her through their bond.
"Yureiv wants to be taken here too. He's in my room."
"The painting from before?" Diego asked. Ania nodded, and without hesitation, Diego fetched the painting. When he got back to the conservatory, he placed the painting on the table, facing up.
"This is a bit awkward, but this will do. Before anything else, Ania, you said you saw Queen Nimpha crying?" Yureiv asked as he was trying to position himself inside the painting in a less awkward spot.
"Yes, she was crying. Where were you when we got pulled in? Because you weren't there."
Yureiv: "This just means we were pulled into different memories."
Sofie: "Wait, Yureiv. You caused a memory interference when we were in the infirmary. We couldn't even remember you. Even Nicholson, who's with you every day. Carolina too."
Yureiv: "That? I don't know. I was desperate at that time because I was suffocating."
Ania stood up from her seat and climbed up on the table to sit next to Yureiv.
"She's ready when you are, she says. And all of your questions will be answered if you let her explain."
Slacovich: "In what way does she want to communicate with us?"
Ania: "She said she needs to pull me into one of her memories, and that I just need to take another Nimpha with me again."
General Richard: "So basically, you're gathering a part of her soul this way. I'm intrigued."
Sofie: "What got you intrigued, General?"
General Richard: "The Ring of Seal. It collects the souls of those Queens who perished. It feeds on their soul. Like a payment from a loan."
Slacovich: "You're saying the ring loans its power while the debtor pays it with her soul?"
General Richard: "Exactly. But Queen Nimpha never activated the ring. I was with the ring all the time, waiting for it to be awakened again."
Sofie: "This is getting confusing."
Tyler: "I guess it's vital now to let her be heard."
Ania: "She's asking if it's okay for me to go now."
Slacovich: "Yureiv, please protect Ania."
Yureiv: "I will, as long as we're inside the same memory."
"Tell her we're ready, Ania. But are you ready?" Sofie tucked Ania's hair behind her ears.
"Yes. I'm ready. She said she'll take care of me." Ania held onto the painting.
A blinding light appeared, sucking Ania inside the painting. They looked at it again to check if they could see Ania inside. But they didn't. Even the painting felt lifeless now. This only meant, they were somewhere entirely caught in a space between time and truth.
---
Ania was separated again from Yureiv, but she didn't mind since Nimpha was with her this time. With Nimpha's guidance, she found Nimpha's soul fragment. Unlike the first time that she saw her crying, this soul was afraid. She was trembling. Ania walked toward the soul and comforted her.
"Hello, other Nimpha. Why are you shaking? Are you afraid?" Nimpha looked at her, her gaze shifting toward her other self.
"You found one, but you're a kid. How are you even---" Her words got cut off as she saw Ania's pure soul. It glowed, as if nobody could ever taint it.
"Are you alright?"
"No, I am not. But I will be, with your help."
"I'm here to help you. All you need to do is take my hand." Ania offered her hand with a smile. And Nimpha took it.
As soon as their hands met, the two souls combined, making half of Nimpha's soul whole again. Her silhouette was now a bit visible.
"Thank you, Ania. Let's get back before your family gets worried." She held Ania's little hand as they walked back to the place where they first arrived.
On the contrary, what Yureiv saw broke his heart. Nimpha's memory, so vivid and so tragic.
He saw her getting raped over and over again by Urdeil. He was furious, but more than that, he was heartbroken. He never thought that the woman he loved suffered such a fate at the hands of someone who claimed to be her new husband. He clenched his fists and hit Urdeil, but he just passed through him. He couldn't do anything to protect Nimpha. He couldn't alter the memory.
---
When both Yureiv and Ania got back, Ania was instantly held in Tyler's embrace.
"Tyler, don't monopolize her. I'm worried too." Li took her into her arms, but was then snatched by Diego.
"You two aren't the only ones worried about her----" Diego looked behind him as Ania was taken away from him.
"We are all worried. I get that, but put the child down first. You're exhausting her." Slacovich said, when he was the one hugging her tightly.
"I need to hug her too." Sofie looked at Slacovich in the eye. With a little puppy stare, Slacovich passed Ania to her.
"Are you okay, Ania?" Sofie asked as she was fixing her hair.
"I'm alright. Since everyone takes good care of me." She gave them a sweet smile.
But one soul wasn't alright.
Yureiv, heartbroken, fell into silence.