It didn't seem real.

Since he became aware of his own existence, he had never seen anything like this. Izama was no stranger to grotesque scenes, accustomed to war and the wounds of others that were earned for vain things like honor or glory, for him, enjoying life and the gifts of the gods was something that fulfilled and pleased him, after fulfilling his duties as the voice of the deities.

This however, was too much for his taste.

It was the first time in his life that what he received was not a whisper, a blurred vision or just a hunch of some action to take, this must be the only exception he had ever heard of, of all the oracles that existed, none that he could remember had said or mentioned anything similar in their writings or narrations.

He was by nature careless, even irresponsible in some instances, but if there was one thing he prided himself on like no other, it was that his task as the voice of the gods was recognized like no other alive, now that no longer seemed like a gift.

He could see first in his visions how the castle of Hoshido appeared before him, in a blink of an eye he was transported to its interior, to the corridors, a place that unconsciously blocked his nose by the smell of death.

"In that long corridor he could see several figures, he did not recognize a girl with a strange armor, but he recognized the clothes of the Hoshidian soldiers and above all, he recognized two figures,

Yukimura who opposed the figure of the former prince of Hoshido, Kamui.

The prince looked convalescent, while a knight with pigtails was trying to help him along with what was a short cobalt-colored girl, as Yukimura raised his hand another figure in front of him began his attack against them.

No matter how hard the three girls tried, they could not withstand the attacks of that thing, the kinshi knight was slammed against the wall, while the girl with pigtails received a blow to the chest as her spear broke, leaving her unconscious for a few moments.

On her side, the cobalt girl tried to move Kamui away from the place, there were more figures there, but Izama's heart was fluttering, he didn't know what he was witnessing or why, but the feeling of approaching the abyss was something that became more present as he witnessed the scene before him.

Again Yukimura without any consideration attacked again, this time he made everyone retreat when that thing threw them through the air, he did not know why everyone was being decimated as if they were simple rag dolls, Kamui could barely get up, he tried to help the girls who were next to him, only receiving several blows from that thing that overwhelmed them.

Despite the amount of blows and attacks that the albino was receiving, he did not seem to retreat, protecting those girls from those attacks, that was when Yukimura got fed up while shouting angrily for such a scene.

That thing ridiculously grabbed them all by the feet and even with the numerical disadvantage, shook them all to just smash them against the walls.

The albino was stunned by the impact, while the other figures remained still, all except one that still reacted.

He felt a terror at the scene, an indescribable terror in his heart, even to the root of his soul, Izama could only witness the brutal carnage he felt approaching, his eyes did not allow him to look away even when his mind screamed at him that he should not witness what was going to happen.

"Enough games, it's time to finish" Yukimura said, thundering his fingers, that thing rushed towards the albino again.

It happened in an instant.

That thing had enough strength to take so many people and use them as toys, it had the size to intimidate anyone, that thing was not something that a human body could have, it was logical to think that the tragedy that happened was just the natural way of things, while the albino's red eyes could only watch, that cobalt-haired girl only watched bitterly as that thing's hand pierced her chest from her back.

"My... moon... beam..." Whispered the girl before being thrown towards the wall, Izama could hear the screams of one of the figures, as the sound of footsteps approached, the other figures that were against Yukimura were slowly starting to react, but Izama's gaze could only be focused on the albino.

Yukimura didn't seem to care about what he had just done, he didn't even bother to cover himself when the blood splatter reached his feet from his action, he just looked annoyed and disgusted.

"As always, a nuisance to the end" He whispered as Kamui crawled to where that girl was.

He seemed absorbed in his own mind, even though Yukimura began to attack him again, the thing he controlled seemed to have lost the ability to move, when the prince finally stood up, the thing began to scream deeply, a screeching sound that grew louder when he was finally in front of the figure.

Izama could clearly see how the prince fell down on his knees when he saw that the light in the eyes of that girl was already extinguished, a muffled scream while hitting the floor below him, at least for Izama it seemed a muffled scream, although all the other figures reacted to that scream, Yukimura as well as the other figures began to bleed all over, holding his head by the pressure he was exerting.

He only looked up after the scream ended to see how the prince no longer wore his own skin, withered scales replaced every part of his body, while his human form twisted into a being he had never seen before, his new claws tearing apart the man who was once considered the most trusted in the kingdom, only to have his head devoured by that new beast in Hoshido after torturous minutes of misery and pain.

Izama recognized other figures that arrived at the place, Prince Ryoma who was stupefied by such a thing, Takumi who tried to hold the inert body of his younger sister, while Princess Hinoka tried not to go mad at losing her friends and her brother in the same night, there were screams, prayers for it to stop, but although there was no point in doing so, even after devouring Yukimura, the beast did not stop destroying what was left of that man.

"IT'S NOT ENOUGH!"

A voice boomed in the place while again, those present were bleeding.

"IT'S NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!"

he shouted as he opened his jaws again towards Ryoma, who could do nothing to defend those present.

Izama had to witness how that beast devoured everyone in its path, the only lucky ones were those who received that curse when the beast came out of the palace, since anyone who heard its scream died before even knowing what happened, leaving only death, a force that does not spare anyone who crosses its path.

A force that no matter how, in time its curse would spread across the land, crying out to every living thing.

The last thing Izama could see before coming out of his trance was how the sky withered and the light was extinguished in the heavens before the figure of the beast that claimed everything in its path.

"THE GODS! THE GODS HAVE SHOWN ME A HORRIBLE FUTURE!" Izana cried out, lamenting through the halls as his sanity abandoned him more and more. "ALERT THE CASTLE! ALERT HOSHIDO! THE HOLLOW HAND WILL STEAL THE LAST LIGHT OF THE DRAGON, TAKING AWAY OUR FUTURE," he screamed endlessly. "IT WILL DEVOUR US ALL!"

"Sir, calm down, its already too late for this kind of scene! w-" Izama didnt take good the intervention of the guards, pushing away, reaching one of his retainers, pushing a scroll on his hand.

"YOU! YOU NEED TO DELIVER THIS RIGHT NOW! TO...to...to..." Izama grabbed his head, another pang on his head "... the songstress...you need... GO TO THE CAPITAL, SHOUT IN THE HALLS IF YOU HAVE TO, LOOK FOR THE SONGSTRESS, SHE´LL KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Chapter 44: Strengh

While Oboro held his hand, Orochi slowly prepared things, Kamui had been secured to the bed, while the fortune-teller prepared the tablet, Oboro stroked Kamui's face.

"It's not too late," she said, trying to contain her discontent. "We can consider other options, there's always something we can do on behalf of others, don't you think?"

"Oboro..." Kamui sighed, it was a pity that his wrists had already been secured. "We need to know if this will work or not. I don't want to hurt you or anyone else."

"But this... this is an extreme situation, it's too radical..."

"What other option do we have?" Kamui asked. "I don't want to put you at risk. If this can ensure that I won't lose control again, then I'll do it."

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt..." Orochi interjected their conversation. "But... the first dose is ready..."

"Kamui..." Oboro squeezed his hand tighter.

"Don't worry... this will... be over sooner than you think, and we'll move forward," he tried to reassure her, with little success.

"I must say Kamui, that this is quite unusual, no one would actively seek to do this," Orochi began to explain. "As I said, it will be a tablet under your tongue. In a moment, we'll put several pieces of cotton to prevent you from hurting your teeth... I'll be honest with you, just holding this in my hand makes me nauseous," she said as she stirred the substance with the tablet. "The effects vary from person to person, but it's most common to try to break free from your restraints, so if you don't want to continue, just move your mouth away, and we'll stop immediately..."

"Just do it," he said with a sigh. He couldn't help it, he was too nervous to think clearly. Even if they had their doubts, this was the best option until they could fix his condition. He opened his mouth as Orochi placed the cotton in his mouth and approached with the tablet. Just as she placed it in place, he immediately felt the pain. He didn't swallow it, but he could feel how the thick solution burned his throat. It didn't last more than 5 seconds before he had to look away instinctively and spit out the tablet, while that ashy taste he could only taste before returned much more potent.

"K-Kamui?!" Oboro quickly tried to calm him down, removing the cotton while he gagged, part of the skin on his cheeks darkening as he struggled to breathe. "You said it was a light dose," she said, looking at Orochi.

"It was a light dose! In fact, it was even lighter than what I planned to use... he..." Orochi examined his face. "...this is more effective on him for some reason, if that's the case, then..."

"I... I'm sorry... I just felt like I had to do it," Kamui said, breathing rapidly. "Ugh... what... what a horrible sensation."

"Sensation?! It looks like you burned your mouth!" Oboro exclaimed. "Really at this point... let's find another solution, please."

"There's no time to look for another solution... I just... need to focus on something else..." Kamui whispered the last part, looking at Oboro, taking her hand, he pulled her and urged her to sit on top of him.

"K-Kamui?" She asked timidly, unable to believe his boldness for doing that.

"Hold me."

"What?"

"I'm telling you to hold me, at least for a few minutes. If I can... get used to the taste of that stuff, maybe we can finish the test."

"I... never agreed to this, and you know it..." She said, squeezing his hand with her fingers interlaced. "I... don't want to see you suffer..."

"... it's necessary," Kamui said as he intertwined their fingers. "We... don't have options... and I can't force you to stay by my side." He sighed wearily. "You might think I'm torturing myself, but the real torture is not being able to control myself at this point... I'm tired of losing things that are important to me..."

"...You're such a fool..." Oboro said as their foreheads touched.

"..." Orochi stayed silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on her hand. She had proposed the use of that abomination as a way to keep him controlled, but seeing this, what was that feeling in the pit of her stomach? An emptiness and discomfort in using something that could technically condemn her as a 'war criminal'. Thinking she was going this far for them, she shook her head, denying her own thought. It wasn't for them, it was mainly for her. "If you'll excuse me..." She interrupted the moment, while Kamui nodded.

"Please, continue," the albino said, making another effort to stay focused.

Meanwhile, in one of the training rooms, the sound of blows could be heard. Hinoka was anxious, lost in her own thoughts, aware of the recent events and, above all, what was happening in that room. She was once again unable to do anything.

As she struck another blow with her practice naginata at the training dummy, her vision blurred as she recalled Yukimura's look that night.

She gritted her teeth, abandoning all technique to simply hit the dummy with all her strength several times until her weapon broke, such an act hurt her wrist, unable to withstand the impact. Impatient and blinded by her thoughts, she threw what was left of the weapon to the ground and sat down abruptly, hugging her legs while trying to catch her breath.

Feeling her hand trembling, how many times had she failed? It happened at the border, it happened at the festival, it happened on the stairs, and now it wasn't just that her strength failed, but that she was useless.

Was there any point in continuing to train?

"I see you're not wasting time, my dear," a voice pulled her out of her thoughts as a towel was casually dropped on her head. Reina laughed while Hinoka could only look away. Had she seen her tantrum? "But... I don't think destroying our equipment and our dummies is beneficial." That confirmed her concern.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with them?" Hinoka asked. Reina scratched her cheek and sat beside her.

"You're not the only one who doesn't understand these things. While the waters settle, I thought I'd check on the Kinshi knights to make sure we're safe, but someone told me a certain princess was making a lot of noise around here."

"Does it matter? We're not in the palace, I can't even go where I want to be. Ever since Ryoma put on his big boy pants, he's making it too hard to move around the palace unless you have a 'reason' to move..."

"...Yeah, I've said it before, your brother is a tremendous ass " Reina sighed, Hinoka couldn't believe the vulgar and disrespectful way she referred to who was technically the new king of Hoshido. This made her turn to look at her. They exchanged glances before letting out a few laughs.

"Well... I guess being my brother... I have some of that in me..."

"Why do you say that?"

"Isn't it obvious? So many things are happening. It seems like Oboro is maturing and growing at an incredible pace. Even those Nohr guys... what's her name? Peri? In months she grew and became tremendously strong. Even Yukimura seems to grow in an unnatural way, but me? I remain irrelevant. I don't know if this is worth it anymore!" She said as she stood up and kicked the remains of her weapon. "...what's the point of training this way? The pegasi aren't in condition to fly right now... I'm still not fully recovered... I feel like I can't do anything..."

"Well, I guess this confirms that it's more than just a crush," Reina thought as she stood up. Hinoka barely had time to react when Reina handed her another practice naginata.

"Huh?" Hinoka pondered while Reina took a few steps away from her to prepare.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked as she twirled the naginata in her hands.

"Are you expecting me to... fight you?" Hinoka asked, a bit fearful.

"I just want to see if what you're saying is true. I think, dear, you believe you're not advancing. I want to confirm if it's true. Besides, I think you still need to let out some of that pent-up energy, right?" She said with a smile.

Slowly, Hinoka approached to exchange blows, performing only typical training movements.

"Alright, let's take it step by step. Why did you mention Peri?"

"Huh?"

"I don't think you've seen much of her, right?" Reina said, giving her a few soft taps on the arm.

"As far as I know, she's at the same level as some of our best guards, but she came out victorious against Yukimura that night you nearly killed him," she said, blocking the blows. "Even hearing what happened that night, I think someone who literally rises from the dead qualifies as 'becoming tremendously strong,' at least to me, proud and dignified"

Reina continued the practice, understanding her feelings. "She was crying."

"Huh?" Hinoka got distracted for a moment, earning a blow to the stomach. She took a few steps back to recover.

"That night I fought alongside her, she was crying at the end. She said something like, 'I finally protected what is precious to Lord Kamui' when the fight was over. It's not that she just became strong; she had a lot of help in the end along with her training."

"She... cried?" That left Hinoka bewildered as they continued practicing their blows.

"Oboro, on the other hand, hasn't stopped maturing not because she tried, but because she was forced to," Reina said, laughing. "Not just her, but you too. But in her case, she had to let go of many things—her little crush on Takumi, her hatred towards the Nohrians, even accepting that Yukimura, who recommended her to Takumi as his retainer, is the one forcing her hand to do the right thing. They haven't matured at the same speed simply because you haven't had to suffer what she has."

"And Yukimura? What's his excuse?"

"That guy hasn't grown at all," Reina said, her blows getting heavier for a moment. "From what I understand, he's just been a leech all this time, taking what's not his and using it for his own benefit. Even so, we've stopped him with all his tricks."

"Is that true?" Hinoka asked, her blows becoming faster. "All this time, it feels like we've been dancing in his hands. To be honest, I think we've just had a lot of luck. If the fox girl hadn't been there, if Oboro hadn't saved Kamui, even if you hadn't consoled him, we wouldn't be where we are. But not only that, it seems like every time something bad happens, it only happens when he´s with me!"

"Honey, I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself, not to mention that you weren't there when he 'broke' that night."

Hinoka stopped short, blushing and looking away. "I... didn't mean to... I'm sorry... it wasn't my intention..."

"It's okay," Reina gave her a pat on the shoulder to resume their practice. "But now that I look at you closely... are you... trying to imitate me?" Hinoka blushed again.

"What other option do I have?" she replied, frustrated. "The Tendo-Ryu combat style* hasn't served me at all! I haven't been able to make any progress in my defense or attack forms that have helped in these moments. Is it wrong to-" Before she could finish, Reina swept her leg, making her fall on her back from the impact.

"I see that you've been driven by your hatred for everything we've been through lately. You're trying to imitate my fighting style, but you forget that I don't fight with hate or animosity, but with experience and the thrill of battle," she continued, while Hinoka grew angrier. Reina swept her leg again to prove her point, making her fall once more. "Honey, I know this is your main motivation, but if you keep blinded by it, there's no way you can handle what might happen next if you continue like this."

"Are you telling me this?! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE!? The one known as the 'battle-crazed maiden', that my motivation is wrong?" Hinoka tried to thrust at her, but on the first attempt, Reina slid her naginata to trip her up, then struck her with the soft part of the weapon right behind the head as she fell to the ground again.

"Honey, I fought before simply because I wanted to. I didn't go into it like you, driven by a thirst for revenge, but by the thrill of battle. It's something the Kinshi doctrine teaches us. You, on the other hand, do you know why you were instructed in the Tendo-Ryu doctrine? Precisely because it focuses on defending yourself and others. That's why Pegasi are used in defense tactics and Kinshi in attack tactics. Even if you wanted to wholeheartedly learn how I fight, your body is already accustomed to this defensive way of fighting. You won't achieve anything if you try to imitate me. You're just making a fool of yourself."

"I thought you came to comfort me," Hinoka retorted angrily, standing up. "Not to tell me that fighting is useless."

"As your... ugh... superior on the battlefield, it's my duty to train you in the proper use of your skills. Look at Peri and Silas. Even in the fight against Yukimura, when they had to defend others and Silas was the best choice, Peri had to face that fool. She didn't change her way of fighting, but used her training in the best way to protect them, even if it was an aggressive training."

"But I can't do anything!" she said angrily. "No matter how much I tell you that I can't, you don't seem to understand!"

"You're the one who doesn't understand. It's frustrating how you think that by changing your fighting style like this you could improve. You're only putting yourself and those you defend in danger."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Don't give up!" Reina said, pushing her back. "You've never given up, that's why we've been able to get here! Honey, you say bad things only happen when you're with him, but you don't see all the good you've done. Not only in your training and your fighting style but you've managed to do things that others couldn't. Do I need to remind you how we couldn't even change his bandages before? You were the one who could take his hand in the first place!" Reina said with tears in her eyes. "I could only do things AFTER YOU HELPED US, Oboro could only approach him AFTER YOU CONVINCED HIM, Sakura could only heal him AFTER YOUR INTERVENTION. HOW CAN YOU WANT TO THROW AWAY THAT DETERMINATION WHEN IT'S THIS SAME DETERMINATION THAT MADE HIM STOP ATTEMPTING TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE?!"

Hinoka started sobbing along with her. They had long since stopped fighting and were just yelling at each other. When the princess dropped her weapon, Reina did the same and embraced her.

"I'm... tired of feeling useless..." Hinoka said, trying to control herself.

"Honey, you're not useless. We just haven't been able to prepare for this. That fool abused our trust and weaknesses to make us doubt. Now that we're so close, it wouldn't be right to change our ways when it's these very ways that have allowed us to get to this point..."

"...Reina... I..."

"PRINCESS HINOKA! WE NEED- UH... Oh... sorry... am I... interrupting something?" One of the guards appeared with a note in his hand.

"What is it?" Hinoka asked, wiping away her tears.

"Well... you see... your brother is unavailable... so... we couldn't entrust this to Princess Sakura... there's a... um... situation at the entrance."

The guard attempted to explain the situation as they made their way to the main entrance. Some soldiers were trying to calm things down, while a group of acolytes seemed distressed. One of them waved frantically to get Hinoka's attention.

As the guard had mentioned, the acolytes were from the principality of Izumo. Despite being known as advocates of peace, they were strangely stained with what looked like blood. They had caused quite a scene, refusing medical attention until they spoke with someone from the royal family.

Shortly after, with Reina's support, the leader of the acolytes was escorted to a more private room to talk, away from prying ears.

"L-Lady Hinoka, I'm sorry, but I really need to deliver this. We have to move as soon as possible!" the acolyte said, handing over a paper and wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Calm down, we need to inform Ryoma of your arrival first. It's strange for you to come here, we-" Hinoka stopped abruptly as she opened the note. Why did she feel a pressure in her stomach? This emptiness in her chest wasn't normal. She hadn't read the note yet, but just seeing the writing, it seemed like something out of a local horror story. The name "Kamui" was scribbled over and over in a disturbing manner. Barely anything legible could be seen in the middle of the note, which she assumed was the message. "...What is this?"

"Apologies, Princess Hinoka. I know it's sudden. We flew all night to get here. We know it's terribly rude, but Duke Izana asked us as his last wish to deliver this to you."

"Wait, what? Last wish?" Reina was stunned. "The Duke Izana… is dead?"

"I-I'm afraid so…" the acolyte replied nervously.

"Wait, I don't understand. Are we talking about Izana? The one known as 'the voice of the gods'? How could someone with 'divine protection' have died? He wasnt old enough to die of 'old age', he couldnt even catch a cold either! Last I heard, he was supposed to come for the winter festival to commemorate our peace agreement," Hinoka said.

"This is... sudden, out of all norms... Was he murdered?" Reina was trying to stay focused.

"...Well, no... he... died... but we don't know if he was murdered or not."

"What do you mean you don't know if he was murdered or not?!" Hinoka asked angrily. "You can't tell me you don't know after dropping this on us!"

"It's hard to determine, Princess Hinoka. Duke Izana only gave me this note and the instruction to deliver it... as his last wish. We couldn't disobey it, given the less than 24-hour timeframe he screamed about." The acolyte swallowed hard. "He just said that and... it happened..."

"Happened? What exactly happened?" Reina asked.

"Duke Izana had secluded himself in his quarters. Last night, he came out frenzied, saying something about 'it will devour us all,' and wrote this note. When he gave it to me and told me to come... he simply died in my arms…"

"Only a nosebleed and then he collapsed… Several healers tried to help, but the last thing I heard was that he had no pulse before I left the principality…"

"So, you're not sure?"

"No one has officially confirmed his death, but it's not something they'd admit immediately. The need for me to deliver this, despite being one of Izana's closest acolytes and not staying by his side in these moments... I can only interpret it as his 'last will.' I don't see any other reason to be here…" He sighed. "Sorry, it's just… I don't see anything else here. Master Izana can be quite exaggerated at times… but saying we'll be 'devoured' over and over..."

"Don't you trust your master's visions?" Reina asked.

"Of course, I do! At least not in this aspect!" He said, placing his hand on his face. "He can make pretty accurate predictions... when he's in his right mind. If he's depressed… well, when he was depressed, he could predict 'there will be no water,' and we could panic if our wells dried up… only to find that the bird baths in the west garden were broken, and indeed, there was no clean water for the birds for a few hours… this being 'devoured'… doesn't make much sense to me."

Illogical? No, after everything they had gone through, it seemed quite plausible that after pushing Kamui so much, what was baffling about the letter was that it was more than just a bunch of meaningless words. 'The moonbeam girl'? A nickname? The 'white dragon' was obviously Kamui, but the other nicknames? They definitely resented Izana for not being clear. Although the previous message hadn't said much, this one had more details but ironically made less sense. Hinoka had to internally apologize to the deceased for thinking ill of him, if he was indeed dead, but all of this was too strange.

Hinoka closed her eyes for a moment, unsure of what to say or comment. They had received messages from Izana before, but those had been clearer. This one was too ambiguous, too out of place, with words she could barely understand, let alone form into a coherent phrase.

"For now, we will be verifying this. Thank you for bringing it to our attention," Reina commented. With a wave of her hand, the guard who was with them escorted the acolyte out. "We will notify about this incident and be prepared, don't worry," she said before the acolyte left, sighing in relief, she placed a reassuring hand on Hinoka's shoulder. "We need to analyze this carefully. If what he's saying has any truth, we could be facing something serious."

"Seriously? We should start by beating Yukimura to make sure he isn't plotting something, then stay with Kamui until the day passes. This is clearly an 'end of the world' situation. We barely managed to get through that night..." She said, biting her lip in frustration.

"Believe me, sweetheart, there's nothing I'd like more than that, but we need to prepare first, we—" She was interrupted as someone knocked on the door. One of the main guards from the fourth floor entered with panic in his expression.

"Ex-Excuse me, Princess Hinoka!" He began as other guards followed behind him. "It-It's an emergency situation!"

"Now what?" She asked, irritated.

"W-Well... Prince Ryoma has put us on high alert, the entire castle is being searched and checked. He also ordered us to escort you at all times to ensure your safety!"

"What? This can't wait? We need to move before they start sealing off corridors and floors. It can't be as serious as Yukimura having disappeared," Reina said sarcastically, but upon seeing the guard's horrified expression, she lost her patience. "…This is a joke, right?"

"W-We are very sorry, but we cannot disclose rumors that might cause panic and misinformation. We… uh…" The guard tried to continue, but when Reina stepped in front of him and gave him that icy stare, he couldn't continue his speech.

"We had established several perimeters around his room, gave contingency plans, and even placed several specialized squads to monitor the area. Can you explain to me exactly how…?" Reina glanced at the papers in his hands. They were the testimonies of those present. She couldn't help but open her eyes wide as she read the descriptions of what they saw. Her blood boiled as she crumpled the papers. "…This is… he dared to…?" She looked at Hinoka, scaring her in the process. "Excuse me, but follow his instructions."

"Excuse me? Reina?! Where are you going?!"

"I'm going to rip that damn fool's head off."

He woke up suddenly, sweating from the intense pain in his chest and stomach. He gasped for air, but his breathing was painful and hurt his throat. A gentle hand on his chest as he coughed pulled him out of that state of stress.

"Easy, take slow and steady breaths," Oboro said, helping him sit up.

"Ugh... what... what happened?" He looked around, still with that horrible taste in his mouth, which seemed to have permeated his throat and gums. "Is it that late already?"

"It's just sunset, don't worry," she said, stroking his face. "I... I'm so proud of you."

"Proud? But what..." Kamui felt dizzy as Oboro kept him steady. "Ugh... this is..."

"Easy, take it slow," she said, resting his head on her shoulder. Her embrace seemed to keep him conscious, as if just holding him could prevent him from breaking.

"Tell me... did it work?"

"Well... somewhat," she sighed, giving him a small kiss on the forehead. "I had to stop everything..."

"Huh? Why?"

"You fainted and started swallowing that stuff. Orochi said we could proceed if I let her clean you up, but I refused to continue. I just... didn't see any point in making you suffer more unnecessarily."

"Unnecessarily? But it's supposed to..." He felt dizzy again with a stabbing pain in his stomach. "This is... different from what she said..."

"Well, she didn't expect you to have resistance to this kind of treatment. Even with the curse, Orochi was surprised you weren't reacting as she wanted. Maybe we could have had better results, but it wasn't safe, so I just had her prepare in case you wanted to continue, not to keep going in your state..."

"... " He sighed, resting on her shoulder. He had hoped it would work this time. He didn't see that 'Elise' or hear her voice, but being too cautious was never a bad thing.

"Are you upset we didn't continue?"

"No, I'm... tired..." he said, collapsing back onto the bed. "I just thought this time I could actually do something..." He could hear the noise behind the walls, the guards moving from one place to another while the conversations behind the false mirror grew louder and louder. "Has something happened?"

"They haven't told me anything, they just told me to keep you close," Oboro said, stroking his head. "I really don't know what Ryoma is doing, but it's starting to get on my nerves."

"You're not the only one," Kamui said, trying not to doze off again.

"Well, enough of that. Do you want to stay here a while longer, or do you want to eat something? It's not much, but I can request things from the kitchen and prepare something simple here."

"I don't really feel that hungry... and with all the noise outside, I don't think I could focus on eating. I just feel like it would stress me out too much..."

"Is there something I can do to help you relax?" There was something, but he felt embarrassed just thinking about it. During the campaign in Nohr, Elise would always sneak into his room to rest her head on his lap, and he would stroke her fluffy hair. It might be rude, but doing that gave him a certain satisfaction, knowing she was safe and within reach. Camilla always said she looked like a little kitten seeking his lap, but to him, she was more like a bunny. "You're taking too long to think," Oboro said, blushing a little. Kamui barely realized he had been staring at her legs for too long. "Come on, if you don't take this opportunity, I won't let you off after staring at the merchandise for so long," she said with a sarcastic tone.

"Eh? I wasn't—" He didn't have time to protest as Oboro gently placed his head on her lap. There was a reason he didn't want to do this, and it was because it put him in a lethargic state, too relaxed.

"Why are you trying to escape? Are you uncomfortable?" she asked while ensuring they were both comfortable. "Or is it that... you've grown tired of this?"

"No! No, it's just that..." The way she played with his hair, the sensation of her fingers sliding through it, gently massaging him in such a delicate manner, was simply too hypnotic for him. Even with the lingering sensation in his mouth, hearing her give small laughs while she pampered him completely lowered his guard. "...it's just that I don't want to fall asleep again. I feel like if I do, I won't be able to get my normal sleep hours back," he said, yawning.

"Well, this is certainly your fault," she said playfully.

"My fault?"

"Yes, it's too easy to want to do this with you. It's your fault for being so sincere, for opening up to me and making me open up to you. So yes, you'll have to deal with the fact that it's your fault that I have you in my hands~"

"Doesn't that apply to you too, if you're so enamored with me?"

"Of course it does. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No..."

"Good, then just enjoy it. I know it makes you sleepy, but you need to relax, so try to stay with me for now, okay?"

"Well... it's a bit difficult..." he said, yawning.

"We can do a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Well, couple things, for example," she said with a mischievous smile.

"...You know we're being watched, right?"

"Come on, simple things," she said with a playful laugh. "How about... nicknames?"

"Nicknames?"

"Yes! I feel like it's time for something like that. Besides, from your expression, I think if we touch on the topic, you won't be able to fall asleep out of embarrassment."

"So you're embarrassing me on purpose."

"Just for a moment."

Kamui sighed as he took her hand. "I'm... not very good at that."

"Well, luckily we have all day and all night," she said, squeezing his hand. "How about I start?"

"As you wish..."

"Let's see... hmm~" She stroked his head again with that smile that melted his heart. "I got it, my moonbeam?"

"M-Moonbeam?" he replied, both of them looking embarrassed.

"Yes, my moonbeam. I think it's the perfect nickname for you."

"Is that... because of my hair color? I don't get it..."

"Uh? Are you going to make me say it?" Oboro puffed her cheeks a little. "You're my 'moonbeam' because in the darkest night, your mere presence lights up my path, gives me tranquility, and fills me with hope. You chase away my fears like the moon did when I was little..."

"...ugg..." he couldn't respond, covering his face.

"It's the perfect nickname! Like love-struck sweethearts, it's a nickname that embarrasses us now, but I'm sure we'll grow to love it~"

"...If you say so..." he said with a trembling voice, looking away.

"Well, my moonbeam," she said playfully again, "what do you want to do now?"

As the sun remained bright in the sky, a certain prince seemed nervous, even frustrated. He glanced repeatedly at the old clock on the wall, which showed 3 PM. Even though they had returned safe and sound, something felt off.

"The twins are still somewhat disheveled, but I think that's normal at this point," Forrest sighed to his cousin, who looked away, still feeling the unease of the situation. "Are you still thinking about the same thing?"

"Of course I am!" Siegfried exclaimed. "If Uncle Silas and Aunt Peri had accompanied us, we might have had a better report. But now we just have a tired group, several rumors at the border, and above all, Father delaying the audience," he said, still pacing.

"You're more worried about the twins, aren't you?"

"...In a way," he sighed wearily. "Even though they are scatterbrained, they have never failed us, nor have they ever been completely wrong. The fact that they are so... ambiguous... is somewhat disturbing..."

Forrest understood what he meant. They had depended on the adults for so long, and even though everyone was eager to show their independence and worth, they had sinned by relying equally or even more on the twins. Nyx had warned them many times not to cling too much, but now that it was too late, the fact that they said something as simple as "something is wrong with the world" was enough to create a pit in their stomachs.

They had never said anything negative, never said anything disturbing, never saw the bad side of things. Now that they were saying something so direct and ambiguous, it stressed the group out.

"Oh, my dear children!" Camilla interrupted as she hugged them both, a certain purr in her tone. "My little ones! I see you have completed your mission... huh? Why the long faces?"

"Aunt Camilla..."

"We... have failed," Siegfried said.

"Not yet..." Another voice interrupted them. Despite having made it clear that the group should stay behind, the twins, with Velouria, had interrupted. Camilla's wide smile faded when the wolf girl timidly approached.

"...Father... has given me some news..." She began. "...many of our people at the border... have started to experience some... illness..."

"Sorry?" Camilla asked, trying to understand what they were saying.

"Animosity," one twin began to say. "It's... something they fear..."

"Aunt Aqua told us something bad might happen..." Continued the other. "...we might need to go to Hoshido..."

"Now? It will take weeks with the season, there's no way—" Forrest tried to complain, but seeing his cousin's expression stopped him.

"...Aunt Camilla, I think it's time to call Aunt Lilith and talk to Father."

"Well, if it's that urgent, we can summon them."

"Can you arrange a general assembly of the chieftains and leaders?" Forrest asked.

"My dear nephew, that can be arranged immediately~" She said as she stroked his head. "But first and foremost, we must speak carefully about the place you went to. If we can't re—"

"That's one of the main problems," interrupted one twin.

"The problem is that there isn't a problem in that place, but in this place..." She said with panic in her voice. "No..it´s not that... is just... I don't think we have much time left..."

Chapter 44: Omen.