One month has passed. Water in all of Elem has become scarce along with continuous light shortages. In the first few days of the month, Oma and Yurich continued planning with the help of Landon, Xianchi, and Senuo to figure out the number of soldiers that were needed in order to take back Haliae and Pamola. In that time, they, along with Eris, Noah, and Marianna were in the cave training mostly through the days honing their skills, and were showing signs of improvement. After training or after dinner, Eris and Furia would have debates on what a queen should do and were also learning from one another. The group had also received word within a few days after Kai, Eris, Noah, and Marianna’s visit, the Kyonian monks barred Ramon from his abbot position in the monastery and gave it to Asuno. Even though Oreads and Satori were back with Landon and Senuo respectively, they were not enough for Furia who was growing weaker by the day and was in more pain than normal to where she had to walk with a cane.

.   .

Late in the afternoon, Oma and Xianchi were cleaning Furia in a tub full of Oma’s blessed water which was losing its effect every day. They hear a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Oma asks.

“It’s Kai.” He responds on the other side. “My sister wanted to speak to me.”

Oma and Xianchi look at each other, wondering if he wanted to see Furia right then and there. They hear a sigh come from Kai.

“Girls, I don’t plan on coming in.” He assures them with slight irritability. “I can talk from out here. What did you want to speak to me about, sister?” He asked Furia.

“How are things between you and Eris?”

Kai was confused by her question.

“It’s been going well, sister. Why do you ask?”

“Well, during I and Eris’ conversation, I’ve noticed the blush on her face when your name came up.”

“…Yes?”

“My question is… do you feel the same way about her?”

There was silence to where Kai was taking a moment to find the words. “Yes. I do. Even though there are times that I feel like I shouldn’t.”

“Confliction. I hear it in your voice, clearly.” She speaks. “She has told me you promised her that you would make things right by her. However, it’s up to you if you want to stay conflicted or not. Your sights have been set on your goals from what I’ve been told by her. So, keep your focus on your goals. I know that’s what my brother would do.”

Hearing these words gives Kai a piece of comfort and some understanding. “Thank you, sister. I won’t let my guilt consume me again. I’ll turn it into… something else.”

Furia refrains from her concerns with Kai’s response and sighs with certainty. “I know you’ll do your best for our homeland, and for her.”

After saying that to Kai, she hears his footsteps leave from the door. Oma and Xianchi look at Furia.

“Milady,” Xianchi speaks. “Are you sure it’s okay that… well…”

“Is it okay that Kai should be close to Eris than he should be?” Oma asks.

“I trust them.” She assures. “No matter how close they are, I believe they will do their duty just the same.”

“But are you worried that the mark will be tainted?” Oma asks.

“Listen. A former queen was able to continue her duty well with a tainted mark, and that queen was Askari herself. The only thing we can do in this situation is have faith and trust in them. Okay?”

Oma decides not to object any further and nods in agreement along with Xianchi.

.   .   .   .   .

Back in Nora at the queen’s castle, Hanchia is in Yenish’s laboratory mixing her concoction for a potent potion in the cauldron. Yenish looks from her desk as Hanchia continues to mix the batch, making Hanchia look at Yenish.

“Milady.” She speaks. “Could you please lend me a hand?”

“What do you need?” Yenish asks.

“The essence of Omakotaku.”

Yenish does not object and forms the green aura from her hand and shoots it inside the cauldron. As Hanchia mixes it in, the batch boils and turns a glowing red. Seeing this makes Hanchia smirk and chuckle ominously.

“Ooh… this will be great for the wonderful of Elem.” She comments.

When Hanchia finished mixing, she begins to put the batch in dozens of vials using her Sui and teleports them back to her temple in Haliae. Hanchia then makes a portal for herself and turns to Yenish.

“I hope you enjoy the show that I’m going to present.” She states while smiling.

As Hanchia leaves through the portal, Yenish starts wondering what Hanchia was planning with her potion, but decides to wait for the result. She then hears a knock at her door. “Enter!”

The door opens revealing Kyoki. “Mother, we have a visitor.”

“Who?”

“The former abbot of the Kyonian monastery.”

Yenish raises a brow as Ramon walks into her laboratory.

“Former abbot, Ramon Quincetto.” She greets coldly. “I was wondering where you and your ilk were hiding. So, what gives you the audacity to show up at my castle?”

“I came here to assist you.” Ramon replies.

Yenish looks at him, assuming he was joking. “You? Assist me? How?”

“Well, I know some information that could help you with your goal.”

Yenish scoffs at his remark. “Oh, please, Ramon, there is nothing you can say that I already know. We were part of the same council. Remember?”

“Yes, but there are a couple of things that Lord Kivu and Lady Faye kept from you. They never told you about the shelters underground.”

Hearing this piques Yenish’s interest as she slowly walks toward Ramon. “Underground shelters? What do you know, monk?”

Seeing the interest on her face, Ramon smirks.

.   .   .   .   .

Back at the underground sanctuary’s spring, Oma takes off her boots, rolls up her pant legs and steps into the water to purify it with Sui. During the purification, she notices the water slowly turning red. Kai comes out of the sanctuary after his training and sees the crimson water inching close to surrounding Oma. Kai runs to Oma and immediately picks up Oma out of the water by her waist and lands on the ground. They see the spring become consumed with the color of red.

“Are you alright, Oma?” Kai asks with concern.

Oma does not answer due to her focusing on the spring becoming bewildered and angry.

“The spring… is contaminated.” Oma realizes. “What is this?! How is this happening?!”

Kai looks at the water and notices how familiar it looks due to the color. “Hanchia.”

Oma looks to Kai for an explanation.

“It looks like the same liquid I was forced to drink, but this seems more concentrated.” He explains.

Oma grumbles upsettingly. “First the waters become scarce, now the spring becomes contaminated?! That damn bitch!”

As Kai lets Oma go, she stands up and runs inside the sanctuary to inform everyone inside with Kai following moments after. When he opens the door, he sees Oma making her announcement in the throne room with Landon and Senuo there.

“Everyone!” She shouts headedly for everyone to hear. “Do not touch or drink the water from the kitchen of any of the washrooms! It has been contaminated by Hanchia and I am unable to purify it. Whatever water that has not been contaminated, give it to me immediately!”

Hearing the announcement, Senuo and Landon hurry to the doors or their lands respectively to inform their people and spread the news to the other lands. Kai then sees Yurich and Xianchi come into the throne room.

“We’ve got to go to Haliae immediately!” Oma speaks sternly.

“Oma…” Xianchi responds. “I don’t think that’s a good idea to go so suddenly!”

“Agreed.” Yurich adds. “This just came up, and our plan isn’t fleshed out thoroughly.”

“Listen, you two! If the water supply continues like this, the people of Haliae, us, and the people all around will suffer and become literal slaves if they drink it! There will be no crops, no food, no water supply, people either mind controlled or dying, and I’m not having that!  So, change of plans.”

Oma holds Yurich’s hands and looks him in the eyes. “We have to go in, and I need you to work with me on this, Yurich. We’ve got to do this, or it’ll be too late.”

I did not take long for Yurich to realize Oma was right and he nodded in agreement.

“Alright.” He speaks. “But if we are to do this, let’s not be too reckless. So, let’s show them something they won’t forget. Let’s show them what real safekeeps can do.”

“You’re damn right about that.”

Oma, now feeling confident, looks to Xianchi. “I need you to advise Landon and Senuo that we need those soldiers.”

Xianchi nods and goes through the Oreadian portal door while Senuo comes out the Satorian portal door to where Oma stops him.

“Senuo,” She calls. “I need you to gather soldiers who are willing to fight with us, because we’re going to leave soon.”

“When exactly?” Senuo asks.

“At dawn. How many soldiers are willing to join us so far?”

“So far, 250.”

“That’s a fair number.”

Xianchi and Landon come back from the Oreadian portal and stop near Oma.

“Landon,” Oma speaks. “I’m planning on going to Haliae at dawn. How many soldiers are willing to join us?”

“275 so far.” He replies.

“Okay. Tell them to be ready by then.”

“But what about provisions?” Xianchi asks with concern. “Since we’re scarce on water and most of it has been poisoned.”

Oma sighs with desperation. “Whatever water that was able to be saved, I will purify for the soldiers to drink and whatever is left to make rations. Whatever amount of what they get, that’s it until we get the temple back.”

Oma then becomes silent remembering the amount of weight that has now been put on her shoulders. All the people of Elem who might have been poisoned and the wellbeing of her family, mostly her daughter. Throughout her turmoil, she feels ready and willing to fight for her homeland, even if it costs her life.

“Look, guys.” She speaks seriously. “I know this is risky, but I have to do this. I can’t let Hanchia take over Haliae permanently and we can’t let history repeat itself. Also… it’s about time that a little girl sees her mother…”

Yurich understands Oma’s resolve. “You need not say anymore. I’m with you.” He responds. “It is time that these light outages ceased as well.”

“Then, I’ll go, too.” Xianchi adds.

Oma looks at them both and smiles. “Thank you both.”

.   .   .   .   .

During the night, everyone in the sanctuary was sleeping soundly in their rooms, except for Eris. Eris had tossed and turned as she slept in her bed and starting to sweat as she was dreaming.

~

Eris was bound by chains and surrounded by darkness. She struggles against the chains to break free. Even though they would not budge, she did not care and continued to do so. She then heard chuckling come from a distance, and within moments, the chuckling was close to her ears. She stops struggling when she feels a warm breath brush past her face. Eris looks slowly to her left and comes face to face with Kyoki whose smile holds mischievous and evil intent. Eris starts to breathe unevenly as she fears what he is going to do. Kyoki raises his hand and caresses Eris’ cheek as he gets closer to her face showing a smile gentler than before then looks to her with a look of desire.

“Why, Eris?” He asks smoothly. “Why do you fear me?”

Eris looks away from him which makes Kyoki move her face back to look right at him and begins to brush his fingers through her hair.

“Why, Eris?” He asks. “Why do you resist me?”

Eris did not answer Kyoki which makes him angrily grab a handful of her hair.

“Why? Why?! WHY?!” He yells.

Eris winces at the raised voice along with his firm grip. Seeing he was causing her pain; he calms down and leans close to her ear. “One way or another… I will make you mine, Eris Gadison.”

He then turned Eris’ head to his, so his lips were close to hers. But he could not kiss her…

~

Eris awakens out of her nightmare. Her mark feels as if it burned her skin but worse than before. She gets out of bed in hopes that the cool air will help, but it did not. She decides to leave out of her room and stumbles into the hallway, groaning in pain and trying not to wake anyone. Unfortunately, she hears someone walking and about to turn the corner. The one who turned the corner was Kai, shirtless and wearing blue pajama pants. He sees Eris drenched in sweat, looking disheveled, and groaning in pain still. Kai becomes concerned.

“Are you alright, Eris?” He asks. “What the matter?”

Eris could not answer and falls into Kai’s arms. He feels how hot Eris is to the touch which caused him to slightly panic. Before Kai could do anything, Eris holds onto Kai and kisses him without warning. Kai was caught off guard, but he chose not to stop the kiss. Feeling her lips on his was an indescribable feeling to him to where he did not want to let her go. As the kiss continued, Eris feels her mark and her skin cool down and becoming sensitive to touch. Tears begin to well and flow down Eris’ face while Kai stops the kiss. He was shocked at Eris did as he saw her face full of tears.

“What… was that about?” Kai asks bewildered.

Eris could not answer him, because she questioned her actions as well, but decided to change the subject. “Can I stay with you for the night?”

Kai, again, was caught off guard with her question.

“I need to talk to you and… I don’t want to be alone.” She explains.

Hearing her reason, Kai slightly nods and guides her to his room which was one floor above hers.