Marina began running as fast as she could. About twenty seconds passed in a flash. The boy hadn’t overtaken her yet, so her plan must have worked—she just had to maintain her lead. Her route was well-planned and definitely the shortest possible; after all, she knew the place better than anyone. She would win, no doubt about it—at least until then. Shirei’s aura suddenly manifested behind her, startling her, and she nearly tripped. Her blood ran cold when the son of Cragar sprinted up beside her and, like lightning, left her behind in an instant.

Marina’s blue eyes widened, and she tried to speed up, but she had already reached her maximum pace. The park’s scenery rushed past her eyes; she was sure she was giving it her all.

Shirei’s figure gradually shrank until it disappeared from her sight entirely. Marina kept running until she was exhausted, but there was no trace of the Blendbreed left. Eventually, she reached the Thirteenth House: a small black wooden building.

Shirei was there waiting for her, sitting on the main steps.

“That was easy,” he commented as soon as he saw her.

Marina bent over to catch her breath. “Excuse me?”

“You’re pretty fast.”

She looked up, annoyed, but the boy seemed completely sincere. Without a second thought, she slumped down next to him on the black steps of the Thirteenth House.

“You definitely weren’t kidding when you said you train a lot.”

Shirei seemed focused on something specific in the distance. “I’m not the type to joke about these things,” he gestured vaguely toward the horizon. “I think someone’s looking for you.”

The Blendbreed followed his gaze until she noticed a small figure in the distance. She looked at Shirei in surprise and squinted, trying to figure out how he could see that far—after all, she was wearing her contact lenses, so she was sure her vision wasn’t the issue. Slowly, she made out the blond hair of the distant figure and stood up.

“Guess who it could be? Lore!” she waved with her right hand.

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he’s my stepbrother. We’re both children of Ien.”

The son of Cragar fell silent, which slightly unsettled Marina. For her, a self-proclaimed control freak, not knowing what others were thinking was agonizing. As Lorenzo approached, the blonde took the opportunity to sit back down and glance at Shirei out of the corner of her eye. His violet eyes fascinated her—she had never seen such a shade before, not even in mythological creatures. The boy was quiet, and his footsteps made no sound, as if he didn’t want to be noticed. His aura and stature made him an undeniably imposing presence, yet he seemed capable of vanishing, both literally through Spectral Travel and figuratively. He was a living oxymoron.

“You know...” Marina said casually, “If Mr. D’Agostini hadn’t introduced you, I probably would’ve thought you were a ghost.”

Shirei sighed. “I figured.”

The girl immediately realized she’d said the wrong thing and tried to apologize. “I didn’t mean... really, Shirei, I’ve only known you for a few hours. I’d never insinuate anything. I didn’t mean any harm. Sorry!”

She raised her hands in a pleading gesture, but the boy simply looked away, covering his mouth with one hand.

“Oh, you think this is funny, huh?” blurted the daughter of Ien. “Well, now I’m definitely calling you Ghost!”

“Nicknames too? Fine. Ghost, specter, whatever you want.”

“Good!” she retorted boldly.

Shirei didn’t seem to take it personally, and that realization put Marina at ease. Finally, Lorenzo arrived, though the expression on his face confused the blonde. The son of Ien slowed his pace, almost hesitating, and gave her a rather obvious look. Marina raised her eyebrows, intrigued, before realizing what he was referring to and blushing. Without making it too obvious, she took advantage of her stepbrother’s arrival to put a few more centimeters between herself and Shirei.

Once she’d calmed down, she turned to Lorenzo with a smile. “Lore, what are you doing here?”

“I...” The Blendbreed couldn’t avoid Shirei’s gaze and quickly greeted him. “Hi. I’m Lorenzo, Marina’s stepbrother, but you can call me Lore.”

“Shirei,” replied the son of Cragar expressionlessly. “If you need to talk, I’ll get out of your way.”

“No!” the two children of Ien replied in unison.

Marina turned to look at Lorenzo, confused, so the blond took the opportunity to explain further. “There’s no need. I just wanted to let Marina know that Lyceum is waiting for her at the Grand Manor.”

“Why did you come looking for her here?” asked Shirei.

“Well...” The son of Ien reached out a hand toward his stepsister, but she interrupted him.

“My best friend is a daughter of Cragar. I’m here often.”

The Blendbreed turned to look at the closed door of the house. “You mean Dahlia?”

“Yeah, Mr. Ghost. I thought it was strange you didn’t know your only housemate.”

Lorenzo stood there, watching the scene, feeling slightly out of place. He began to back away. “Alright! It was nice meeting you. I just wanted to deliver the message. See you around!”

The two children of Ien exchanged a glance, and Lorenzo gave a quick wink before running off.

“Does he have eye problems?” Shirei asked curiously.

“No, his problems are in his head,” Marina replied before standing up. “Okay, Ghost, this was fun, but I’d better get going. If Mr. D’Agostini has something important to tell me... well, it’s important. I’m feeling a bit anxious now that I think about it...”

“I understand,” the Blendbreed replied calmly.

Marina turned to say goodbye, but Shirei was already on his feet as well. Before she could realize what was happening, he grabbed her forearm to stop her.

“Wait, what?” Marina shivered at the contact. She could feel his icy hands even through the fabric of her shirt.

“You said you need to go to the Grand Manor. I’ll take you there.”

“What do you mean... no, Shirei, please, no!”

Marina realized what he had in mind too late. Darkness enveloped the two, and suddenly the world distorted, taking on the fluidity of a liquid. Marina’s ears began to ring, and she heard voices and wails coming from everywhere. Shirei still held her, but the Blendbreed couldn’t make out anything else. Everything seemed abnormal, as if reality itself had been altered. Shades of light green mixed with white and black, creating a surreal atmosphere. Marina couldn’t stop gasping, desperately trying to inhale to get oxygen to her lungs. Once, Dahlia had tried to take her on a Spectral Travel, but they had failed miserably. According to her books, it was a technique that required great skill, so mastering it was essential to pull off something like this. Shirei hadn’t been lying about his dedication to training—Marina was now certain of that. She closed her eyes as the environment moved rapidly, wishing it would end quickly. The Interworld wasn’t a place for the living; she had always known that, but at that moment, she was getting a glaring reminder.

“We’re here,” the son of Cragar commented after a few seconds.

Marina reopened her eyes and doubled over, a slight wave of nausea forcing her to stay still. She tried to play it cool—after all, the boy had only been trying to help. “Thanks...!”

The words came out of her mouth almost as if they’d been forced out.

“Are you okay?” asked the Blendbreed with concern.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, I just need to... recover. I’ve never really experienced Spectral Travel before.”

“I apologize.”

Marina managed a weak smile and waved her hand to let him know not to worry.

“Do you want me to wait here?” added the shadowy boy.

“Don’t worry, Shirei, go ahead. I’ll see you around.”

The Blendbreed nodded without a word and, before the girl could say goodbye, disappeared into the shadows once more.

“Classic son of Cragar, dear Marina, classic,” she repeated to herself before taking a deep breath and trying to make her way toward her destination.

The Grand Manor stood with an imposing presence at the heart of the park, dominating the view and capturing the gaze of anyone who laid eyes on it. The structure, an elegant fusion of ancient architecture and modern practicality, boasted a majestic facade that rose high into the sky. The raw gray stone and dark wood used in its construction created a striking contrast, giving it a solid and enduring appearance. Massive Corinthian columns, grand and imposing, lined the facade, supporting a gracefully extended entrance portico. The portico itself was an architectural masterpiece, with hand-carved details that told stories of past ballads and celebrations. The sloping tile roof added a sense of nobility and tradition, while the classic yet modern windows were evenly spaced, adding a touch of contemporary elegance.

It was the beating heart of life at Lilies Park, a symbol of hope but also of authority, ready to welcome and guide young Blendbreeds in their fight against destiny.

Marina was worried about the mysterious meeting with Mr. D’Agostini. Usually, it was he who sought out the Blendbreeds when he needed to speak. The fact that he had asked Lorenzo to fetch her ruled out a routine discussion about organizing park activities.

Being summoned to the Grand Manor never boded well.