Five minutes later, the pair navigated through the noisy rows of Blendbreeds. Shirei sat at the table designated for Cragar’s children, and Dahlia did the same. They could clearly feel the wave of murmurs and comments their presence stirred, but they wisely chose to ignore them.

The open-air dining hall seemed livelier than usual that day. It was always a vibrant and colorful place, with tables of various sizes and shapes arranged neatly. Each table was dedicated to a specific divine lineage, where Blendbreeds gathered with their kin to eat. A rectangular table for the children of Ien, a circular one for Ucsor’s descendants, and so on.

For the Blendbreeds of the Thirteenth House, this could only mean a small, completely black table.

At the far end of the dining area, a long spread of food immediately caught Shirei’s attention. Dishes of all kinds, from stews to the most exquisite desserts, were laid out like a dreamlike banquet. The inviting aroma of the meals drifted through the air, and it almost felt as if the atmosphere was imbued with the festive spirit of the gods themselves.

“What do you want?” he asked, standing up.

“A hot tea. Thank you.”

Shirei stared at her for a moment, unsure if his hearing had deceived him or if his half-sister had actually made such a request.

Dahlia noticed. “Is there a problem?” Then she rolled her eyes. “I was raised this way since childhood. If you manage to find a teacup as well, that would be perfect.”

The boy sighed. Dahlia had told him about her rather eventful past, but he still found it hard to believe that the girl in front of him was actually two centuries old.

Before he could walk away, she continued, “I was thinking… for the bonfire, I could play something on the violin.” She moved her fingers as if mimicking the motion. “I’d like to show the people here something different from the usual songs of Ucsor’s children. Real music. What’s your opinion on that?”

“I think it’s a great idea…” but he didn’t have time to finish before she interrupted him again.

“Maybe Mozart, Bach, or Vivaldi,” Dahlia’s blue eyes started to shine. “I would love to play Vivaldi. It would be magnificent!”

A single glance from Shirei was enough to calm her down. Though he hadn’t said a word, his expression was clear.

“Let me finish, Dahlia. What I was trying to say is that they probably won’t see it the same way.”

The girl burst into laughter. “Then I’ll change their minds.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Shirei’s purple eyes glowed more intensely than usual. Dahlia smiled at her half-brother and prepared to pray, a gesture of gratitude for the meal.

Just then, a cool whisper at her ear made her jump. Marina was leaning right behind her, wearing a wide grin.

“Well, good morning! I was afraid you had actually died,” she said, tilting her head. There was a brief moment of hesitation before the daughter of Ien added, “Can I sit here with you?”

“Of course!” Dahlia made space for her.

The dining hall fell into absolute silence instantly. Every murmur ceased, and Marina suddenly found all eyes on her.

The attention put her under pressure, but she knew the most hostile stares were coming from Table Seven. She placed all her hopes in Lorenzo and his housemates, who would mediate her thoughts to their half-siblings and hopefully keep them calm. In any case, she wouldn’t be able to reveal the truth to them. It was a secret mission—and, in her opinion, a highly unpleasant one.

“So, Marina, has there been any trouble I don’t know about?” Dahlia asked, resting her head on Ien’s daughter’s shoulder.

“Nothing. What are you two talking about?”

The girl smirked. “Sabotaging Ucsor’s lineage for the bonfire.”

Marina stared at her with an almost exasperated expression. She was sure she was about to hear an impossible plan.

“Do you have an actual plan?”

“My main idea was to start a fight in their house…” Shirei returned with the food, distracting her. There was a generous amount of meat. Dahlia immediately grabbed one of the breaded croquettes and started chewing.

“There might be repercussions, but every plan comes with risks.”

After a few seconds, she realized what she had just done and put the food back in place. She straightened up and waited for her half-brother to pass her the utensils—only then did she resume eating.

“Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble alone?” Marina massaged her temples to stop herself from snapping. “Honestly, I don’t get you.”

“Because I have a best friend who will always support me,” Cragar’s daughter recited with a smile.

Having finished setting the food down, Shirei got up again, intending to fetch the drinks. Before walking away, he turned to Marina and asked, “Do you want anything, Grey Matter?”

The girl had been too distracted by the stark contrast between the two half-siblings to respond immediately. Dahlia was incredibly cheerful for a child of Cragar. It was almost as if she forced herself to emit that strange negative aura that defined their lineage. Shirei, on the other hand, seemed to have walked straight out of one of her textbooks. He was the quintessential Blendbreed described in the section about the children of the dark god—calm, composed, mysterious, and presumably very powerful.

Because her mind was preoccupied with those thoughts, it took her a few seconds to realize he was talking to her.

“Grey Matter? Who’s that supposed to be?”

“You,” he replied as if it were obvious. “Dahlia told me she calls you that.”

The girl’s teasing tongue-out gesture immediately revealed that she had deliberately lied. Marina was genuinely pleased to be called that, though. Shirei’s voice seemed to soften slightly when he said it, and that made her happy.

“So you are finally warming up! I like Grey Matter… Nice nickname, Ghost. Use it often, okay?” she said with a grin.

“You still haven’t answered.”

Marina huffed, annoyed by the same demeanor he had shown all morning. He had immediately gone back to being his usual self.

“Just still water, thanks.”

“I’ll be right back, then.”

Cragar’s son walked away. Marina followed him with her eyes for a few seconds before being distracted by Dahlia.

“You have the potential to unite our families, Marina. My dear sister-in-law.”

Ien’s daughter immediately jolted, slamming her knees against the table. She felt as if she had caught fire on the spot, fully aware that she had probably turned bright red from embarrassment.

Her best friend burst into laughter, slapping her hand on the table, unable to contain herself. Marina shot a glance toward Shirei, but fortunately, he seemed too occupied waiting in line. His gaze was locked on the drinks table, and the Blendbreed couldn’t help but wonder what he was looking at.

Dahlia smirked, and Marina seized the opportunity to shove as many chicken croquettes into her mouth as possible, preventing her from making any more comments.

“Miss Dahlia Arcesio, you have crossed the line!” she continued stuffing her mouth.

The Blendbreed tried to speak, but her friend’s hands made it impossible.

“Bu… ce… av… Shi… vaf…”

“What are you two doing?”

The voice belonged to none other than the boy himself. He had returned, holding a goblet in one hand and two glass bottles of still water in the other, which he placed in front of Ien’s daughter. The two friends immediately stopped, allowing Dahlia to finally eat her chicken croquettes in peace.

“Okay, um… thanks, though I think one would have been enough… but thank you anyway, really!”

Her interactions with Shirei still felt awkward. She wasn’t exactly sure how to act around him. The Blendbreed sat across from her and sipped from the goblet he had taken. The liquid inside was a deep midnight blue. Marina couldn’t help but notice that he hadn’t conjured any food for himself.

“Don’t worry about it, Marina! He has a fixation with that drink,” Dahlia reassured her. “What’s it called again, brother? Demon, right?”

Ien’s daughter hesitated. “Shirei, drinking liquor at lunch isn’t exactly recommended…”

“It’s not liquor. It’s a juice extracted from the resin of certain trees and refined. It’s called Morsucus.”

“You’re right! My mistake,” Dahlia raised her utensils and added, “I suggest we eat now.”

Marina wanted to apologize to Shirei, but his gaze was already lost in the distance. Every now and then, he would stop to observe certain Blendbreeds, seemingly intrigued by their appearance.

Seated in the dining hall among his brothers, a young boy clutched a notebook in his hands. He flinched, distracted from his scribbles, when he felt an oppressive sensation of being watched. He glanced around, trying to locate the source of the unsettling feeling. After a few seconds, he merely shrugged it off.

“If only I had some lava from the Infernal River, I could stabilize the metal for the forge,” the son of Corgi muttered to himself. “I should ask that weird guy who passed by earlier. Black means the Thirteenth House, if I’m not mistaken.”

The noise in the dining hall resumed completely. Marina sighed and surrendered to the sweet food before her.