Lavender sat up and looked out the window. She reached for the sword and began to pick it up, but since she had never used a sword before, it felt unfamiliar. Setting the sword back down, she looked at the back of her hand. She wiped off some makeup, revealing a skull covered in runes. Rising to her feet, she went to her desk, took out some powder matching her skin tone, and rubbed it over the marking. As she finished, the door to her room slammed open. She turned and saw her brother, Lukas, who still seemed shaken from the events of the previous night.

“Sister, are you feeling better?” Lukas asked.

Lavender nodded. “We have to pack up and leave,” she replied.

Lukas looked at her, confused and worried. “Why?”

Wrapping the sword's sheath and handle in a cloth, Lavender explained, “I’ve been speaking with Lord Galen. He needs us back at Eldoria, near the barrier.”

Lukas walked over to her desk, facing her directly. “But, Sister, I can barely hold a healing spell. Sybil’s tower could help me.”

Lavender looked at him angrily. “Brother, I can teach you.”

Lukas looked down at the floor. “It seems you’ve already decided. I’ll just head to my room to pack,” he said, turning and walking out.

Lavender sighed and gazed out the window. “Did I do the right thing?” she murmured.

From the shadows, someone appeared. It was her dearest friend, Markus. He nodded. “It’s what’s best for all of us. In 24 hours, I’ll open the portal to Yelile. From there, we’ll go to Whirepond, rejoin Galen and the rest of our fairy tribesmen, and discuss actions against the necromancer.”

Lavender turned to leave, but Markus grabbed her hand, pulling her close. She blushed as Markus laughed softly. “I truly wish this could all be over so we could move on with everything,” he said, before dissolving into a pool of ash-like shadows, leaving the feeling of his hand lingering on hers.

As Lavender wandered the halls, she bumped into Eleanor. The two turned to face each other, Eleanor looking worried.

“Your brother said you two are to depart. Is that true?” Eleanor asked.

Lavender was shocked by how quickly her brother shared the news. It made her wonder if he’d done the same with any of their other private talks. “Yes. A few weeks back, I received word from my mentor in Whirepond. He requires both of us to return.”

Eleanor looked confused. “Mentor? You’ve never mentioned having a mentor.”

Lavender paused, realizing she’d never brought him up before. “Better late than never,” she thought. “My mentor is Isaac of Yelile, a grand wizard even compared to fairy sorcery. He’s also the court wizard of Eldoria. Anyhow, where is my brother?”

Eleanor, struck by Lavender’s words, hesitated. She’d heard the name Isaac many times before but never from Lavender. “He’s with Mariana, his longtime school friend,” Eleanor finally said. “She’s someone he trusts with his problems. She’s also the next High Wizard of Ebony.”

“The Sunfire Empire?!” Lavender yelled. She had heard tales of the Sunfire Empire from her mother. Once a realm of nine kingdoms filled with lower demons from different hells, it had evolved over 4,000 years. The original demons and humans had intermixed, and no pure beings remained there.

“I know of the Sunfire Empire, but not of this Mariana,” Lavender said.

Eleanor shrugged. “I don’t know much either, except what your brother has told me. She’s a demonkin mage from one of the empire’s five main families.”

Lavender walked to her brother’s room and stopped when she saw him speaking with a young lady of the same age. Despite her demonic features, the lady had a wonderful smile.

“Your sister is probably just trying to do what’s best for you. To her, moving back and dropping out is,” the woman said.

Lavender was about to reach out to her brother but stopped. She sighed, muttering, “He’s just a kid.” Then she cast a spell toward the shadows and walked through them.

Lavender appeared before a rune stone where Markus was working. “What’s the quickest you can get this done?” she asked.

Markus looked up at her. “I can have it done now.” He concentrated, and the runes began to glow, their lights meeting in the center. A portal opened. Markus stepped through and disappeared. Smiling, Lavender followed.

Lavender and Markus arrived in a busy yet somber part of the capital. They walked past depressed faces until they reached the main building, where they were greeted warmly by an elder.

“Lavender, it brings me much joy to finally see you and your brother after all these years,” the elder said. But noticing Lukas’ absence, he asked, “Where is he?”

“My brother’s magic and sword skills are not on par with mine or Markus’. I hope this mission can work with just us,” Lavender replied.

A man with a blank mask and scars from a decade-old battle stood up. “Who we have doesn’t matter. My father, your brother Elder Balor, died in the lich’s attack. Lavender’s mother, the elder before you, died as well. I’m sure Lavender wouldn’t put herself in this predicament if she wasn’t confident she could handle it.”

The elder looked at the masked man, clearly angered. “I wasn’t insinuating anything.”

“Doesn’t matter to me. Everyone gather around the table so we can discuss strategy,” the masked man commanded.

Everyone complied, including Lavender and Markus. Gil, the masked man, used magic to transform the table’s map into an eagle-eye view mirror. “This is one of the lich’s strongholds. The Silver Twins spotted two familiar faces there.”

The mirror shifted to show a man, weakened by time and labor, his body covered in scars. Lavender recognized him as her father, Captain Caleb Greene.

The mirror shifted again, revealing Markus’s mother, Gwyneth Parsley, a renowned magic ore smith.

“If we retrieve these two, we gain an advantage,” Gil explained. “Captain Greene has 200 years of combat and offensive magic experience. Gwyneth can share her technique for manipulating mana ore into weapons.”

Markus slammed his hand on the table. “My mom wouldn’t agree to your plans.”

“We’re saving her on the pretense that she’ll help in the war, elf,” Gil retorted.

Markus slammed his hand again. “Why not get another magic ore crafter? There are plenty.”

Gil displayed images of other crafters. “Your mother’s craftsmanship is a secret art. Her magical tools are unmatched and teachable because they rely on external resources, not internal magic.”

Lavender backed Markus. “We can’t force her to help us. Our best bet is to focus on my father and retrieve Gwyneth if possible.”

Gil slammed his hands, losing his temper. “You’re always on his side, Lavender. When will you stop letting your heart control you?”

Markus walked off, and Gil dismissed the group angrily. Lavender stayed behind and approached him. “Gilbert, we’ve been friends for years. Is this truly what you want? Forcing her to work for us could backfire. She could use her weapons against us.”

Gil paused, then grabbed Lavender’s arm and whispered something to her. She nodded, her expression