“I found it!”

The dining hall doors slammed open, startling everyone inside. Elara burst in, staggering a few steps before her legs gave out. Her feathers fluttered, unevenly, before folding limp against her forearms. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair windswept, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

“I found their location,” she gasped out—just before collapsing face-first onto the floor.

“Elara!” Auriella was the first to react, rising so fast her chair screeched across the polished floor.

Everyone else who sat at the table was frozen in stunned silence.

“I’ll get the maids to help move her,” Auriella said quickly, moving toward the door.

“No need,” Valen said calmly, stepping forward and lifting a hand. A ripple of shadow spiraled out from beneath Elara, lifting her gently off the floor and onto a disk of shadows until she floated at waist height beside Auriella.

“Uh… okay. Follow me, then. The guest room next to yours should be perfect for now.” Auriella turned, glancing back at the others. “Leo, come with us.”

Leo nodded, pushing back from the table—but Auriella’s eyes shifted past him to Oriana’s siblings. The children clung to each other, clearly frightened at seeing a revered leader in such a state.

“Sorry to leave you all again so soon,” she said softly. “Please, enjoy your sweets. Oriana can show you around the castle gardens afterward.”

“Yeah, I can do that!” Oriana said brightly, popping up from her chair and sticking out her thumb like a promise. “You’ll love the flowers—I guarantee it!”

Auriella chuckled despite the tension, then led Valen and Leo out with Elara suspended between them.

They moved swiftly through the halls, Valen keeping Elara’s unconscious form steady on the disk of shadows. Her face was pale, lips slightly parted as her chest rose and fell with shallow, fatigued breaths.

“She must’ve flown here directly,” Leo said quietly. “No rest, no pause…”

“She looked like she was ready to drop the moment she arrived,” Auriella replied, concern written across her face. 

Valen nodded. “Whatever she found must have been incredibly urgent.”

They arrived at the guest room, and Auriella pushed the door open with a gentle touch. The chamber was modest but comfortable—warm lighting, clean linens, and a soft bed that looked more inviting than anything Elara could imagine in her current state.

Valen guided the disk over to the bed and gently lowered Elara onto the mattress. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she shifted slightly and let out a small groan, but remained unconscious.

“She said she found their location,” Leo murmured, standing at the foot of the bed. “That means we can bring the fight to the Voidkin this time.”

“Yeah… but…” Auriella rubbed her arm absently, a far-off look in her eyes. “I don’t want to rush into a war. Cal’s not even a year old. He still needs me. I—I still need him.”

Valen noticed the crack in her voice. He cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

“We shouldn’t jump to thoughts of war until we’ve heard Elara's full report. We don’t know what we’re walking into—or if the Voidkin even realize we sent demons to search for them.”

Leo hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah. You’re right.”

A soft groan brought all of them back to the bed.

“Ugh… hnn… what…? Where…?” Elara’s voice was raspy, barely more than a whisper, as she blinked open her eyes. She winced at the soft light coming in from the windows, then sat up slowly, cradling her head.

“Elara, you’re awake!” Auriella said quickly, rushing to her side and offering a glass of water from the bedside table. “Here, drink this.”

Elara took the glass like it was the first drop of rain in a desert, downing the whole thing in one long gulp.

“Ahh—thank you!” she said, breathless as she handed the empty glass back. Auriella stared at her, slightly wide-eyed at how fast she’d chugged it.

“You told us you found their location before you passed out,” Valen said. “What can you tell us about the island?”

“Oh—right!” Elara blinked rapidly and sat up straighter, her feathers twitching slightly. “Well, uh… I’m gonna need a map. Can I see one? I’ll need it to show you exactly where it was.”

Leo nodded and turned toward the door, calling for a maid to bring them a detailed map. 

As the maid hurried off, Elara continued.

 “The island is super dense with trees— pretty much like a jungle. It was hard to get a clear view from above. That is, until I was near the northwest edge, just past this narrow waterfall by a mountain cliff. I thought I’d at least look around there a bit more before moving on. There was no wildlife in sight, which was weird, but then—”

A knock interrupted her, and the maid entered, carefully handing the rolled up map to Leo before excusing herself with a quiet bow.

“And then?” Auriella asked as Leo unrolled the parchment on the bed in front of Elara.

Elara studied the map carefully and eventually pointed to a spot on the far southwestern edge of the map—between the borders of Miravia and Amanara.

“Right here,” she said. “That’s where I saw one of them—the Voidkin. They just walked out of the forest carrying a huge bundle of mana crystals.”

One of Valen’s brows lifted slightly. Leo’s jaw tensed.

“I thought mana crystals were mainly found in Naverra…” Auriella softly muttered aloud.

“It’s rare, but not unheard of to be found elsewhere,” Leo added. “Miravia does mine them once every few decades… but not in bundles big enough to carry around like a commodity.”

“What were they doing with the crystals?” Valen asked sharply.

“I don’t know,” Elara said, shaking her head. “That Voidkin just walked into this cave with them. I didn’t stick around to find out more—I rushed here as soon as I saw it.”

Leo exhaled slowly and stepped closer to examine the map. “It’s a long way from here. No wonder you nearly collapsed.”

Auriella reached out and patted Elara’s back gently. “You did well. Thank you.”

“But… what now?” Leo asked, the room falling into a heavy silence as the weight of the decision hung in the air.

“I still say we should wait,” Auriella said at last, standing upright. “We need to regroup with the rest of the Infernal Ten—and Jacob as well. The holidays are here. Let’s celebrate first. Then, after the new year… we start planning.”

Valen nodded. “Wise words, Auriella. I agree.”

Leo smirked, glancing toward her. “You’re thinking of Cal.”

“Of course I am,” she said softly, a small smile on her lips.

“I’ll send word to Jacob once the year turns,” Leo said, resting a hand on his hip. “No use rushing into danger if we can be smart about it.”

“Good,” Auriella said, satisfied.

Valen, however, still hadn’t dropped his gaze from Elara. He narrowed his eyes.

“One last question,” he said.

“Um… yes?” Elara asked, already sensing trouble.

“Did you make sure… you weren’t seen by them?”

She froze.

“I—um—well…” Beads of sweat formed along her hairline.

“Spit. It. Out,” Valen said, his tone flat and edged.

Elara groaned, shoulders slumping. “Okay, okay. I… may have been spotted. By a second one. I noticed it out of the corner of my eye just as I was leaving.”

Silence.

“Damn it, Elara,” Valen muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.