"So you bailed because the crown was too heavy?" Bella asked.

  "Yeah," Edwin admitted, the bitterness creeping back into his voice. "It all went to hell when I decided I was some kind of saviour, that I could just charge in and wipe out the monsters. Stupid. We were just pampered royals, not soldiers. We don't do heroes; we just… exist. That attack… it was a massacre. Everyone who followed my idiotic plan died. Some …some even died trying to protect me. Me! A worthless king who couldn't even protect them. Why did they do that? Why the hell did they throw their lives away for me? I couldn't face it. I ran. Let them believe their king died a glorious death in battle. Anything was better than looking into the eyes of the survivors." He finally lifted his gaze, meeting theirs with a flicker of defiance. "So yeah, maybe we're not so different after all. We both ran."

  "Guess so," Kel mumbled, his voice low and heavy.

  "Well, at least your brother had your back," Acacia said, a sigh escaping her lips. "Mine just killed me when it was convenient. Guess I was just that annoying."

  "But how did you not recognize me? I was practically a household name back then," Kel asked, a touch of wounded pride in his voice.

  "For a long time, I couldn't stand heroes," Acacia replied with a shrug. "Seemed pointless to fixate on something I couldn't be a part of. So, I made a point of ignoring all the fanfare."

  "But Fafea's come all this way to bring you back," Jahir pointed out, his brow furrowed with concern. "Will you go?"

  "Absolutely not," Edwin stated firmly, shaking his head. "A capable commoner is far better suited to leading them than a bumbling king. But of course, they'd come looking. So steeped in tradition, they'll likely never truly move on until they see my corpse. But as long as I draw breath..."

  "But Fafea's not going to give up, is she? And what happens when they send more? How long can you keep looking over your shoulder?" Bella pressed, her concern evident.

  "I don't know!" Edwin snapped, frustration lacing his voice. "I don't want to see them, I don't want to hear their pronouncements. And how in the blazes would I even get to Lalan? Walk? Through hordes of monsters that would tear me apart before I even reached the border? It's a death sentence!" He scoffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

  "That reminds me," Jahir interjected, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "When I went to retrieve those crystals, there was a noticeable absence of monsters. It felt like they'd fled something. And those people from the south… something about them just feels… off."

  "Because they all have the same eye colour?" Bella asked, a hint of unease in her own voice.

  "Or maybe they're all related?" Kel offered, a speculative look on his face.

  "A family where everyone got the exact same eye colour gene and nothing else? Not even a slight variation? You'd expect at least a dull green here, a brighter green there, but no, it's the precise same shade across the board." Jahir's brow furrowed deeper, his scepticism evident.

  "South?" Acacia tilted her head at the information and Jia came into her mind.

  "Yeah, the new group Jahir and Tosic found," Bella answered.

  "They seem fairly normal to me," Edwin commented. "It wouldn't be good to judge them."

  "Alright," Kel announced, clapping his hands together to regain their attention. "We can dissect the green-eyed mystery and everything else in a bit. But first, the grand finale. All eyes on Acacia."

  'Well, here it is. The spotlight. What do I even say? Where do I even begin to unravel this mess?' Acacia thought, a wave of unease washing over her as all gazes turned her way.

  "My name is Acacia Algernon," she began, her voice steady despite the turmoil within. "Given our… shared history, I'm sure you're all familiar with my family name, and my brother in particular. Wealthy, influential… and far from perfect. My father was more of a fleeting shadow than a parent. My mother… her world revolved around my brother. I existed in the periphery, a constant reminder of something less. I used to idolize them, my family. But that admiration curdled into a bitter resentment over time. And as you all know, or thought you knew, I was the anomaly, the one without the Algernon gift… for years. So the sudden emergence of my abilities… it shouldn't have happened. I can't delve into the specifics right now, but let's just say… a miracle occurred. A grotesque one, because my soul, it seems, simply refused to surrender to death."

  "Well, all those glossy articles painted a different picture," Bella interjected. "Always thought you were just another spoiled brat riding on your family's coattails."

  "Fair enough," Acacia conceded with a wry twist of her lips. "My father certainly showered me with enough gifts to ensure I wouldn't require his actual presence. So, in a way, yes. I was… materially indulged."

  "But... why did your brother kill you?" Kel asked, his brow furrowed with confusion and a hint of disbelief.

  Acacia's gaze drifted away, a flicker of something cold in her eyes. "I honestly don't know. Jealousy? Seems unlikely; he always had everything the world could offer. Insecurity? What could he possibly feel insecure about? Annoyance? Perhaps I was simply a persistent irritation. Or maybe…" Her voice dropped, a chillingly casual tone entering it, "maybe he just felt like it. The reasons are irrelevant now. What matters is… I want to kill him. Slowly. Preferably as my mother watches. I often fantasize about the expression on her face as her precious golden child bleeds out at my feet." The last words were barely a whisper, a dangerous undercurrent in her tone.

  "I think I see why your soul is stubborn." Kel flicked a piece of meat at her forehead, breaking her out of her daze.

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  "I can't believe Jahir, Maximus and I are the only normal ones here." Bella shook her head.

  "As if you being a librarian is normal." Edwin scoffed and Bella narrowed her eyes at him.

  "So I think we all know a few things about each other, I think it went pretty well." Kel smiled. "Now it's time to discuss how we move forward."

  "Right, well, my little detour wasn't entirely uneventful. Allow me to introduce you all to... Behemoth." With a delicate pluck, Acacia detached the squirming creature from her neck, holding it out for the group to observe. Confusion rippled through their faces as they stared at the wriggling being.

  "What in the blazes is that?" Edwin squinted his good eye, leaning forward for a better look.

  "...Why in the gods do you have a Slitherwing?!" Bella gasped, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and terror.

  "I… I think I accidentally acquired him? Ugh, he just sort of… latched on," Acacia groaned.

  "No freaking way! Aren't those things supposed to grow insanely huge? Why is that one the size of a damn twig?" Kel took a tentative step closer, reaching out a hand, only to recoil as Behemoth hissed, a surprisingly deep and menacing sound for such a tiny creature.

  "Well, why were you so small when you were a child, Kel?" Jahir quipped, studying the creature intently from a safe distance. "Besides, I thought those things were wiped out years ago."

  "Apparently not all," Acacia replied, a hint of grim amusement in her voice. "Seems my lovely family managed to unearth an egg. Their bright idea? Raise it as their personal little world-dominating pet."

  "If they managed to raise one of those things, we're facing extinction ourselves! Imagine that beast protecting Flow Society, or worse, Lucian's twisted ambitions…" Bella shuddered, her gaze fixed on Behemoth with palpable dread. "We have to kill it. Now."

  "Are you actually suggesting we exterminate a creature thought to be extinct? One that has somehow found its way into our care?" Jahir's head snapped towards Bella, his voice sharp with disbelief.

  "Absolutely not," Acacia declared. "I'm keeping him. I'll raise him myself… figure it out as I go. Besides, having him on our side is the ultimate insurance policy. They can't attack us if he's protecting us."

  "That all sounds wonderfully optimistic, but how do we propose to feed a creature that's supposed to grow to an enormous size?" Kel interjected, his practicality surfacing.

  "We have a veritable buffet of monsters roaming the landscape; sustenance won't be the immediate issue," Acacia said dismissively. "In the meantime, he's mine." She gently placed Behemoth back on her neck, and the creature immediately coiled itself possessively around her throat.

  "Any other surprises?" Bella crossed her arms under her chest.

  "The reason I arrived sooner than planned was due to a sudden, alarming attack on Encer," Acacia began, her voice losing its earlier levity, replaced by a serious undertone. "And it wasn't the beast-men this time. Apparently, ordinary people are using a concoction of liquefied white crystal and beast-man blood to gain abilities, a temporary boost, from what I gather. It point to its origin being somewhere around here."

  "Boosters, huh? I think I might've caught whispers of something like that, but I tend to tune out the crazy theories," Bella said, her brow furrowed in thought.

  "Great. Just what we needed," Edwin groaned, running a hand through his long hair. "Another delightful group of hopped-up lunatics to add to my already crippling anxiety about Flow Society turning this place into a fireworks display."

  "I doubt Flow Society can mobilize a significant force here anytime soon; they sustained considerable losses," Acacia countered, a thoughtful expression on her face. "However, we do need a solid deterrent to prevent them from waltzing in whenever they please." Her mind flashed back to the image of the Flow Society headquarters, completely consumed by her rapidly growing vines.

  "We lack magic users capable of erecting protective barriers, but we can certainly reinforce the existing barrier crystals," Jahir interjected, his voice practical. "Make them significantly more resilient, enough to hold off a substantial assault for a good while. And once Barcello and Bella perfect those collars to suppress the beast-man's… berserker tendencies, we might actually have a chance at some semblance of peace."

  Acacia let out a soft sigh, slowly lowering herself onto the floor. One by one, the others followed suit, their gazes fixed on the rough ceiling above. A heavy blanket of silence settled over them, punctuated only by the occasional soft sigh or the rustle of clothing as someone shifted their position.

  "Edwin," Bella said softly, breaking the quiet, "maybe… maybe you should go back home."

  "No," he replied, the word sharp and immediate. "I don't want to. I'll just be… alone there."

  "We could go with you," Kel offered gently. "If you want. To Lalan."

  "And what about the Ruins?" Edwin asked, his voice laced with doubt. "What about everything we're trying to build here?"

  "Well," Kel said, his tone thoughtful, "those who want to stay can stay. And those who feel the need to go… they can go. We all screw up, Edwin. It's not the falling that defines us, it's how we pick ourselves up and try to make things right." Edwin remained silent, his gaze fixed on some unseen point on the ceiling.

  'Will that illusion return if I drift off?' Acacia wondered, her eyelids fluttering closed as she waited for the familiar pull of sleep. But the comforting darkness remained stubbornly out of reach. She opened her eyes again, a frown creasing her brow. 'Or am I simply too unsettled for slumber to claim me?'

  "Are we just… sleeping on the floor then?" Bella asked, her voice soft in the dim light.

  "Yeah, it's not like the monster apocalypse came with complimentary bedroom suites," Kel replied with a dry chuckle.

  Soon, the gentle rhythm of breathing filled the air as exhaustion finally claimed them. Silence descended once more. But Acacia remained tethered to wakefulness. She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep, only to find herself jolting awake after mere minutes, the unsettling images of her dream clinging to the edges of her mind.

  'Daemonis…' The name echoed in the silent corners of Acacia's mind.

  'It is nothing of consequence,' Daemonis responded, the voice a cool whisper within her.

  'It didn't feel like nothing,' Acacia countered internally, a knot of unease tightening in her chest.

  'You are resilient. You will be fine,' Daemonis insisted, the words carrying a strange mix of reassurance and finality. And then, as if a switch had been flipped, the edges of Acacia's consciousness blurred, the world dissolving into an abrupt and absolute darkness. Her racing thoughts stuttered to a halt as her eyelids finally, and heavily, closed.

  The dawn chorus swelled, a symphony of chirps and trills as the sun climbed its way into the vast, azure sky. The air, crisp and clean, carried the earthy perfume of wild foliage, tenacious weeds, and the delicate sweetness of blooming flowers.

  The group lay scattered across their makeshift bedding, lost in the untroubled depths of sleep. Acacia's dark wings, usually a symbol of power, were now a protective cocoon wrapped snugly around her form. Kel had somehow gravitated towards the immense warmth of Maximus, nestled against his side like a lost child. Edwin was curled into a tight fetal position, seeking primal comfort. Jahir lay with his arms crossed defensively over his chest, while even in slumber, Bella instinctively clutched her crutches as if they were a lifeline. The first golden tendril of sunlight touched Acacia's face, coaxing her awake. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the gentle light. With a soft rustle, her wings began to unfurl, stretching out languidly before she extended her arms towards the awakening world, a silent greeting to the new day.