Vivienne Wyrne, the Empress of the Lucratis Empire, had mysteriously appeared in it more than twenty years ago.

The Emperor had fallen for her immediately, or so it is said by those who disliked that their Empress was someone unknown.

But the reality was much darker.

By itself, the Lucratis Empire did not have much support from those who had surpassed the third limit; although they were present, it was not something they could easily rely on.

So when a mysterious woman with whitish silver hair, golden eyes, and power equivalent to a Transcendent appeared before the Emperor and asked for the position of Empress, he did not hesitate.

This did not mean that she would move unless she wanted to.

Vivienne gave birth to two children, and her purpose for staying in Lucratis and marrying the Emperor was unknown.

This woman, whom we already knew for her cruelty toward those who served her, was at that moment analyzing the new events.

"So that man sent two eighth-levels and a ninth-level after those two Sterling kids."

"Yes, milady. Your husband did not take the death of Lucas well," replied the butler with impeccable bearing, Dominic.

"It seems he doesn’t care if Sylvia Sterling wants revenge. This will delay our plans..." she sighed, exhausted. "I really don’t know when we will be able to return, Dominic."

"The young miss will hold on, Vivienne. We will obtain all the power this empire has to offer to save her."

"I don’t know if it will be enough. I thought that considering the history and power of Lucratis it would be a good option, but perhaps I should have tried in a superior empire."

The butler frowned.

"You know very well that they are not short of Transcendents there; unless you are a god, they will not pay you any attention."

Vivienne stared fixedly at a point for a while, then turned her gaze back to the butler and said:

"Have you found Astrid?"

"No, we still haven’t been able to. But in a way, this is good news; she should have been able to leave the Demor Empire unharmed."

A curious gleam rose in Vivienne’s eyes.

That her least favorite daughter had managed to achieve that took her by surprise; she knew Astrid well enough to believe she couldn’t have done it without help.

"Increase the number of people we send, extend them to other Empires, and hire the best tracking mages that exist. My husband is going to die soon, and I can’t stop that, not when we were so close."

The butler, with a trace of doubt, asked: "Your Majesty, what if you take the throne?"

"That won’t work. I won’t receive the same support if someone without the ancient blood of this empire rises to power. It’s like that everywhere. Sometimes I wonder if this is done on purpose..."

"Simply no one with enough power was interested in stealing the throne. Don’t think about it too much. We should be more worried about whether Astrid will agree with us if a throne is suddenly given to her."

...

At Demor Academy, two pairs of crimson eyes looked at each other as if they were meeting again.

Julius Sterling and his sister were together and alone after everything that had happened a few weeks ago.

"You’ve been avoiding me like the plague. I suppose you don’t want to share your achievements with me. Grandmother has also been asking about you, though I guess I no longer know for whom..." These last words came out harshly, seeking to provoke a reaction in the woman who showed not a trace of her sister.

Fengyue raised an eyebrow and replied with amusement: "And you? What about that old man hiding inside you?" A bigger smile appeared on her face as she said this.

Julius narrowed his eyes, about to retort, but a sudden attack forced both of them to dodge quickly.

Two eighth-level figures appeared before them, and a third, even stronger one, presented itself afterward.

These did not hesitate for a second and, seeing that their attack had failed, began to attempt another from several flanks.

The ninth-circle mage was particularly problematic; he seemed to wield a rare fog magic with poisonous characteristics.

The old man inside Julius immediately noticed this and alerted him.

Julius began to prepare a fire barrier so that it would not reach him.

Fengyue did not need this.

She looked coldly at the three attackers and invoked a burst of flame powered by her Qi at the peak of the Golden Core, erasing the attacks effortlessly.

She then began to form multiple fire projectiles one after another until they were not easily countable.

The three mages, although one of the eighth-levels was an aura warrior, looked at this with terror.

The eighth-circle mage did not manage to dodge or stop the attacks directed straight at him, roasting him completely and losing his life on the spot.

The warrior had better luck; thanks to his agility, he was able to move far enough away to avoid the attack or block a small one with his weapon.

Meanwhile, the strongest of them vanished like the fog he controlled and appeared several meters away from the place.

Tension rose in the atmosphere.

Julius looked at his "sister" with inexplicable eyes.

After some time like this, when it seemed that the ninth-level mage was going to attack again, he made a strange signal to his companion and both disappeared from the place.

Although Fengyue could have followed them, she simply stayed watching their escape with coldness.

Meanwhile, in the soul space of this one, Seraphine’s voice sounded: "You can’t let them escape! They clearly wanted to kill us."

Fengyue tried to explain: "It doesn’t make sense. Even if I follow them, they can separate, and it’s not that easy for me to kill both if that’s the case."

Seraphine lowered her head uncertainly, and the discomfort kept rising within her.

"When are we going to see Cassian?" she asked, changing the subject now, her voice excited.

Fengyue frowned upon hearing about that man.

Seraphine seemed to notice why and continued: "You promised you would listen to me from time to time, and we were almost always together at the academy in the past with him. Besides... technically he helped you, didn’t he?"

"That man doesn’t help anyone," she replied reluctantly.

"You don’t know him at all. In the legacy he acted cold because he thought you were trying to hurt me."

Fengyue looked at Seraphine’s innocent eyes as if she were a lost cause.

...

At the Astaford mansion, Valeria had finished a training session and headed to see her mother.

Selyne Astaford, with a posture so relaxed it seemed careless, was in a room with a table full of pastries and a couch that looked almost like a bed.

"Mom!" said Valeria with a touch of reproach.

Selyne, upon seeing her daughter, sat up and said with a laugh: "Please, Valeria, it’s just the two of us; how I am doesn’t matter."

Valeria looked at the upper piece of clothing of her mother, which was dangerously close to falling and leaving nothing to the imagination, with disgust; then she scanned the surroundings in search of servants and, seeing none, sighed in relief.

She set her sword aside and sat down in front of the duchess.

"You finally relaxed a little, Valeria."

The same frowned, raised her head and asked: "Didn’t you call me because you wanted to talk?"

"Oh yes, I received some news that might interest you."

"Interest me?" she asked doubtfully, since few things usually moved anything in her.

"Yes, it seems Morgana Valois is going to marry the second son of the Varkas. She’s even willing to be the second wife if he marries your friend first."

Valeria’s eyes opened wide. A touch of unknown bitterness reached her, one she later attributed to concern for Cassane.

...

On the other hand, Cassian, now in a chair, tied by his hands and feet and with his eyes covered, was beginning to wonder if it had been a good idea to go along with this.

The rope chafed his wrists.

He could have disintegrated them with a single thought, but the aroma that filled the room and the person who had kidnapped him felt too familiar for him to interrupt the game.

Someone stopped right behind him.

He could feel a warm breath near his nape, sending a shiver that was not from fear, but from an anticipation that was starting to test his patience.

"Are you going to stay there standing or are you going to take this off my face?" said Cassian in a calm voice.

The woman behind him smiled.

It was not just any smile; it was an expression loaded with an almost childish delight.

But the reality was that her eyes held nothing of that. They shone with an obsession bordering on madness, a fixation she had cultivated during every second of his absence and which now blossomed into a suffocating possessiveness.