The Corvenius Realm stretching ahead in pale greens and gleaming silver trees. The air smelled faintly of dew-soaked moss and medicinal herbs
Rea and Shawn were already scouting ahead, voices muffled by the forest,
Annabella lagged behind, her coat slung open, sunlight threading through her chestnut hair.
Lysa drifted closer, walking beside her without a word for a moment. Then, in a voice much softer than usual, almost shy, she said:
"Are you and Rea a thing?"
Annabella arched a brow, brushing her fingers through her hair. The question caught her slightly off guard. "Well," she said with a bemused smile, "you may say it like that. We are, indeed."
Lysa blinked. Her lips parted, then closed again, eyes darting ahead toward Rea's silhouette. "She's... brutish. Controlling. You're... kind. Beautiful. You're someone I would've loved to get to know."
Annabella slowed her steps, her gaze turning thoughtful. Her voice, when it came, was neither cold nor condescending, simply honest.
"You only love what you think you know," she said, eyes fixed ahead. "I may smile, be charming, and speak in turns and measure. But that is only part of well-prepared script that was shoved down my throat as a child"
Lysa's brows knit, unsure how to respond.
Annabella stopped walking and looked her straight in the eye. "Rea is loyal. And real. She is the only person who sees all of me, the pride, the occasional cruelty, the madness under the polish ... and still wants me. All of me. With all her heart."
Lysa looked down, her throat bobbing.
"She's lucky," she murmured.
Annabella's smile was faint, a little sad. "No. I am."
And with that, they reached the Corvenius stronghold,
As they said their goodbyes, Lysa lingered, her hand clutching Annabella's just a beat too long. Her eyes said more than she dared to voice. Annabella offered a genuine smile, then gently pulled away.
They arrived at the gate of the Cornelius estate by dusk. It was a sprawling, ancient castle of glimmering white stone, draped in ivy and enchanted wards that shimmered faintly in the air like static. The drawbridge lowered with an eerie groan, and the doors creaked open.
They passed through the outer gates unbothered, but as they reached the main hall,
something shifted.
The corridor was empty.
Dozens of figures appeared from the shadows, silent and disciplined. Robed guards, armed and wary, surrounded them in a semicircle. Tension thickened the air. Rea instinctively stepped forward, and unsheathed her black sword.
Annabella didn't flinch. Her voice was smooth, almost amused. "We are here to see your Lord. There is no need for this display. We come as guests." She raised her hand and unveiled a silver Sigel embossed with the seal of Cornelius.
The guards didn't move. Then, a pair of heavy boots echoed down the corridor.
A man stepped forward from the far archway, flanked by two sharp-looking figures now dressed in formal Corvenius uniforms, Lysa and Shawn. Regal in posture, the man looked to be in his early forties, though there was a stern youthfulness in his storm-grey eyes. His robes bore the crest of the Corvenius Clan.
Rea chuckled softly, lowering her sword slightly as she caught sight of Lysa. "Didn't see that coming."
The man halted several paces away. His voice was cold, calculated. "You arrive at my gates cloaked in spells that mask your true nature. That is not the custom of this realm."
Rea stepped forward, her tone direct. "And who asks that we lay ourselves bare?"
"I am Andrew Cornelius," the man replied. "Head of House Cornelius. Current Lord of the Corvenius Clan."
Annabella bowed her head slightly, voice even and diplomatic. "It was never our intention to deceive you, my lord. The spell was precautionary, not hostile. Please , allow your men to stand down, and we shall present ourselves as we truly are."
Andrew studied her for a long moment. He saw no fear in them. Only trust in each other. The corner of his mouth twitched, amused. Then, he raised his hand.
The guards lowered their weapons and stepped back.
Annabella nodded to Rea. "Go on."
Rea gave a single breath, then stepped into the open. She placed two fingers to her temple, then to her chest.
A hiss of red and black smoke erupted around her like a blooming flower of darkness. Her black hair turned a rich, glinting crimson. Her eyes, once a cool, disarming blue, blazed a deep, glowing red. The aura that erupted from her made the very stone beneath their feet tremble. The chandeliers overhead flickered wildly, and some lanterns shattered. A ripple of sheer magical force pulsed through the entire hall, pressing on every chest like a wave.
Rea cracked her neck, then gave a low, formal bow. "Reagan Stone," she said, her voice steadier now, darker. "Protégée of George Winstor. Current Lord Lucreus."
Andrew's brows lifted, not in disapproval, but surprise. He gave her a single nod of acknowledgment, then turned expectantly to Annabella.
Annabella let out a small breath, clearly bored of ceremony. But she stepped forward, graceful as ever. She closed her eyes.
In the next instant, a radiant burst of light engulfed her, a divine brilliance. White and violet light rippled outward, wrapping her form. Her brown hair lifted in a breeze of magic, brightening into shimmering blonde streaked with icy white. Her green eyes turned a rich, purple.
She looked like an angel standing among mortals.
Gasps echoed down the hall. Even the guards could not hide their awe.
Her voice, when it came, was soft but carried power. "Annabella de la Croix," she said. "Daughter of Sylvester de la Croix, Lord of the Ambrosieus bloodline."
Andrew Cornelius visibly froze. His composure fractured for just a heartbeat , eyes wide as if recognizing someone he once...knew.
Slowly, he inclined his head.
"Nobility, indeed," he murmured.
Annabella returned a shallow, perfectly measured bow
Rea stepped beside her, quietly. "Well," she said, voice low, still breathless from the magic surge. "You always know how to make an entrance."
Annabella gave the faintest of smiles. "You weren't so bad yourself."
Andrew smiled, his entire demeanour shifting as he approached. To everyone's surprise, he pulled Rea into a brief but firm embrace.
"You look just like her," he murmured.
Rea stiffened slightly. "Like who?"
But Andrew didn't answer. Instead, he ruffled her hair with a fondness that didn't match his earlier authority. "Sorry, kiddo," he said with a lopsided grin. "Had my people tail you. We had to be careful about who you were bringing to my doorstep."
Annabella watched them closely. The resemblance, the way they both scratched the back of their heads when embarrassed, was unmistakable. They were related. There was no denying it.
Andrew turned to Annabella with a charming grin. "Forgive this old man. I hope our... dramatic welcome didn't offend you."
Annabella inclined her head with practiced grace. "No harm done," she replied coolly.
Her eyes shifted to Lysa and Shawn, standing to the side. There was disappointment in her gaze. They avoided her eyes. Lysa looked almost ashamed.
Andrew, ever observant, broke the tension. "Come now ... let me show you to your rooms. You must be exhausted. We'll talk properly over dinner."
The group ascended the inner stairs; the halls lined with ancient tapestries and stained glass.
Rea and Annabella were escorted down separate but adjacent rooms, but as they reached the branching point, Rea abruptly grabbed Annabella's wrist and pulled her toward one door.
"She's with me," Rea said flatly to the maid.
The woman blinked, uncertain. "But the lady was assigned—"
"We'll share the room," Rea cut in. "I won't let her out of my sight."
There was no room for argument. The maid bowed and left.
Annabella raised a brow but said nothing as Rea closed the door behind them. Inside, the room was stunning, a sunlit chamber with tall windows, silk sheets, and a marble bath steaming in the adjoining alcove.
Rea gave a low whistle. "This is much better than the forest."
Annabella slid off her coat and stepped out of her shoes. "The forest still felt safer," she murmured. "We should remain on guard."
Rea glanced at her, eyes softening. "You're right." Then she smirked. "Should I join you in the bath? Just to relax before dinner?"
Annabella was mid-way through unfastening her blouse when she let out a breath of amused disbelief and tossed a folded towel at Rea's face. "Absolutely not," she said, lips curving. "You have showed yourself very handsy lately. Go do something useful, like recon."
Rea caught the towel, grinning. "I have something better to look after," she said, eyes gleaming. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."
Annabella blushed faintly but turned away without replying, walking toward the bathroom in silence. The door closed behind her with a soft click, the sound lingering like a whispered promise in the air.
An hour later,
Rea sat sprawled on a cushioned bench, arms draped lazily over the backrest, one leg propped up, her hair looking less chaotic than before. She wore a sharp black and red suit, the collar slightly undone, the fabric hugging her frame. She was fiddling with the ring, George had given her, but looked up the moment the door creaked open.
Her dress was a deep, royal purple. Satin and velvet hugged her body like it had been sewn in secret by someone who had once been in love with her, the neckline dipping just enough to be scandalous without actually breaking rules. The bodice clung like a whispered secret, the fabric shimmering faintly as she moved. One leg peeked through the high slit with every step, and her platinum was straight and had a beautiful volume.
Rea stared. "You said you didn't want me to see you undressed."
Annabella gave a little smile, adjusting the strap at her shoulder. "And You haven't."
Rea stood slowly. "And this is better? You are literally begging me to jump you"
Annabella tilted her chin. "I dressed behind a locked door like a lady. I can't help it if the result is...more than your brain can take. "
Rea circled her once, eyes trailing with no effort to hide it. "You call this dressing modestly? That slit is a threat. I nearly got stabbed in the heart."
"Oh please," Annabella murmured, walking to the mirror. "Don't act like you're not enjoying the injury."
Rea grinned, leaning casually against the wall. "Enjoying it? I'm questioning all my morals. And maybe a few gods."
Annabella met her gaze in the mirror. "You think the staff will stare?"
"They'll need divine intervention not to," Rea muttered. "If someone faints, it's on you."
Annabella smirked. "Then I suppose you'll just have to keep everyone in line."
Rea took a slow step forward, eyes narrowing with playful intent. "Don't tempt me."
"I thought I already had."
There was a beat. Then Annabella turned toward the door, her hair swaying. "You are coming, or are you just going to keep salivating in the corner?"
Rea raised a brow. "Salivating? I am not."
"You were."
"I was restraining myself. There's a difference."
Annabella reached for the door. "Then let's get to dinner. If I'm going to enchant the room, I want to be on time."
Andrew had ensured only a few trusted individuals were present in the great dining hall. The table gleamed beneath the soft chandelier light, polished silverware perfectly arranged. Servants lingered by the walls, still as shadows.
Then the doors opened.
Rea and Annabella entered side by side.
They were a vision in contrast, light and darkness walking in sync. Annabella's presence was all elegance: her long, silken blonde hair with pale white streaks fell straight down her back, her amethyst eyes calm but cold. Every step she took was deliberate, graceful, like she was born in marble halls.
Beside her, Rea looked like a storm barely kept at bay, her red hair tousled and gleaming, gave her an air of danger than was uncanny.
Lyz froze mid-step when she saw them. Her eyes fell on Annabella's dress, the flawless line of her neck, the faint shimmer of power in her aura. She bowed quickly, too quickly, and slipped away
Andrew rose to welcome them, arms open with practiced ease. "Welcome, welcome. Sit, drink, rest. You're safe here."
Wine was poured, small talk exchanged but Rea was impatient. Her hand wrapped around her glass, untouched, her voice cutting through the pleasantries.
"Cut to the chase, Andrew. Why are we really here?"
Andrew sighed, setting his glass down. "You've always been direct. Fine then."
He looked at her long and searching.
"I've known about you for some time, Rea. George told me everything. I was instructed to wait—to stand down—until Charles moved against you directly. The decision was political. You are... uniquely dangerous."
Rea tilted her head. "Because I was born of both light and darkness?"
"Yes," Andrew replied. "Your existence isn't just a threat to House Winstor, it's more compromising to mine. To Cornelius. Because it would mean my sister, Charles' wife, bore a child with a Death Mage."
There was a silence. The air turned cold.
Rea's voice dropped. "Do you believe that's what happened?"
Andrew held her gaze. "It doesn't matter. I loved my sister. I still do. If it were true—I would have protected her all the same."
The grief that hung in the room was heavy. Even the servants seemed to stiffen.
Then Annabella spoke, calm and precise, her voice threading through the silence like silk.
"Then let us speak of what matters now. What plan have you and His Excellency George devised?"
Andrew cleared his throat. "George asked me to keep you here, Rea. To continue your training. He's not ready to move yet."
He turned to Annabella, softer now. "And you? Are you considering going back to your family?"
Before Annabella could reply, Rea leaned forward. "She's not staying without me. Wherever she goes...I follow."
Andrew chuckled softly and lifted his hand. "Then you're both welcome. It would be an honour to have you here."
Annabella gave him a long, unreadable look. Then she spoke with the elegance of a court-born diplomat, and the clarity of a commander.
"Hospitality is appreciated, but sentiment cannot guide strategy. The most important thing here is not just our safety but maintaining the flow of accurate intelligence. The very moment communication is severed, our enemies have already won. Keep us informed. Control of information is control of the battlefield. Anything else is theatre."
There was a pause. Even Andrew blinked taken aback.
A slow smile spread across his face. "You are... terrifyingly brilliant."
Annabella raised her glass. "Terrifying is the only way brilliance survives in times like these."
Rea smirked beside her, eyes never leaving her face.
Later that night,
Annabella excused herself and left Rea deep in a drinking contest with her uncle, their laughter and clinking glasses trailing behind her.
The hallway outside was dimly lit, quiet. Cool.
Then, as if summoned by the silence, Lyz appeared from around the corner, standing still, as though she'd been waiting.
Annabella's steps slowed, but not out of surprise. Her voice was formal, detached. "Lysa"
Lyz stepped forward and gently reached for her hand. "I'd like to apologise."
Annabella drew her hand back. "What for? You were doing your duty, soldier."
Lyz exhaled quietly, frustration in her eyes. "So that's how it is now."
Annabella tilted her head slightly, gaze steady. "Trust is a rare currency. Hard-earned. Easily lost. You came to me already knowing who I was. I had no such luxury."
Lyz took a step closer, her voice lower, almost pleading. "I was charged with watching Rea. And… gauging whether you could be trusted."
Annabella's frown deepened, her lips tightening.
"And if I couldn't?" she asked. "What were your orders then?"
Lyz looked away for the briefest second. When she met her eyes again, her voice was tighter, jaw clenched. "If you posed a threat… I was to dispose of you."
There was a long silence.
Lyz added, quickly, "But that order...I never would have obeyed it."
A smile curved Annabella's lips, but there was no warmth in it. Only mockery. "Is that so? Forgive me, but I do not believe anything that comes from your lips."
And then, without warning, her eyes flashed, not with seduction, but with sheer power. A deep, terrifying shade of purple pulsed from them like a command, ancient and unyielding.
"I think you would've found I'm not an easy target," Annabella whispered. "Not even for someone like you."
Lyz froze. Her breath caught in her throat. The pressure of the magic tightened around her like invisible vines, not choking but certainly threatening.
Then, just as suddenly, it passed.
Annabella turned without another word, her heels clicking softly on the stone floor.
"Goodnight," she called lightly over her shoulder, voice returning to its calm, as though nothing had happened.
Lyz stood alone in the hallway long after Annabella disappeared. The pressure from her spell still clung to her chest like a phantom weight. Only when she heard footsteps from around the corner did she finally move.
Shawn emerged, his coat slung loosely over his shoulder, half a smirk already forming until he saw her face.
"You look like you just survived a skirmish," he said lightly.
"I might've," Lyz muttered, rubbing her arms as though she were cold.
Shawn raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
Lyz turned her back to the corridor, leaning against the stone wall. "Annabella."
Shawn tilted his head. "Did she hex you?"
"No." Lyz exhaled. "Not really. Not fully. Just enough to remind me she could have."
He whistled low. "That is practically impossible"
Lyz nodded slowly. "She's not what I expected. She is more powerful than what she lets out. We are immune to her kind, but she broke through my defenses. "
"I could've told you that. She has a way of lessening evils...could be a form of soul bending," Shawn said, folding his arms. "Besides Rea's obsessed. You think she'd fall for someone without teeth?"
Lyz glanced at him, irritation flickering in her eyes. " Soul Bending is a technique that was lost to the Ambroseius clan long before the war."
"What other way can you explain her powers," he noted, smug.
Lyz sighed and looked down the hallway where Annabella had gone. "I thought I had her figured out. We have to keep an eye on her"
Shawn's smirk faded into something more serious. "Understood"
The morning
Rea stumbled back into the room well past midnight, half her shirt untucked, boots in her hand, and a drunken grin plastered across her face. She barely made it two steps in before collapsing with a loud thud on the floor.
The next morning, Rea stirred to consciousness, blinking slowly against the sunlight bleeding through the tall windows. Her head throbbed, but it wasn't the cold floor that greeted her. A soft pillow was under her head, and a warm blanket had been thrown over her.
She turned and found Annabella seated by the vanity, brushing out her long hair. She was already dressed, her back straight, her tone casual but her eyes sparkled with dry amusement.
"Awaken at last," Annabella said, glancing at her through the mirror. "I'm relieved you remembered, I loathe sleeping beside drunks."
Rea stretched, only now realizing she was in nothing but her undergarments. She grinned devilishly. "Oooh… did you strip me, Bella? Were you overcome with temptation?"
Annabella stood and crossed the room gracefully. She crouched beside Rea looking like a queen tending to a stray puppy, holding out a glass of water. "Temptation?" she scoffed, lifting an elegant brow. "I assure you, there was no pleasure in undressing a half-conscious, snoring brute."
Rea reached out to steal a kiss instead of the drink. Annabella rolled her eyes, expertly sliding the glass between them just in time, pressing it to Rea's lips.
"Hydrate. Then get up," she said coolly. "Your training starts now."
Rea groaned, taking the drink. "You're cruel."
Annabella stood again with a smirk. "And you're slow."
Rea sulked but obeyed, sipping the bitter tea with a slight wince.
A few minutes later, standing before the mirror, Rea froze. Her hair shimmered white again, streaked with pale silver, and her eyes, no longer hidden, glowed a deep red rimmed in black.
She turned to Annabella in quiet panic.
Annabella approached with a small black box, elegant fingers opening the lid to reveal an assortment of charged artifacts.
She leaned in, brushing a kiss against Rea's cheek.
"I do think you look better this way but here are your artefacts, I thought you would want them still"
She selected one, clicked it gently to Rea's wrist, and whispered:
"Now, to the bath. You smell like a bar."
Rea laughed and pulled her into a sudden hug, burying her face in Annabella's neck. Annabella groaned but didn't push her away, only smoothed her hand along Rea's spine with the faintest smile.