"So we're here because of Magnolia?" Abraham said.
"That's how it looks," Poison said.
Sofia frowned. "He gets yelled at like the rest of us."
"But the Pharaoh watches him," Ren said. "More than anyone. And he judges him more, too."
Luna looked at him. "Saijew did the same to you. He watched you longer than the rest of us."
Ren opened his mouth, then shut it. "I thought he was watching everyone."
"He was," Luna said. "But he watched you longer."
Silence. Sous was the one to break it. "So both of them are hiding something."
"Then let's ask Magnolia," Ren said.
Squad Two crossed the palace corridors quietly, with Ren keeping his light manipulation active whenever guards passed nearby.
The light bent around them just enough to make their movements difficult to notice.
Eventually, they reached the large living area where Squad One slept, with six individual bedrooms positioned around the shared room and a wide open space connecting everything together. Before anyone could enter, Ren noticed someone standing outside the entrance.
Valentina.
She stood against the stone wall with her arms crossed, watching the corridor while keeping the entrance within her sight.
Her armor was still on, although several pieces had been loosened after training, and her expression showed the exhaustion of someone who had decided sleep could wait.
Poison slowed beside Ren and looked toward her.
"You're guarding them?" Valentina turned toward them, immediately recognizing the group despite their attempt to remain unnoticed.
"Someone has to," she spoke.
"Everyone else is asleep."
Ren lowered his hand.
"You've been standing here the entire time?"
Valentina shrugged before shifting her weight against the wall.
"Mostly."
Poison glanced at the entrance before looking back at her.
"You're going to fall asleep standing up."
Valentina gave him a flat look.
"I've stayed awake through worse."
Before Poison could answer, something moved behind them.
A faint sound came from the darkness of the corridor, followed by the unmistakable sensation that someone was standing far closer than they should have been.
Poison immediately reached for one of his daggers while Ren turned around.
Nothing stood there.
Then a voice came from directly beside Abraham.
"Looking for someone?"
Abraham nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around and found Kibo standing beside him with a completely relaxed expression.
Sous stared at him for several seconds before slowly lowering his hand.
"You're annoying."
Kibo smiled while casually adjusting his positon.
"I've been practicing."
Poison stared at him.
"You almost gave Abraham a heart attack."
Abraham glared at Kibo.
"I wasn't that scared."
"You were," Kibo laughed.
"I think I'm getting better at hiding the sound."
Ren studied him for a moment.
"You've been awake this whole time?"
Kibo shrugged before looking toward the living room with the same relaxed expression.
"Couldn't sleep."
He turned toward the entrance and walked inside without waiting for permission.
The shared room was mostly dark, illuminated only by a few small lamps that had been left burning throughout the night.
The bedrooms were positioned around the room on different sides.
Nothing separated the sleeping quarters from the central room except the walls and doors surrounding them.
Kibo quietly returned toward his side of the room while Squad Two remained near the entrance with Valentina.
A few moments passed before a door opened.
Matthew stepped into the shared room, rubbing one eye while his hair remained messy from sleep.
He looked toward the group standing near the entrance, then toward Valentina before realizing that several people from Squad Two had gathered outside.
"You're all here?"
Matthew's voice remained tired, but his eyes were already becoming more focused as he studied everyone's expressions.
Ren nodded once.
"We wanted to talk about Magnolia."
Matthew stopped walking for a moment before leaning against the wall.
"About what?"
Abraham stepped forward.
"Everything that's happened around him."
Matthew remained quiet while Abraham continued.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you?"
Matthew's expression changed slightly.
"Yeah."
The answer immediately caught everyone's attention.
Poison raised an eyebrow while Abraham stared at him with clear surprise.
"You already thought about it?"
Matthew nodded slowly, crossing his arms.
"I've been thinking about it for a while."
Abraham's expression softened slightly, almost relieved that his suspicion wasn't something only he had considered.
"So you think Magnolia is connected to Ra too?"
Matthew looked at him before answering without hesitation.
"I think that's the most likely explanation."
No one spoke for several seconds.
The reaction wasn't confusion.
It was surprise. They had already discussed Magnolia's contract among themselves, but hearing Matthew arrive at the same conclusion independently made the possibility feel considerably more real.
Poison folded his arms and looked between Matthew and Abraham.
"You two are just alike."
Abraham frowned.
"What?"
Poison's mouth curved into a small sarcastic smile.
"You both spend way too much time thinking about things."
Matthew gave Abraham a brief glance before looking back at Poison.
"Is that supposed to be an insult?"
"Mostly."
Abraham shook his head while Matthew quietly accepted the comment, neither seeming particularly bothered by it.
Ren looked toward Magnolia's bedroom.
"The Pharaoh's interest still doesn't make sense."
Matthew's expression became more serious.
"No."
He pushed himself away from the wall before continuing his thought.
"Neither does how much attention the General gave him."
Abraham nodded immediately.
"That was what we noticed too."
Matthew looked toward Ren.
"Did Saijew ever act differently around you?"
Ren's expression tightened slightly as the memory returned.
"He watched me more than everyone else."
Matthew's eyes narrowed as he considered that information. "Then maybe it's not coincidence."
Poison looked between the two of them again.
"You're both doing it again."
Abraham looked irritated.
"Doing what?"
"Thinking."
Poison said it dryly while leaning against the wall.
Matthew almost smiled.
Valentina remained at the entrance, listening without interrupting while keeping one eye on the corridor outside.
Then another bedroom door opened.
Amelia stepped into the shared room, still half asleep as she looked around at everyone gathered together.
"What are you doing?"
She rubbed her eyes while walking farther into the room.
Matthew turned toward her.
"We're talking about Magnolia."
Amelia's expression immediately became more awake.
"Is something wrong?"
"No," Ren answered.
"Not yet."
Amelia frowned slightly at the answer before looking toward the hallway of bedrooms.
A few moments later, another door opened.
Emma slowly stepped into the room, her hair slightly messy and her eyes barely open.
She stopped when she noticed everyone gathered together.
"What's happening?" Emma spoke.
Amelia looked toward her. "We're talking about Magnolia."
Emma looked toward Magnolia's bedroom before slowly walking closer to the others.
"Did something happen to him?"
Poison shook his head.
"Not yet."
Emma looked relieved, although she still seemed worried by the way everyone was standing around.
Valentina glanced toward the corridor before returning her attention to the group.
"He's still asleep."
Everyone became quiet again.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then a faint sound came from Magnolia's room.
The door opened slowly.
Magnolia stepped into the shared room, still tired from sleep as he rubbed his eyes and looked around at the unusually large group standing near the entrance.
"Why is everyone awake?"
His voice was quiet, and the confusion on his face made it obvious that he had no idea how long everyone had been discussing him.
Ren studied Magnolia carefully before answering.
"We need to talk."
"What happened?"
Poison looked toward Ren.
Ren remained silent for a moment.
Something about him felt different.
Not stronger.
Not weaker.
Just different. Ren's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the faint traces of energy surrounding Magnolia's body.
Magnolia noticed his expression and became slightly more concerned.
"What?"
Ren stared at him for another moment before quietly speaking.
"Something not right."
Magnolia stared at Ren for several seconds.
His legs weakened without warning, and he reached toward the nearest wall for support, but his hand missed completely as his body started falling forward.
"Magnolia!" Emma's voice became noticeably louder as she rushed toward him.
Ren moved immediately and caught Magnolia before his head could strike the floor, pulling him against his shoulder while the others quickly moved closer.
"Get him into bed."
Valentina stepped toward Magnolia with a firm expression, pointing toward his bedroom while taking control of the situation without allowing anyone time to panic.
Ren carefully lifted Magnolia and carried him toward the bedroom, with Amelia moving ahead to clear the way while Emma followed closely behind.
"Is he breathing normally?"
Kibo walked beside them with a concerned expression.
"Yeah," Amelia answered.
"He's breathing fine."
Valentina remained close as Ren lowered Magnolia onto his bed, watching his face carefully while making sure nothing else appeared immediately wrong.
"Then why did he collapse?"
Sous entered the bedroom behind them.
"I don't know," Ren answered while stepping away from the bed.
Sous folded his arms.
"He was tired, but not enough to suddenly pass out," Valentina spoke while standing beside the bed. "He hasn't complained about anything unusual either." Matthew remained near the bedroom entrance.
"Not that we've noticed," Sous answered.
"He's been acting like himself—more normal looking sure, but that's normal when he's thinking." Amelia moved closer to the bed while adjusting Magnolia's blanket, speaking confidently because she knew Magnolia's normal behavior better than Squad Two did.
"He'll usually keep something to himself until he understands it," Emma spoke.
"Has anything changed recently?" Poison asked the question.
"Not that we've noticed," Kibo answered while rubbing the back of his neck.
"He has been sleeping less." Valentina added the detail immediately while keeping her arms crossed, remembering several nights where Magnolia had remained awake longer than everyone else.
"How long?" Ren asked while turning toward Valentina.
"a few nights," Valentina answered.
"He says he's fine whenever someone asks."
Amelia looked toward Ren while giving the answer.
"That's Magnolia."
Kibo shrugged while giving Magnolia a small glance.
"He doesn't like worrying people," Amelia answered while sitting beside Magnolia's bed.
"Not exactly."
Emma shook her head while correcting the assumption.
"He'll usually keep something to himself until he understands it."
Sofia crossed her arms near the doorway and watched Squad Two closely before speaking.
"So he hides when something bothers him?" She asked.
"He doesn't like worrying people."
She looked back toward Magnolia after speaking.
Poison gave a small nod before shifting his attention toward the others. "But this isn't just exhaustion," Luna spoke.
"His breathing changed before he fell," she explained.
Valentina looked toward him with a firm expression.
"We wait until he wakes up."
She uttered while stepping slightly closer to the bed, grounding the conversation before everyone could start making assumptions about something none of them understood.
"He'll wake up," Emma spoke.
"He always does."
Emma answered nervously.
Amelia gave Emma a small smile while standing beside her.
Everyone remained near Magnolia's bed.
Magnolia heard none of them.
His body felt completely weightless as he drifted somewhere beyond the palace, with no bed beneath him and no walls surrounding the darkness.
There was no ceiling above him and no floor beneath his feet.
Magnolia looked around slowly.
"Where am I?"
His voice traveled into the darkness without producing an echo, disappearing almost immediately as though the void itself had swallowed the sound.
A faint golden light appeared ahead of him and slowly became brighter until a familiar figure emerged from within it.
Ra.
"You again."
"You have entered a place where questions arrive before answers."
Magnolia crossed his arms. "That doesn't answer anything."
"It was not meant to."
"Why am I here?"
"Because your body is changing." It was the first straight answer Ra had ever given him.
"Changing how?" Magnolia turned his hands over, searching for something he had missed.
"The contract between us was never meant to remain still."
"What does that mean?"
Ra raised one hand. Gold light gathered around his palm. "The sun rises each morning, yet it does not rise as the same sun." The light faded. "Your body is struggling to carry what it has accepted."
"How bad is it?"
Ra looked away into the dark for a long moment. "Your body has endured the prologue. It has not yet endured the true start."
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
"It was not meant to."
"What happens when I wake up?"
"You will notice what was hidden before."
"Then what am I?"
Ra said nothing. Magnolia stepped closer.
"No. What are we?"
Something shifted in Ra's face, a gentleness, almost recognition. "That answer belongs to the one who asks it."
"You keep doing that. Answering without answering."
"You keep asking questions that should not be answered for you." Ra let the silence stretch. "Some doors open because they were built for you. Others open because you were foolish enough to push."
"So which one was I?"
"You tell me." Then, more quietly: "Remember, my sun. Power does not decide what you become."
"Then what does?"
"Choice."
Magnolia was quiet for several seconds. "And if I make the wrong choice?"
"Then you will learn from it."
"Will this hurt?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Enough for you to notice."
"You really don't like giving straight answers."
"Straight roads rarely teach travelers where they are going."
"Is there anything I can do?"
The gold light began to thin around Ra. "Prepare."
"For what?"
"For the part of yourself you have not yet met."
The last traces of light faded.
"Wait." Magnolia reached into the dark. "Will I see you again?"
"You have never stopped seeing me."
Magnolia's eyes opened suddenly as he inhaled sharply, his body jerking beneath the blankets while the familiar palace room returned around him.
Emma immediately stood from the chair beside his bed.
"Magnolia?" Emma called while leaning closer to him.
Magnolia looked around the room while breathing heavily.
Valentina stepped closer to the bed.
"Are you okay?" Valentina asked.
Magnolia slowly sat upright while placing one hand against his forehead.
"I think so," Magnolia answered.
"What happened?" Ren asked.
Magnolia looked toward him.
"I passed out," Magnolia answered while rubbing his forehead.
Kibo leaned forward from where he had been sitting against the wall.
"You scared everyone," Kibo said.
Magnolia looked toward Kibo while lowering his hand from his forehead.
Magnolia gave them a tired look before running one hand through his hair.
His hair was still mostly brown, but several noticeable golden highlights now ran through it, catching the light whenever he moved his head.
Magnolia stared at the strands for several seconds.
"What?" Magnolia asked.
Emma leaned closer.
"Your… your hair," Emma said, pointing.
Magnolia looked down toward his hair while touching one of the newly golden strands.
"It changed."
Valentina stepped closer.
"It's more gold than before," Kibo observed.
Sous studied the golden strands carefully while keeping his arms crossed.
"But the brown is still there," Sous answered.
"Are you feeling anything else?" Ren asked.
Magnolia thought about the strange conversation inside the void before answering.
"My body feels different."
"Different how?" Valentina asked.
Magnolia looked toward her.
"I don't know yet," Magnolia admitted.
Amelia crossed her arms.
"Then don't push yourself," Amelia said. "I'm not healing you twice."
Magnolia nodded slowly.
Ren looked toward Magnolia.
"My squad came here because we wanted to talk to you."
Magnolia looked around at Squad Two.
"About what?" Magnolia asked.
Poison gave him a small sarcastic smile.
"We noticed some things."
"Things that don't make sense," Abraham said.
Matthew nodded from nearby.
"And we aren't the only ones who noticed them," Matthew added.
Magnolia looked toward Matthew with visible curiosity.
"You noticed something too?"
Matthew nodded slowly.
"I reached the same conclusion they did," Matthew answered.
"We already know the Pharaoh is interested in him," Valentina said.
Amelia looked toward Magnolia while keeping her arms crossed.
"And we've known for a while that his contract isn't ordinary," Amelia explained.
Kibo shrugged while looking toward Magnolia.
"Magnolia has never been ordinary," Kibo said.
Magnolia looked toward Kibo with a tired expression.
"That sounds like an insult," Magnolia replied while raising an eyebrow.
Kibo smiled while leaning back against the wall.
"It wasn't," Kibo answered while shaking his head.
Valentina gave Kibo a hard glare, before straightening her face.
"So what exactly did your squad come here to ask?" Sous asked.
Ren looked directly toward Magnolia while the room became quiet around them, with every member of both squads waiting for him to finally explain.
"We think the Pharaoh knows more than he's letting on."
Magnolia looked toward Ren.
"You think the Pharaoh knows something about my contract," Magnolia asked.
"That's what we think," Poison answered.
"And Matthew reached the same conclusion independently."
Magnolia lowered his eyes toward the golden strands of hair covering part of his face, remembering the warning Ra had given him inside the void.
His fingers tightened slightly around the blanket as he considered whether revealing Ra's words would create more questions than answers.
"I might know something," Magnolia said.
The entire room became silent as every recruit turned their attention toward Magnolia, waiting for him to explain what he had learned.
Ren stepped slightly closer to the bed while keeping his expression serious.
"What do you know?" Ren asked.