Lyriana watched the door slide open with a soft metallic click.
Silence returned to the corridor almost immediately.
Inside the room—
Vaelith sat calmly near the center while both tiny winged babies drifted around her in uneven circles.
Lucifer nearly crashed straight into the ceiling.
Elenya spun far too quickly and smacked directly into him midair.
Vaelith raised one slender hand calmly.
A pulse of soft mana spread outward, steadying both of them before they could spiral completely out of control.
Then Lyriana finally spoke from the doorway.
"Lady Vaelith."
Vaelith glanced toward her quietly.
"It seems His Highness has encountered some issues."
A brief pause followed.
"He ordered the ship to leave the city within the next hour."
The moment those words fell—
Elenya immediately bonked into Lucifer again.
Vaelith caught both of them gently with magic before either could tumble to the floor.
"…Understood."
Her voice remained calm.
Almost unsurprised.
Lyriana studied her silently for a brief moment.
But Vaelith had already returned her attention to the two tiny figures drifting lazily around the room while soft mana light reflected faintly within her eyes.
A quiet thought crossed her mind.
*It seems the lord has finally become aware of the Empire's presence inside the city.*
She wasn't surprised.
Not truly.
The moment they entered a city where the Holy Knights and the Imperial Princess were already present, conflict had only ever been a matter of time.
And knowing Draven—
the situation was likely already escalating far beyond a simple confrontation.
Elsewhere—
the industrial elevator doors opened with a loud metallic clang.
Steam burst outward across the suspended sky-dock platform as the cultist, Kaelira, and the pilot stepped into the massive repair district.
Towering steel frameworks stretched endlessly overhead while suspended cargo rails moved constantly between platforms carrying machinery, supplies, and dismantled ship components.
Sparks rained through the smoky air from nearby repair stations while the sound of grinding metal echoed endlessly across the district.
Their ship rested ahead near the outer dock lane—
still partially surrounded by scaffolding and floating repair platforms.
Kaelira narrowed her eyes immediately.
"…It doesn't look finished."
Large sections of the outer hull remained exposed while several mana engineers moved across the ship attaching stabilizer plates and recalibrating damaged arrays.
The pilot frowned deeply.
"…Tch."
Then suddenly shouted upward—
"BORIK!"
One of the floating repair platforms jerked slightly.
A dwarf covered almost entirely in soot and grease leaned over the edge while gripping a massive wrench.
His beard had been tied into several rough metal rings while welding goggles rested crookedly across his forehead.
"BASTARD!"
His voice exploded across the dock instantly.
"What the hell are you screaming for?!"
Several nearby workers flinched automatically.
The pilot pointed aggressively toward the ship.
"You said repairs would be done soon!"
The dwarf snorted loudly.
"And they *will* be if idiots stop yelling at me every ten damn minutes!"
Kaelira folded her arms while staring upward.
"…So you're not finished."
The dwarf pointed the wrench directly at her.
"You see this?!"
He slammed one heavy boot against the floating platform.
"Half the lower stabilizer array got twisted like someone rammed the damn ship through a mountain!"
A brief pause.
"Do you know how annoying that is to fix?!"
The pilot muttered quietly under his breath.
"…Okay, fair."
The cultist stepped forward immediately.
"How long?"
The dwarf looked down toward her.
Then his expression shifted slightly.
He noticed the tension in her face.
The urgency.
"…Why?"
The cultist answered without hesitation.
"We need the ship ready for departure within the hour."
Silence followed.
The dwarf blinked once.
Then barked out a rough laugh.
"Within the hour?"
He pointed toward the damaged hull again.
"You think I'm some kind of damn miracle worker?"
The cultist's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How much longer?"
The dwarf scratched roughly at his beard while glancing across the repair crews working below.
"…If nothing explodes…"
A pause.
"…Thirty minutes."
The pilot immediately exhaled in relief.
"Good enough."
But the dwarf raised one thick finger.
"That's assuming nobody touches anything stupid."
His suspicious gaze shifted between all three of them.
"Which already lowers my confidence significantly."
Kaelira rolled her eyes.
"Just finish the ship."
The dwarf snorted loudly as he turned back toward the exposed stabilizer array.
"Annoying damn brat."
He grabbed a sparking mana cable with one thick glove and violently shoved it back into place.
"I don't even know why I'm wasting time talking to you people."
Kaelira's eyes narrowed immediately.
"Hey."
She pointed upward toward the floating platform.
"You little old man—I heard that."
The dwarf barked another laugh without even turning around.
"Good."
A shower of sparks exploded around him as he slammed the wrench into a half-open hull panel.
"Then maybe you'll stop talking for five damn minutes."
Kaelira clicked her tongue sharply.
"Short angry gremlin."
"What was that?!"
"Nothing!"
"Liar!"
The pilot watched the argument for a few seconds before slowly turning toward the cultist.
"…Well."
He adjusted the bag hanging loosely over one shoulder.
"That confirms it."
The cultist glanced sideways at him.
The pilot gestured lazily toward the repair crews.
"If the ship's done in thirty minutes…"
A brief pause.
"…then we've got another thirty minutes after that to get as far away from this city as possible."
His tone remained casual.
But quieter now.
More thoughtful.
Steam hissed continuously through the suspended dock while cargo rails rumbled overhead between the towering steel frameworks.
The pilot scratched lightly at the side of his face.
"…Actually…"
Another pause.
"…I'm starting to wonder what the reason is."
The cultist remained silent.
The pilot looked out toward the city stretching endlessly beneath the docks.
Smoke-covered towers.
Neon lights.
Industrial haze swallowing entire districts beneath layers of drifting steam and steel.
Then he muttered quietly,
"The way you showed up earlier…"
"…The sudden order to leave…"
"…The tension…"
He exhaled softly through his nose.
"It's making me uneasy."
A brief silence settled afterward.
Kaelira had stopped arguing with the dwarf by now.
Even she looked noticeably more serious.
The cultist stood near the edge of the suspended platform while cold wind swept lightly through her dark hair.
Her eyes drifted toward the distant lower districts hidden beneath layers of smoke, neon, and steel.
*So now…*
A faint tension settled deeper inside her chest.
*…all we can do is wait.*
Wait for the repairs.
Wait for Draven to return.
Wait to see whether Blackwater would still remain standing by the end of the next hour intact.