Reunion in the Blackthorn Mansion
Blackthorn City.
Within the vast Blackthorn mansion, there was silence weighing heavily against the walls of a spacious, ornate room. Velvet drapes fluttered gently with the wind creeping in through open windows. Incense smoke wafted through the air, soft and peaceful—but not enough to calm the troubled hearts that filled the interior.
A ring of beauties sat in tight proximity, their every gesture revealing tension. Red hair, silver tresses, golden eyes, jade stares—twelve women, each beautiful in her own right, stood with growing irritation. Rias, Aria, Cynthia, Kyra, Syra, Lira, Tsubaki, Fey, Rui, Lena, Mona, Mira, Chloe, and Lilyn—all of them present in one place, an uncommon occurrence that should have been a joyous occasion. But at present, the space between them had the cutting bite of tension.
They had heard Leon was arriving. Nova herself had gone to fetch him home. But hours crawled along, agonizingly slow, until patience gave way.
