Hana stood bound, fear evident on her face.
Minamoto stepped forward angrily and said,
"You bastards, what did you do to her?"
Mirale smiled and replied,
"Before that, the guests should introduce themselves. I'll start with... My name is Miral, heir to the Shrine of Lyra, and this is my brother Kira. Go ahead, introduce yourselves."
Minamoto was about to shout, but Taiko stopped him with a wave of his hand and said calmly,
"My name is Taiko, and this is my colleague Minamoto, and this is my son Kaito, his friend Hairu Shin, and our escort Kurul."
Mirale gave a cold smile and said,
"What beautiful names you have."
Everyone stood in the darkened shrine hall, where flames danced across the cracked walls, revealing tense faces and wary eyes. The little girl stood behind Tycho, her steps trembling, the silence filling the room as if waiting for the next word to ignite.
Miral walked quietly forward, her eyes shining with an eerie gleam as she said, "I think this girl belongs to you... but we need her."
Korol's face darkened and he took a step forward, his voice growling. "And what do you need her for?"
Miral smiled wickedly as she raised her hand toward the crumbling shrine. "We need her as the next sacrifice. It's been a long time since we've found a child, and as you can see... our shrine is crumbling. Sacrificing her will restore its glory."
A look of anger flashed across Tycho's face, and he took a step forward, saying sharply, "I'm sorry... but she's irreplaceable."
Kira chimed in with a sarcastic smile, addressing Miral:
"It seems, my dear sister... that their security hasn't—"
But before he could finish his sentence, his body was thrown backward violently.
In a flash, Tycho was behind him, and a single punch shattered the air before slamming into Kira's body, sending him crashing into the ancient shrine's wall.
The place shook with the sound of the collision, and dust fell from the cracked ceiling.
Tycho stood, shaking his hand coldly as he stared at Miral. He said sharply, "It seems you have a hearing problem."
A heavy silence fell again... but this time it was filled with pent-up anger and an impending explosion.
End of Chapter