Thales, leaning forward with a kind of restless excitement, dropped his next bomb.
"So, I talked to Phaser."
Both girls froze. Xaessia blinked, the corner of her mouth twitching upward.
"You… talked to Phaser?"
"Yes. That one."
Verdamona frowned. "You talked to him? He's been missing since the Manhattan incident. Not even the professors know where he is."
Thales's grin widened. "Oh, he's alive. More than alive, actually. He's busy doing… well, whatever terrifying genius things Phaser does. But that's not why I brought it up."
"Then why did you bring it up?"
"The Azure Sword."
That got their attention.
Xaessia's eyes narrowed just slightly. Verda's fingers stopped spinning the fork. Xaessia has told her about Thales finding the clues of the Azure Sword and Thales clarified for her too when she asked him. She also knew Thales is a witness.
"I actually forgot about that," Xaessia admitted. "He's a witness to the Primal Synsiline Treasure, isn't he?"
"Exactly. And that's why he and I have been in contact. He's been tracking the residual data streams of the Synsiline artifacts, and Phaser got confirmation that two of the clues, the second and third, are going to appear on June 30th."
"Both… on the same day?"
"Yeah. Two different locations, too. One in Italy, the other in Switzerland. We don't know why they'll manifest simultaneously, but we do know that if we don't retrieve them within the day, they'll vanish completely."
Xaessia crossed her arms, unimpressed. "And you're telling us this because…?"
"Because I need your help."
Verdamona tilted her head. "You want our help to find ancient artifact that vanish into nothing if you don't pick them up in time?"
"Basically."
"And what exactly is in it for me?"
"A free vacation."
Verdamona actually laughed. "You're kidding."
He raised a finger. "Nope. Free. As in paid travel, paid hotels, food, transportation, all covered by Phaser's funding."
Xaessia tilted her head, her lips curling. "So you're telling me I get to lounge in an Roman villa with no bills to pay and watch a priceless treasure hunt go down?"
Thales shrugged. "Pretty much."
Verdamona gave him a flat look. "That's your big pitch? You think that and ancient stones is enough to make us follow you halfway across the planet?"
"Oh, and if we find the Azure Sword, I'll be eligible for the Heir Challenge."
That made Xaessia's expression shift slightly, curiosity breaking through her amusement. "Ah, so that's your real motive."
"It's my shot at becoming a registered Heir. You both know what that means."
Verdamona gave him a half-lidded look. "A one-way ticket to every major political family fighting over you."
"Exactly. And don't pretend you're not intrigued. Think about it. Me, the next Heir of the Erdict line. You'd get first-hand access to connections, and Phaser's already part of this. You're not going to say no to that, right?"
Xaessia was about to reject it on principle — she hated being lured into other people's schemes — but then Thales casually added, "Phaser's in."
That one line changed everything. Verdamona blinked. Xaessia stopped mid-sentence.
"You mean my brother is helping you with this?"
"Yeah."
"You could've led with that!" Verdamona snapped.
"I wanted to see how fast you'd change your tune. And wow, you both agreed faster than I expected."
Xaessia sighed dramatically. "I swear, you're insufferable."
Verdamona rolled her eyes. "We're not agreeing because of you. It's because Phaser's involved. I just want to see what he's like after training in Egypt."
At that, Thales's smirk deepened. None of them knew about his aliases, not even about his insane accomplishments, let alone being the Lone Nomad. CATF participant. Phaser had kept all of that under wraps and Thales didn't plan on spoiling the fun. He was glad Phaser told him he was the Lone Nomad though.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough. We're leaving."
"Today? You didn't mention that part."
"Time difference, Lady Xaessia. We need to prepare. Phaser's already in Rome preparing things. The guy's probably five steps ahead of us."
Verdamona's eyes lit up faintly at that.
"Rome, huh… I've always wanted to see it. The oldest temples of the Goddesses are there."
Xaessia smiled faintly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "So it's decided, then."
Verdamona looked at her. "You're agreeing?"
"I never turn down a good trip," Xaessia said, standing and stretching. "Especially one that comes with adventure, a bit of danger, and my brother lurking somewhere in the middle of it."
Verdamona gathered her things and looked toward the window, where the first streaks of sunset burned over the city. For a moment, her reflection shimmered over the glass. Maybe it was reckless to dive into something like this. Maybe it was fate.
Either way, she was going for a free trip to Rome and a reunion with the man who she never saw for almost three months.
-----
The curtains were half drawn, the evening sun bleeding through the sheer fabric in amber streaks that caught the dust in the air. The faint hum of the city lingered beneath the silence. Phaser's back hit the wall. The thud echoed through the quiet hotel room. Hinesia was too close, her hands firm against his chest as she kissed him with a conviction that didn't ask for permission. He didn't move at first. He let it happen. Then his voice broke through.
"What are you doing?"
Hinesia smirked, her breath brushing against his jaw. "I told you. If you beat Nefira, I'd do anything for you."
He gave a dry laugh, his head tilted slightly. "I didn't win that fight. In fact, it never happened. Also, even though your sisters are alive after that explosion, I don't want to fight her. After all, I think your father would teach me Augere soon enough so this doesn't count."
"You saved me. That counts. And besides, how often do I get to be with Phasnovterich himself?"
Phaser's expression hardened a little. "I'm not him."
She gave a sly smile, her fingers sliding up the side of his neck.
"Maybe not but, you are not resisting either. It's not like you've got a girlfriend, right?"
"You're freaky."
"Guilty," she said, laughing softly, refusing to back away. "So you might as well—"
He moved first. In a second, she was the one against the wall, her wrists pinned above her head. Hinesia gasped. For once, her confidence flickered. Phaser leaned in, close enough that his words brushed her ear.
"Even if you do this, I won't fall for you. You do know this, right?"
She gave a breathless laugh, meeting his gaze. "That's fine. I can use my body to make you want me instead."
"You really don't know when to stop, do you?"
"Not when it comes to you."
His grip loosened slightly. They both knew what came next without saying a word.
"You can't go back from this."
"I don't want to. And I told you before, didn't I? You don't know how far people would go for fictional characters."
He looked at her for a long moment before he sighed. He didn't care about anything after that. After all, he did get the chance to make love to an Egyptian princess.