Don't judge a book by its cover pt2

In the Depths of the Silent Ocean's Guild

The dim light of the underground prison flickered weakly, fractured shadows dancing across the damp stone walls. In one of the cells, Mard Geer lay still — his body unresponsive, his mind raging silently behind darting eyes.

Outside the cell, Rose stood with her arms loosely crossed, her breath leaving in a soft sigh.

"Good grief…" she muttered, amusement curling faintly in her voice. "That boy really left you in a pitiful state. I might ask him to undo it — but for now, I guess you'll just have to blink at me."

Mard Geer's eyes snapped to the far end of the corridor, catching a shadow moving far too smoothly to belong to anything natural.

Rose shifted slightly, stepping aside just as a thin blade sliced through the air, missing her head by inches and embedding itself into the wall behind her. She didn't flinch.

Her gaze drifted lazily toward the source. "And who might you be?" she asked, her tone light — almost bored. "We're fresh out of target practice dummies."

A figure emerged from the gloom — a woman draped in a silk dress as dark as midnight, golden hair cascading down her back like liquid sunlight. Her eyes, however, were nothing but hollow pools of black.

"Oh my, so the rumors were true," the woman purred, her lips curling into a sharp smile. "You really are the spitting image of your sister — the infamous guild master of Silent Raven."

She took another step forward, heels clicking softly on the cold stone. "I was sent to kill you, though the real fun is happening elsewhere. Your dear Carnage family is being wiped out as we speak."

Rose's sky-blue hair shifted as she flicked it back, her calm eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"So my sister's alive… That's a relief." Her tone stayed light, almost conversational. "But she's not dumb enough to send someone after me — or the Carnage family." She raised a single hand, fingers curling slightly.

The air thickened. Mana seeped into the stone, coiling like unseen chains around the assassin. The pressure wasn't crushing, not yet — but it promised to be.

"I'll ask once," Rose said, her voice soft but unyielding. "Who sent you?"

---

Meanwhile — In the Forest of Astria

The scent of damp earth and ancient moss clung to the air as Dazai, Maria, and Akatsuki stepped into the temple's arched entrance. Vines snaked along marble walls, faint veins of mana pulsing beneath their surface, giving the place a living, breathing presence.

At the heart of the chamber stood Maleficent, her dark wings partially unfurled, her green eyes narrowing at their approach.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice carried the weight of royalty — both question and command.

Dazai ran a hand through his hair, his smile thin and weary. "Relax — I'm not here to mooch mana off you again." The joke was weak, but it was all he could manage. "I've got something to do… and if I screw it up, I'm dead. My luck's been crap lately."

Maleficent's gaze lingered on him for a beat before she stepped aside, silently granting him passage.

Dazai descended into the temple's lower sanctum — the heart of the forest itself. At the center of the chamber pulsed an enormous heart-like formation, its surface wrapped in twisting green veins. Raw mana radiated from it, breathing in slow, rhythmic waves.

"Alright," Dazai muttered to himself. "Time to cheat death."

Without hesitation, he pressed both hands against the core.

Mana slammed into him — searing, twisting, burrowing through every nerve like living fire. His muscles locked, breath stolen from his chest. One eye darkened into a greenish-black void, the other sharpening into a golden serpent's slit. Scales rippled along his skin, dark as obsidian. Black wings tore from his back — jagged and half-formed, caught between human and something far older.

"Shit…" he gritted through clenched teeth. "It's working… barely."

At the entrance, Maleficent and Maria stood in silence. A soft rustle announced Medusa's arrival, her haunting beauty marred only by the quiet concern in her golden eyes. Akatsuki leaned lazily against a pillar, his usual aloofness dimmed by what he was witnessing.

"The pain must be unreal," Akatsuki said, not without interest — but without sympathy.

Dazai stood his ground, trembling as seconds stretched into eternity. Finally, the changes receded — scales vanishing, wings dissolving into mist. His mismatched eyes flickered back to normal before his legs buckled, sending him crashing to the floor.

Maria was at his side instantly, cradling his head in her lap. Before anyone could speak, the temple trembled. A low, deafening roar split the air outside.

The Dragon Queen had arrived.

Aelthyria stepped onto the temple grounds in her human form, silver-white hair tumbling down her back like molten silk. Her green-black eyes burned with fury barely held in check, each of her steps shaking the earth.

Akatsuki opened his mouth to greet her — then promptly shut it when her glare pinned him in place.

"Shut your mouth, demon," she said, her voice sharp enough to cut. "Now — someone explain why Dazai Carnage's life force is dangling on the edge of death."

Akatsuki ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "For the last time, I'm not a demon." He gestured vaguely at Dazai's unconscious form. "And long story short? He's paying the price for mixing human mana with… other things. Now we wait to see if his insane plan works."

Before anyone could reply, a shadow vaulted over the temple's outer wall. The figure landed with near-silent grace, every movement fluid and precise. They stood, pulling back their hood to reveal short brown hair and cold, gray eyes.

No threats. No fanfare. Just a calm, almost polite delivery of purpose.

"Excuse me," the man said softly. "I'm here to kill Dazai Carnage."