Chapter 168

"What happened?" Cecilion, Renee, and Robin gasped in unison when the portal abruptly shut behind them.

Even Delphine looked unsure of what to do, her eyes wide with confusion.

They were inside a luxurious room, entirely black. Masculine in design, cold and commanding. It was easy to assume this was Tuf's private chamber in the Dark Tower, if they had even made it there at all.

"Saintess?" Cecilion looked at Delphine, waiting for clarity.

"I… I don't know," Delphine said. "I'm sure I felt the Empress follow us through the portal."

"We should try teleporting back to the Empress Palace," Renee suggested. "If something went wrong, we'll find out when we get there. And if nothing's wrong, at least we'll be able to return easily since we've already arrived here."

They nodded in agreement and willed themselves to teleport, only to blink and remain exactly where they stood.

A sharp silence fell.

Delphine furrowed her brows and tried again, teleporting from where she stood to the far corner of the room. This time, it worked. She landed perfectly.

Encouraged, the knights followed. One by one, they blinked across the room. Teleportation within the space worked.

"Let's try again," Delphine said, forcing calm into her voice.

But once more, when they willed themselves to return to Aquilonis, 

Nothing.

Their teleportation failed again.

"Maybe we should wait," Robin offered, trying to be optimistic. But even his voice wavered. The rapid beating of his heart betrayed him.

So they waited.

One hour.

Two.

Three.

Still no portal. No sign of the Empress. No Tuf. No Legion, Arwen, or Seiryu.

Cecilion rose from the black velvet sofa and crossed to the far side of the room where he guessed there might be a balcony. He hesitated, then pushed open the glass door and stepped out.

"What the fuck," he muttered, eyes going wide.

Delphine rushed over, followed by Robin and Renee.

And they all froze.

They were surrounded by clouds. Far below, so far down they couldn't even see the ground, flew hundreds of vessels. Sleek, metallic, glowing with neon veins of mana. Some were small and compact; others, massive and fortress-like.

Flying vehicles. Dozens of them.

They looked eerily similar to the one Tuf had ridden into Aquilonis on his arrival.

"Woah!" Renee staggered back when he dared to peek over the edge, only to realize that from their height, the ground wasn't even visible. And yet… there was no wind pressure. No chill.

"Are we still in Solmara?" Robin asked, his voice low.

They had once seen a glimpse of Velrathis through Tuf's projection. And yes, Aquilonis had come far since its reconstruction, but even the most advanced part of it couldn't compare to this.

This place was beyond anything they had imagined.

Not just in its magitechnology, but in the sheer weight of mana. They could feel it in their bones, denser, purer, richer than anything in the six kingdoms.

And yet, for all that power, they couldn't teleport home.

They were still trying to process the overwhelming reality when it happened.

None of them felt her until it was too late.

"Saintess!" Cecilion, Robin, and Renee shouted all at once.

Delphine was dangling in the air, a stunning woman with otherworldly beauty held her by the throat, one hand raised effortlessly as the Saintess kicked helplessly, feet dangling over the edge of the open balcony.

If she let go, Delphine would plummet straight into the abyss. 

Without hesitation, all three knights drew their blades. Their Celestial energy flared to life, activating instinctively as the Saintess entered mortal danger.

They charged together.

And struck.

Steel met flesh.

Or so they thought.

But unlike with Tuf, whom they'd managed to wound before, their blades did nothing.

The woman didn't even flinch.

Not a drop of blood.

Not a scratch.

Their swords, blessed with celestial power, might as well have been twigs.

She raised a brow, calm and unbothered, her grip on Delphine's throat tightening, just slightly, but enough to draw a choked gasp from the Saintess.

Who was she?

And why couldn't they land a single blow on her?

"Was that supposed to hurt?" the woman asked, her voice silky with mockery, her eyes flickering over the three knights with casual disdain.

"LET HER GO!" all three shouted, their blades still drawn, fury etched into every muscle.

"Really?" She tilted her head, as if amused. "You dare demand something from me?"

She stepped forward, closer to the edge of the balcony, still holding Delphine by the throat. One more step, one slip, and the Saintess would fall into the endless sky below. The knights froze, helpless.

"Y-Your L-Luna…" Delphine croaked, forcing the words out past the tightening grip. Her voice rasped as she struggled to breathe.

She didn't know how she knew. Or why the name felt right. But something deep within her whispered that this woman, this terrifying creature cloaked in elegance, was the one called Luna.

And somehow, she also knew that her Saintess abilities wouldn't work against her.

Not her healing.

Not her divine sense.

Not even her Nightmare ability.

None of it.

She was stripped bare in front of this woman.

Luna's brow arched higher. She stared at Delphine for a long second, then, without ceremony, released her.

Delphine fell hard onto the floor near her knights, coughing violently as air rushed back into her lungs. Cecilion was at her side in a heartbeat, helping her sit up. Her hands trembled. She couldn't remember the last time she had shaken like this, not even during the battle with Tuf. This wasn't just fear. It was terror. Primal and paralyzing.

"Talk, human," Luna said, her voice no longer amused. It was cold. Final. "And tread carefully. What you say will determine where you end up, inside the tower, or far, far below it."

Delphine tried to steady herself, clutching Cecilion's arm for support as she rose. Her legs felt like lead.

"I am Delphine," she began, her voice still hoarse. "Personal maid to the Empress of Aquilonis. These are Sir Cecilion, Sir Renee, and Sir Robin."

She paused, breathing shallowly.

"We were supposed to arrive with Tuf. He opened the portal for us. Our Empress was meant to meet the Demon Lord Caelum. But… something went wrong. The portal closed behind us before anyone else could follow. And when we tried to teleport back to Aquilonis, to the Empress Palace, we couldn't. We waited… hoping they'd arrive after us. But it's been almost four hours. And there's still no sign of them."

Luna said nothing. She simply stared at them.

The knights fidgeted under the weight of that gaze.

Delphine could feel it too, heavy, ancient. Judging.

Luna's eyes narrowed, her mismatched irises, one black, one gold, glinting in the light. She studied each of them in turn, but her gaze lingered the longest on Delphine.

The three knights held no interest for her.

But Delphine…

There was something about this woman that tugged at her instincts. Something unspoken and familiar, though impossible. She was human, yet…

There was a pull.

A whisper inside her bones telling her that this woman could be trusted. And Luna hated that feeling.

She didn't trust humans.

Not anymore.

Not after what had happened in her past life.

She had trusted human once. Just once.

And they had betrayed her in a way no sword or wound ever could.

No, she hadn't suffered physical abuse like Tuf. No stones had been thrown at her. No whips. No chains.

But she had wished they had.

Because wounds inflicted on the body could heal.

But broken trust? That festered forever.

Just as Luna's expression began to harden again, a sudden giggle shattered the heavy silence.

SLAM!

The door burst open, then slammed again behind a small, excited figure.

"Regent!!! Please open the door!" a flustered voice cried from the hallway, but was ignored.

The knights froze.

Their jaws dropped slightly at the sight of the child who came running in, laughter trailing behind her like a song.

Because…

She looked just like their Empress.

A smaller version, perhaps seven or eight years old. Same elegant features, same graceful posture, even in motion.

The four exchanged glances, stunned into silence.

Then they looked back at Luna, and the shock doubled.

Except for her midnight-black hair and those striking mismatched eyes, Luna looked exactly like the Empress too.

Put them side by side, and they would look like twins.

"Pixie," Luna sighed, voice soft, almost motherly. "Are you tormenting your aides again?"

Pixie grinned and skipped forward.

"And what are you doing in Tofu's room?"

"I'm playing hide and seek!" Pixie announced proudly, beaming. Then her eyes landed on the four strangers. "Who are they?"

"They're Tofu's guests," Luna answered smoothly, kneeling slightly to meet the child's wide, curious gaze. "And they're here to see Father."

Pixie stepped forward with a bright smile and stopped right in front of Delphine, her eyes twinkling with innocent curiosity.

"How do you know Tofu?" she asked sweetly.

If they hadn't heard the Empress herself scolding Tuf and calling him Tofu on several occasions, they might have been completely confused.

Because honestly… Tofu?

For someone as lethal and terrifying as Tuf, the name felt absurdly out of place.

"He's our friend," Delphine replied gently, choosing her words carefully, hoping it would be enough to ward off suspicion.

"Tofu is your friend?!" Pixie repeated with disbelief, her mouth slightly agape. Then she turned to the three knights. "You too?" she asked, and they each nodded awkwardly.

Pixie gasped in what could only be described as dramatic horror. "Are you the last humans left?! Is that why you became friends with Tofu?! Did no one else want you?!"

Her voice was filled with genuine concern, as if befriending Tuf was a tragic fate she wouldn't wish on anyone.

The sheer innocence of the question would've been funny if it weren't so devastatingly sincere.

Luna barely kept herself from laughing, but a faint smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Carry me, please," Pixie suddenly said, lifting her arms toward Delphine.

"Pixie," Luna said with mild warning, her tone soft but firm. "I told you not to trust strangers so easily."

"But they're Tofu's friends," Pixie reasoned with a pout. "And I feel bad for them. Because they don't have anyone else, and Tofu is their only friend."

Pixie turned back to Delphine with pleading eyes, waiting.

Delphine glanced at Luna, silently asking for permission. Because truthfully, she wanted to carry Pixie. The child reminded her so much of the Empress it made her chest ache.

Luna gave the faintest nod.

Delphine didn't hesitate. She scooped Pixie up into her arms, the child instantly wrapping her arms around her neck with ease and familiarity.

"What's your name?" Pixie asked, her chin resting comfortably on Delphine's shoulder.

"My name is Delphine, Your Highness," she replied gently. "And these are Sir Cecilion, Sir Renee, and Sir Robin."

"I'm not 'your highness,'" Pixie corrected sweetly. "I'm Regent. But my name is Pixie. You can call me Pixie or Regent, but not your highness, okay?"

"Yes, Regent," Delphine said with a gentle smile.

"Sheath your swords," Luna ordered, her tone returning to its usual chill as she turned away. "And follow me."

With Pixie still in Delphine's arms, the knights complied and followed Luna out of Tuf's dark chamber.

As they stepped into the corridor, a group of aides stood nearby, waiting, alert.

"Regent..." the head aide, Calixira, stepped forward, but faltered mid-sentence the moment she saw who was carrying Pixie. Her eyes narrowed.

Gasps escaped from the others accompanying her.

"Are they… humans?" one of them asked, voice low and distrustful.

Delphine felt Pixie shift in her arms, leaning her cheek against her shoulder like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Regent, shall we go somewhere else to play?" Calixira asked, her tone polite but tight with tension. Her gaze never left Delphine, clearly not trusting her kind.

Pixie shook her head. "I'm fine. I like Delphine."

Then she lifted her head and looked directly into Delphine's eyes with a sage-like innocence that only made her next words hit harder.

"You can be my friend, Delphine. But stop being friends with Tofu."

Delphine blinked, surprised. "Why?"

Pixie's lips turned into a dramatic pout. "He'll only make you cry. And he'll eat all your ice cream, too."