return

Meanwhile, back at the Harrier Family castle…

Niomi stood alone on the high balcony, her eyes fixed on the distant eastern horizon—the direction of the Blue Hammer Kingdom. The wind played gently with the hem of her dress, but her grip held it tight, knuckles pale with tension.

"They would have already reached Dreamy Sky City by now," she thought, anxiety curling through her like a cold vine.

Her heart thudded softly, uncertainly, as she fought to silence the storm of thoughts screaming in her mind.

"I wonder how he's doing."

But her imagination was cruel.

It painted pictures of broken walls, of Damien lying bloodied beneath a thousand spears, of his flame snuffed out by overwhelming force.

Like a devil, her mind spun worst-case scenarios until they tangled around her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Just then, footsteps echoed through the corridor behind her.

She turned.