Chapter 22 -- So… It Begins.

"Where is my sister... Sakura Vincent... can you tell me?" Sunny finally asked.

Scarlet stood up from her seat slowly, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Yes... your sister... I know her," she said gently, looking toward the high glass windows of her throne room. "I met her two years ago… in Yuzen City. Our elite mage found her there and brought her to me. She was in terrible condition... but the moment I saw her, I knew... this girl holds something very special inside. A unique magical force."

Sunny listened, holding his breath.

"After speaking with her, I understood what had happened to her... to her family. She believed she had lost everything... everyone. She thought she was the only one left alive. But now that you are here... I'm sure she already knows."

Sunny's eyes lit up with a sudden happiness. "She knows? Then... why didn't she come to see me?" His voice broke a little at the end.

Scarlet sighed. "Rules, Sunny. Rules... You must have seen many towers from outside, right?"

"Yes," Sunny nodded. "I saw them glowing... some bigger than others."

"Exactly. Each tower holds mages of this city. Two of them are larger and brighter—they belong to elite mages. One of them... is your sister's. Sakura."

Sunny's mouth opened slightly, eyes wide. "So it's true... then why hasn't she come to meet me?"

Scarlet walked closer. "Because... she can only leave her tower once. At exactly 1 PM. Not before. Not after. This rule is for everyone inside. I believe... when you arrived, she must have heard your voice. She must have cried a lot too... as far as I know, children like her carry heavy hearts."

Sunny couldn't hold it anymore. His knees gave up. He dropped down, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Why... why didn't she come... she could've... she should've... I was right here..."

Scarlet looked down at him. "Because this is the law I made myself. And there is no one in this tower... who dares to break my rule."

She paused, then said in a soft tone, "But don't worry, Sunny... She will come. When the time strikes 1 PM... she'll walk to you, herself."

At the same time…

Far from the Royal Tower, in the open wilderness, Auren sat on Cyber's back, shouting with worry in his voice. "Rose! Rose! Where are you?!"

Suddenly a voice echoed back—"I'm "here, Auren!"

He turned sharply and saw Rose near the river, waving. Auren smiled in relief. "Cyber, go that way!" The machine turned, and Auren jumped off as they reached her.

The moment he reached close, he looked at Rose's dirty clothes and burst out laughing. "Haha! Nice makeup, Rose."

Rose frowned and punched him right in the stomach. "Say that again?!"

Auren laughed again. "Nice makeup."

Another punch. "Owww! Why did you hit me again?! You said it!"

Rose pouted. "You started it!"

But within moments, her face softened. Without warning, she hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much…"

Auren slowly exhaled and closed his eyes. "I missed you too…"

Just then… a strange green cloud appeared over the mountain wall in the distance.

Auren looked up, serious again. "Is that… them? Are they already here…?"

***

Meanwhile… Inside the Floral Tower, 10th Floor—Scarlet's Office

Scarlet looked at Sunny with a calm but serious gaze. Her words now shifted tone—deeper, older.

"Sunny… Do you know how your sister is still alive?"

Sunny's eyes widened. "No… please, tell me what happened…"

Scarlet stepped closer, her long cloak gently brushing the white rose petals beneath her feet. "I know your family moved to Yuzen City. But one thing you never knew… is that the Dead Mountain you were trying to visit—it's guarded. Not just by troops… but by the illusion mage Maya."

"Maya…?" Sunny asked, confused.

"Yes. Maya," Scarlet confirmed. "She's the 2nd-ranked elite mage of Yuzen. She controls that entire mountain forest… She creates illusions so powerful that travelers forget who they are… get lost… or worse."

Sunny lowered his eyes. "Now I understand… When I was with my brother and sister… we got separated while walking there… It was so sudden…"

Scarlet nodded. "Yes. It was because of her spell. A trap, meant to divide."

She turned, walking toward the center of the room. "Yuzen already knew… that your family—the Vincent line — came searching for something. Something ancient. They wanted to uncover their own history. And that's when everything changed."

She waved her hand, and a small glowing orb appeared, showing a mountain symbol.

"Our Scholar Plateau… we learned that Yuzen High Command somehow had knowledge… about the Vincent bloodline. They knew something important. But instead of preserving it… they chose to bury it. The reason why… is still a mystery."

Sunny remained silent. His fists were clenched.

"But," Scarlet continued, her voice now sharp and cold, "the real theory began when we received intel… from Bachan. He told us something shocking—that you, Sunny, are the reincarnation of someone… someone from the Grand Era, also known as the Golden Era."

Sunny blinked. Yeah, I know I am somehow the reincarnation of someone, someone important.

Scarlet nodded slowly. "Yes. You lived once… long ago. Your soul is ancient. And the more we learned… the more the entire topic became dangerous. Powerful. Interesting."

"Oh, right," she suddenly smiled. "You wanted to know how your sister was saved, right?"

Sunny quickly nodded. "Yes… please."

"It was Mekamaru who saved her. You see, Scholar Plateau isn't just a place to store old knowledge. We research. We gather data, records, trace bloodlines… We act when something is at risk."

Scarlet raised her hand. "And you… are a very important asset, Sunny. You carry something… something Yuzen wants to erase."

Just then—beep beep beep—a glowing orb on her desk pulsed urgently.

"Madam!" a voice came through. "It's urgent! Someone is attacking Whirlpool Mountain! The green cloud—it's started an acid rain attack!!" Mam, it's happening with intensity.

Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "So… it begins."