Chương 38: Chapter 37: That Idiot

"Its name is C-05 Nagin," Hephryx said. He reached into the inner breast pocket of his coat and withdrew a thick fold of parchment, sliding it across the mahogany toward Nina.

"I do not ask you to take me at my word," he continued, his voice smooth and detached.

"These are the transaction records. The Teal Herons purchased the unit from my facilities."

"Teal Herons," Valerius repeated, his eyes wide before narrowing in focus. Nina picked up the papers, her eyes rapidly scanning the dense ink. A moment later, she gave a single, tight nod.

"What are the Teal Herons?" Elma asked. Nina lowered the documents onto the table.

"Scavengers," she said.

"The remnants of nations that stood against the Gods and lost. They have spent generations picking through the ruins of dead civilizations, hoarding relics, forgotten knowledge, and anything else the world has abandoned." Scavengers? Elma thought. That sounded like the sort of enemy that would be difficult to find. Valerius leaned in, his forearms bracing against the table.

"Why?" Hephryx's gaze settled on Valerius.

"The Teal Herons intend to eradicate every Sunkissed Altheris. There are only two left in this world now. You... and your daughter." His eyes briefly flicked toward Elma before returning to Valerius.

"As long as even one of you remains, the Sun's essence cannot truly become theirs." Sunkissed? Elma thought. He leaned in, lowering his voice as though the walls themselves might be listening.

"They seek the resurrection of the Sun Weaver." Silence settled over the study. Elma felt the air itself grow heavier. Even Valerius had gone completely still, while Nina's normally unreadable expression tightened by the slightest degree. Elma's fingers unconsciously brushed against the pendant hidden beneath her dress. The Sun Weaver? Did he mean Nanar? She remembered Arem's words: The Sun's essence was stolen. Was the stolen essence the Sun Weaver's essence?

But if the Sun Weaver's resurrection could restore the Suns... if it could prevent them from dying, was it truly a disaster? Elma looked around the room. The adults had already decided the answer. She wasn't so certain.

"Is that... even possible?" Nina asked quietly. Hephryx gave a small shrug.

"I don't know." His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

"All I know is that they believe gathering all three fragments will allow them to resurrect it."

"Do they know where the third fragment is?"

"They already have it," Hephryx answered.

"I do not know when they acquired it, or if they have simply been hiding it away for centuries. But they possess it." He let out a soft, derisive click of his tongue.

"I truly do not understand how someone could harbor such fanatical loyalty to dead beings."

"How do you know that?" Valerius demanded, his voice dropping into a rumbling baritone.

"Because they came to me. They brought the missing third of the Sun Weaver's essence directly to my doorstep. They wanted me to make a suitable host to house it." Valerius' jaw tightened, while Nina's gaze lingered on Hephryx as though weighing every word against the man speaking them.

"They still need the fragment housed within your sword, Lord Valerius," Hephryx continued, gesturing vaguely toward the hilt laying on the desk.

"And, naturally, the final fragment held by the Gods." Valerius stood up, his right hand instinctively dropping to the crimson hilt. the golden light flared, and the room felt suddenly smaller.

"Did you make it?" Valerius growled. Hephryx was silent for a moment. His fingers tapped once against the armrest before coming to rest.

"I did…" Valerius's knuckles popped, the leather of his gloves groaning under the strain.

"…But I never intended to return it to them." Valerius paused, though the fury in his eyes never dimmed.

"The only real threat to this world has always been the Tide," Hephryx explained, his voice taking on a rare note of genuine gravity.

"I am not making a God. I'm creating a weapon. Between the fragment within your blade, Lord Valerius, and the project I am currently perfecting... this world stands a much greater chance of survival." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Valerius remained standing, smoke rising from the wood beneath his sword.

"Sit down, Valerius," Nina said calmly. He didn't move.

"If what he says is true, then the third fragment is already within our reach," Nina said. Her eyes remained on Hephryx.

"He possesses something the Teal Herons spent centuries searching for, and he understands its importance against the Tide better than anyone alive." She looked back at Valerius.

"That alone is reason enough to hear him out." After a long moment, Valerius slowly released his grip on the hilt. The golden glow faded from the hilt as he lowered himself back into his chair, though the anger never left his face.

"Precisely," Hephryx nodded.

"Since I have betrayed the Teal Herons by keeping the host, they will inevitably come after me. They need to be dealt with if we want this weapon to be finished."

"You want us to protect you," Elma said. Three sets of adult eyes snapped toward her chair. Elma held Hephryx's gaze without blinking.

"How can we protect you if we don't even know where you work?" Hephryx's smile slipped slightly.

"That is hardly necessary, young Lady. Destroying the Teal Herons will solve the problem entirely. My location is irrelevant to—""She is right." Valerius cut him off. Hephryx turned back to the patriarch, a flicker of genuine annoyance crossing his features.

"You will not only share your location," Valerius commanded.

"But Veraxys will also be supervising this weapon of yours." Hephryx went utterly still. For a long moment, it seemed he might refuse and gamble his life against Valerius's sword right then and there. But slowly, the tension bled out of his frame. He released a long, reluctant sigh and nodded. His dark eyes drifted back to Elma. The look he shot her was laced with a silent blame for cornering him. But just as quickly, the mask of the eccentric genius slipped back into place. He smiled, his teeth flashing white.

"You are smart," Hephryx murmured to her.

"And terrifyingly strong. I truly hope the world makes it long enough to see you reign." It might, Elma thought. But you won't. Nina stood up. Her chair scraped slightly against the floor.

"That is all, then," Nina announced. She turned to Valerius.

"I will accompany Hephryx back to his facility. I wish to see this new weapon for myself." Valerius didn't argue. He just nodded slowly, his orange eyes distant. Without another word, Nina turned and walked out the door, Hephryx trailing closely behind her. Elma listened to the rhythmic click of Nina's heels and the smooth cadence of Hephryx's boots receding down the corridor. Hephryx's location was no longer an unknown variable.

If this mysterious new weapon of his could actually serve as a shield for the life she was just beginning to construct here, then she could tolerate him breathing a bit longer. She snapped her attention back to the room. Valerius was staring up at the vaulted ceiling, his form utterly still, swallowed by heavy thoughts."' You need to unite them'," he muttered, forcing his voice into the cool, confident tone Varik had used.

"I told him they can't be trusted..." His expression hardened.

"That Aznaka's wretch," he sighed.

"What's the problem?"

"Those feathered bastards live in the cracks of the world, extremely hard to find." Valerius leaned forward and wrenched the straps of his big hilt tight across his chest.

"But not impossible."He stood up, his frame blocking the remaining daylight, and marched out of the study. The instant he walked out of the door, Thiyya fell into perfect synchronization a half-step behind him.

"You," Valerius barked, pointing his finger at a patrolling Alloy.

"Tell Peregrine to accompany Lady Kresnik and our guest. Tell her to get ready to establish a base in Hephryx' new facility." The Alloy immediately dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and scrambled off to execute the order. Elma broke into a jog, her small legs working rapidly to keep pace with Valerius.

"You are going right now?"

"Well, yes, little jewel," Valerius said, not breaking his momentum.

"The sooner they are dealt with, the better."

"What if he is not telling the truth?"

"He had proof," Valerius dismissed.

"And even if he's lying, I'd rather find that out with my sword already at his throat than sitting here waiting for him to decide when to tell me." Elma let out a quiet sigh. She reached out and grabbed the cold steel plating of Thiyya's hip armor, digging her small fingers in.

"Well then, she stays." Thiyya jolted, her stride breaking for a fraction of a second.

"What?" Valerius paused, turning to look down at his toddler.

"Why is that?"

"To protect the manor while you are out," Elma stated, looking up with wide, unblinking green eyes. Valerius stared at her for a moment before his chest heaved with an echoing laugh.

"Hahaha! Well then, it seems you are trapped here, Thiyya." Thiyya's eyes went wide.

"Me? My Lord—""Well, if it makes her feel safer, why not?" Valerius shrugged his heavy shoulders.

"Also, they wouldn't pose much of a problem, so you needn't worry." Thiyya's jaw locked. The muscles in her neck ticked as she forcibly swallowed every disagreement she possessed. She bowed her head, forcing two low words through her teeth.

"My Lord."

"Great." Valerius turned, the massive crimson hilt swaying slightly as he receded down the sprawling corridor, leaving them behind. Elma released the commander's armor and took a step back. Thiyya remained standing exactly where Valerius had left her, absolutely rigid like a statue, her face locked in a forced soft smile. She didn't even look like she was drawing breath. The brief silence was suddenly shattered by the frantic, echoing slap of footsteps against the stone. They both turned.

Lucien was sprinting toward them from the opposite wing alone. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and he skidded to a halt right next to Elma, completely out of breath. Thiyya's forced smile vanished, replaced by sharp alertness.

"What is the problem?" Lucien ignored the commander. He dropped his hands to his knees to catch his breath, his panicked eyes locking onto Elma.

"Have you seen Silk?" he gasped.

"She was outside my door. I stepped away for five minutes—" he was out of air at the last word. He straightened, drawing in a long breath.

"I checked everywhere…" Lucien's breathing hitched.

"She must've gone after him." Elma froze. No. If Silk had followed Hephryx past the estate walls there would be nothing standing between her sister and whatever "reform" Hephryx had wanted to give her. That idiot.