Walking slowly through the palace corridors were Arenim, the high priest of the goddess of the full moon, and Lady Saphira Haliae, the noble grandmaster of the sorcerers of Kálan and Arenim's former apprentice. "Master, are you sure you want to teach history lessons to the second princess?" the grandmaster questioned. "She is the daughter of a criminal, not to mention that you are far too accomplished to take on such minor tasks as the one you're proposing to do."
Lady Saphira glanced at the high priest. Arenim was one of the ten oldest morphs of Orhyan, inspiring both admiration and fear in those who stood in his presence. Saphira's former master wore a white robe fastened with a silver and gold braided belt, which signified his position as the high priest of Sagreif. His skin was deeply wrinkled and spotted with age, and his spine curved forward into a hunch—though Saphira wasn't sure if it was due to his advanced age or his animal form as a sea turtle. Arenim had no hair or eyebrows, which gave him a strange and fragile appearance.
The high priest noticed Lady Saphira's gaze but continued walking nonetheless. After all, even with his status, he disliked being late for his own commitments. "Are you trying to give me orders, Lady Saphira?" Arenim questioned. "I may be a fragile old man at this point, but I'm still aware that, as the high priest, I can do what I want when I want," he said, feigning irritation in his tone. The sorceress, fearing she had offended him, widened her eyes at her former master and apologized. A sigh escaped Arenim's lips, and Saphira couldn't help but think that he was frustrated.
As they made their way to the second princess's wing, Arenim noticed that the number of nobles and servants gradually decreased until almost no one crossed paths with him and Saphira in the corridors. A little further ahead, they realized that this area of the palace had long been abandoned.
Turning into the last corridor, Arenim and Saphira saw a metal gate that was open. Passing through it, they entered a courtyard—they had finally arrived at the second princess's ward. However, like the corridors at the end of their journey, Mai'ya's courtyard had been abandoned for years. The courtyard's stones were loose and uneven, and poorly maintained columns supported a glass roof that was dirty and covered in leaves. On the crescent-shaped walls, three passages led to rooms inside the courtyard—one on the right, one on the left, and one in the center. However, two of them were sealed, and only the central one was inhabited.
Suddenly, the central door opened, and a maid hurried toward them. She stopped and bowed to the newcomers. "Greetings to the high priest of the Temple of Selèn," the maid greeted Arenim while bowing. "Greetings to the grandmaster sorceress of Kálan," she said, bowing again toward Lady Saphira.
The sorceress stepped forward and slapped the maid. "It seems the second princess, besides being the daughter of a criminal, is also insolent," Lady Saphira said, looking at the maid with disgust. "By protocol, she should have been waiting for us here in the courtyard, but when we arrived, no one was here to receive us. You, as the princess's maid, must be punished accordingly, and the princess must also be punished."
"Please, milady, do not punish my princess," Madelaine threw herself to the ground and begged. "There was an accident earlier with my princess," the maid continued through tears. "I applied the medicine as instructed, but it..."
Indignant, Saphira took a step toward Madelaine, ready to strike her again, but was stopped by Arenim. "Saphira, that's enough!" the high priest's voice rang out angrily. Leaning on his cane, he approached Madelaine and placed his free hand on the shoulder of the maid, who was trembling with fear. "Stand up," Arenim ordered. "Tell me what happened."
"My lord, something is not right with the princess..." Before Madelaine could continue speaking, a scream of pain echoed from the central door. Without waiting for an invitation to enter the room, Arenim hurried inside to see what was happening.