12 days after Lucian's disappearance
In a dark, dimly lit room, a girl sat on her bed, hugging her knees. She stared at the ring on her finger.
"…you promised our friendship won't be broken. You said that to me and Valeria, right? You will come back, right Lucian?" It was Silvana. Her silver hair was messy, and dark circles hung heavy under her eyes.
She clenched her fists tight and took deep breaths.
"Okay… if you are trapped in the abyss… if you won't come back soon, I'll have to grow stronger and get you out myself…" she whispered.
"Hah. I know how dumb this sounds… now I'm just talking like you. Like when you said you were going to get stronger and find your brother. I'm such a dummy. If I had just been faster back then… if only I could've caught you instead of our fingers just barely touching."
"If only… if only I weren't so useless. You would have been here, with me." She lowered her head, blaming herself.
"You took me out of my trauma. You made me feel like I belonged somewhere. Even though my dad said the same things… I don't know. It just felt better hearing it from you when we first met. Was it cause we were strangers back then and you didn't treat me different because of my hair color?" She hugged her knees tighter.
"Will I ever see you again, Lucian?" she mumbled. Then she slapped her cheeks with both hands. They turned red from the smack.
"No. I will wait. I will grow stronger. I will find you. Please… just hang in there…"
She kept rambling, whispering things to herself. Her voice was shaky, but she didn't stop.
Then suddenly, the ring on her hand glowed faintly. It was so dim, it would've been unnoticeable if she wasn't sitting in the dark.
Bzzzt
[Uhh… h#llo? I… kn#t sure if… th#s is… working…]
Silvana's breath caught. "Th-this voice… it's Lucian's!" she gasped, gripping the ring tighter and staring at it like it might disappear.
[V#leria… S#lvana… if you're… hearing th#s… I'm… f#ne… now. D#n't w#rry…]
[…will t#ke… time… get b#ck to… but I… fine…]
[ …we have… some#ne tr#stworthy… with us…]
[By us… I mean… Alst#ir Nyther#s… here too…]
[…may t#ke… year… or two… we are… deep in… abyss…]
[Don't… try to… look… us…]
[ We're… safe… the person… is… sover#ign rank…]
The message cut in and out, static buzzing between his broken words.
[I can… only… send… cause of… him… mana cost… too high…]
[Won't… be able… much… more…]
[Will… try… send… updates…]
[See you… soon…]
His voice cracked. Half the message was static, but one thing was clear, he was alive. And he could return, even if it might take a long time.
Without waiting, Silvana jumped off the bed and ran out of her room, slamming the door behind her.
The servants in the hallway flinched at the noise, but she didn't stop. She rushed toward Valeria's room, her feet pounding against the cold stone floor.
Just as she got there, Valeria came out of the door. She was pale, her eyes puffy like she hadn't slept either. When they saw each other, they didn't say anything at first. They just hugged tightly.
"He… he's safe… he said he'll return!"
Valeria choked out, sobbing into Silvana's shoulder.
"Yeah… he is… let's go tell Aunt and Uncle," Silvana said softly, holding her close.
"…yeah," Valeria sniffled and wiped her eyes. Her smile was small, but it was there.
They both hurried toward Cassius's office.
When they reached the door, they knocked quickly.
"Come in," Cassius said from inside.
Silvana and Valeria entered. They glanced around the office. It was a wreck. Books and papers were scattered everywhere. Even Cassius looked worn out, his clothes wrinkled, his hair messy, and his face haggard.
"Um… dad…" Valeria spoke softly. Cassius finally looked up at them.
"Valeria? Silvana? What's wrong?" Cassius asked. His voice was tired but gentle.
"Uncle… before that, can you call Aunt Elisa here? Or… should we go to her?" Silvana asked.
"Elisa? Let's go to her. She hasn't left her room lately," Cassius sighed. "Why? Did something happen?"
"No, no! It's nothing bad, dad," Valeria said quickly. "But it's better if we tell you both together."
Cassius studied them for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
They all left the office and headed toward Elisa's room.
Cassius opened the door without knocking. Silvana and Valeria followed him inside.
"El… the kids want to talk to us," Cassius said as he sat beside Elisa on the bed. She was lying there, staring blankly at the ceiling.
When she heard him, Elisa slowly sat up.
Her eyes looked distant, but when she saw them, she managed a small smile.
"Come sit here," she said softly, patting the sofa nearby. Silvana and Valeria sat down together.
"What do my princesses want to talk about?" Elisa asked gently. She was clearly trying hard to keep her voice warm and hide the sadness in her eyes.
Silvana glanced at Valeria and gave a small nod. Valeria nodded back and looked at both of her parents. She took a deep breath, then lifted her hand to show the ring on her finger.
"Dad… remember this ring? I asked you to order three of them. One for me, Silvana, and Lucian," Valeria said.
Cassius nodded slowly. "Yeah… those rings were hard to make. You wanted them so only you three could use them, no matter the distance… It costed a fortune-"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened. "...Are you saying… Lucian-"
Before he finished, Silvana jumped in. "Yes, uncle! Lucian just sent us a message! He's alive!"
Elisa trembled. "You… you're telling the truth?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Why would we joke about something like this, Ma?" Valeria said gently, her eyes shining with hope.
Elisa's eyes welled up with tears. Slowly, they spilled over, running down her cheeks as she nodded and exhaled. She covered her mouth with one hand, trying to muffle her sob.
Cassius exhaled deeply and wrapped his arms around Elisa from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his expression softening. He didn't cry, but his body relaxed like a weight had been lifted.
"What… what did he say?" Elisa finally asked, her voice trembling as she wiped at her eyes.
Silvana smiled a little. "He said he's deep in the abyss… but he's not alone. Alstair Nytheris is with him, and they found someone… someone strong, of sovereign rank."
"It… it might take them a year or two to get back," Valeria added. "But he told us not to worry. He's safe."
Elisa pressed her hand over her heart. "… my baby is alive…that is all that matters now"
"We can wait for him, Ma," Valeria said softly. She reached forward and squeezed Elisa's hand. "He promised he's coming back."
Cassius chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "That boy… always causing trouble. But… he's strong. He'll make it. But abyss ain't a place that he can escape easily with even a sovereign rank….I'll expand our search radius there."
The room fell quiet after that. It wasn't a heavy silence this time, it was lighter. There was hope now.
Elisa wiped the last of her tears and took a deep breath. "I just hope that he is well and comes back safely…"
Silvana nodded firmly. "I can't just let him grow stronger by himself… I'll have to get stronger in the meantime."
Valeria smiled again. "Yeah… also when he comes back, we can scold him properly."
Elisa laughed softly at that. "He'll deserve it."
Cassius smiled faintly. "He will."
And for the first time in days, they all felt like they could breathe again.