Inside the Empress's chamber, silence hung thick in the air.
The royal physician gently checked Empress Seraphine's pulse, frown deepening with every moment.
Aslan and Lucian stood by her bedside — both tense, unmoving.
The maids stood near the walls, fear and sweat visible on their faces.
No one spoke. Everyone was waiting for a miracle.
Finally, the doctor stood straight, visibly shaken.
He turned to face the princes.
"…Your Highnesses, I'd like to speak with you alone."
Lucian gave a small nod toward the head butler.
The butler lowered his head respectfully. "Yes, Your Highness."
A moment later, the room emptied — only the doctor, Aslan, and Lucian remained.
The doctor's voice was quiet.
"Your Highness… I must ask something." He hesitated, then looked straight at them.
"Is the Empress… an Arclight?"
Aslan answered calmly, "Yes, doctor. She is."
The doctor let out a soft breath, part relief, part awe.
"…That explains everything."
He stepped closer, his tone more serious now.
"It's actually good news — because if the Empress weren't an Arclight… she would've died instantly the first time the poison entered her body."
Lucian's eyes widened slightly.
"The amount she's been given, consistently over time… it sealed her heart. If it had gone on just a little longer, she would've never been able to wake up again."
He paused.
"Anyone else would've died days ago. But because she's an Arclight… she's survived this long."
He looked down at the Empress's pale form, respect in his eyes.
"…Still, we have to be careful moving forward. This poison is incredibly rare. Its presence was so faint, I almost didn't detect it. Whoever's behind this… they knew what they were doing."
Aslan's jaw tightened.
"Bring me the best healers," Aslan ordered. "The finest herbalists in the Empire — I don't care what it takes."
The royal doctor bowed. "With your permission, I'll begin that search right away."
"I'm sure the Empress will recover," he added with cautious hope.
"You have it," Aslan said. "Do whatever it takes."
The doctor bowed and made his way out, leaving the brothers alone with their mother.
Aslan sat silently by her side, taking her hand into his once more.
Aslan thought silently, "Arclight…"
"They say Arclights are born once in centuries. Blessed with rare powers — unmatched healing and light-based abilities."
He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing.
"And this poison… it works too slowly, too subtly. It's not meant to kill quickly — it's meant to bypass an Arclight's healing abilities."
He looked up, voice cold and certain.
"Which means… whoever did this knew exactly what she was."
Prison Chamber
The room was cold. Stone walls, a single chair, and flickering torches cast long shadows across the floor. Anne sat trembling, her wrists bound, her eyes swollen from crying.
Gamma stood before her — calm, emotionless. His voice was quiet but sharp. "We know it was you who regularly poisoned the Empress."
He stepped closer, voice low. "We can do this the easy way… or my way."
Anne flinched, lips trembling. "I–I didn't… I didn't mean—"
The door creaked open.
Aslan entered silently. He didn't say a word at first. He simply walked up, knelt… and placed something on the table in front of her. A small, empty glass vial.
"This," he said softly, "was found in the garden behind the Empress's chamber."
Anne's breath caught in her throat.
Aslan's voice darkened, dangerously soft. "And your fingerprints are all over it."
Anne's hands shook.
"And the drop left in that bottle," he continued, "matches the same poison that's been weakening the Empress for weeks."
Silence.
Anne broke.
"I–I swear… I didn't want to hurt her! I was told it was just to… weaken her! That's all!"
Gamma's eyes narrowed.
"Who told you?"
Anne shook her head rapidly, sobbing. "I–I never saw them. They wore a cloak… dark, heavy. I only saw… a pendant. Silver. It had a strange crest on it."
Aslan's eyes darkened.
"A crest?"
Anne nodded, trembling. "It looked like… a black snake."
Lucian, watching quietly from the shadows, stiffened.
Anne continued, "They gave me a sealed letter… it had symbols I couldn't read. I… I just followed the instructions."
"I thought it was medicine… something slow. Not… this."
Aslan's jaw clenched.
Later that night…
Omega returned to the palace, urgency in his steps.
"Boss. We have another problem."
Aslan turned, arms crossed. "Speak."
"A butler — third-rank — disappeared during cleanup. Name: Cecil Venn."
Lucian frowned. "I know that name. Quiet. Always alone."
Omega continued, "We searched his quarters. They were empty… but we found a false panel under his bed. It led to a tunnel."
"And at the end of that tunnel…" He looked at Beta.
Beta spoke grimly, "The same scent. The same corrupted mana from the border."
Aslan's gaze sharpened. "Forbidden magic."
Omega nodded. "This isn't just palace corruption anymore. It's tied to the chaos outside."
[Flashback — Just days before the Emperor vanished]
Rain poured as the Emperor stood at the edge of a ruined temple, half-buried beneath the southern mountains.
Beside him, a loyal knight handed him an ancient scroll.
"It's real," the Emperor whispered. "The Arclight bloodline… it's tied to something older than this Empire."
He stepped into the ruin. Glyphs beneath the moss began to glow faintly under his hand.
A strange pulse echoed in the air.
And then— A blinding light. A whisper in a forgotten tongue.
Then… silence.
Back in the present…
The Empress's condition continues to worsen.
And Aslan realizes…
"The answers aren't just buried in palace shadows… they're hidden where my father vanished."