A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Galadriel]

[Capital City]

Fiona and Victoria had been silent for several long seconds now.

Not the comfortable silence either.

The office, cluttered as ever with papers, notes, sketches, and hastily organized observations, suddenly felt much smaller.

Fiona’s brows remained furrowed, and Victoria, meanwhile, sat with her fingers lightly steepled beneath her chin, her usual demeanor subdued beneath genuine contemplation.

Across from them, Astrid and Lukas waited; neither spoke. They had delivered their report and now watched the two people most likely to make sense of it.

Fiona and Victoria shared a brief glance, only for a moment, yet it was enough.

They were thinking of exactly the same thing.

"Lucinda destroyed several tears yesterday," Victoria finally began, her gaze shifting back toward Astrid and Lukas as she leaned back in her chair.

Astrid straightened slightly, and Lukas did the same as Victoria continued.

"And yet when Fiona and I inspected the area today, those tears had already returned. The damage was gone. The openings had restored themselves far faster than anything we would have expected." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Now you’re telling us that you’ve discovered a location where the exact opposite phenomenon appears to be occurring."

The room remained quiet.

"No darkness." Victoria tapped a finger against the armrest. "No tears." Another tap followed. "No meaningful Abyssal activity." Her gaze sharpened. "And not for a few seconds or minutes, but long enough for wildlife and Astrothians to return."

Astrid gave a small nod.

"Yes."

Fiona slowly folded her arms. "It’s a bit hard to believe. It’s not because I think either of you are lying," she clarified after a moment. "But because we’ve spent weeks watching the Abyss consume more and more territory. Every day it spreads and it grows worse."

She glanced toward the darkened window.

"And now we’re suddenly being told there’s a place where it simply... isn’t." Her ears twitched slightly. "That isn’t a small discovery."

"The princess has no reason for exaggeration." Lukas’s response came immediately, his voice firm. "Neither do I." His posture straightened unconsciously. "If we say we saw the night sky, then we saw it."

Fiona opened her mouth before Victoria waved a hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes, that wasn’t Fiona’s point." Victoria’s tone was light, though her eyes remained sharpened somewhat. "Nobody here doubts either of you." She gestured loosely. "The problem is that an area absent of the Abyss is something quite phenomenal."

The word certainly stood out because it was phenomenal. One could not merely call it unusual or not interesting. The Abyss had become the world’s constant: those dark skies, tears, and creatures. People had begun measuring their lives around those things.

To suddenly find a place untouched by them was like discovering a patch of sunlight in a world that had lost its sun.

"Yes," Astrid agreed quietly. Her voice softened slightly. "Though I’m not sure what caused it." Her blue eyes lowered for a moment. "Or if that area is still like that."

That uncertainty was clear in tone, a part of her feared returning and finding it gone. Finding it had merely been temporary, a brief miracle that had already vanished.

"We thought it best to report this first before going out again."

"It was the right move." Victoria nodded immediately; there wasn’t even a second of hesitation. "Absolutely the right move." Her expression grew more serious. "Something is pushing back against the Abyss. Whether that’s an individual." She raised one finger. "A natural phenomenon." A second. "An artifact." A third. "Or something we haven’t even considered."

Her hand lowered.

"At this point, anyone’s guess is as good as mine."

Fiona exhaled slowly. "So an investigation is in order?"

Victoria immediately nodded.

"Without question."

"But who should we send?" Fiona questioned.

Victoria’s answer came so quickly it almost seemed predetermined. "Agatha. Mirabella. Astrid." She didn’t even need time to think. "Agatha would provide remarkable support. Mirabella provides offensive power. Astrid acts as the stabilizing factor and trump card."

Her gaze shifted toward the princess.

"And perhaps most importantly, the sisters work exceptionally well together." A small smile appeared. "Even if they argue."

Astrid sighed. "Mirabella likes arguing; I prefer teasing and doting on her."

Fiona nodded knowingly.

"But when things become dangerous," Victoria continued, "their coordination has potential."

"Wait." Lukas stepped forward immediately; his expression tightened. "I shall go as well."

The room turned toward him, but his jaw was set.

"My place is beside the princess."

Victoria didn’t even blink as she spoke. "Your Divine Artifact specializes primarily in destruction."

Lukas frowned, and she continued anyway.

"You still haven’t unlocked its full potential." That made his frown deepen. "And even without considering Arcane Ascendance, you still fall behind Mirabella in raw offensive output." The words came swiftly and matter-of-factly.

Lukas looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"That doesn’t matter." His voice hardened. "My duty is with the princess."

Astrid glanced at him; she knew that tone. It wasn’t stubbornness, at least not entirely. It was loyalty, the kind that couldn’t easily be reasoned with.

Victoria seemed to recognize that as well.

"Your devotion is admirable." She genuinely meant that. "But admiration and usefulness are not always the same thing."

Lukas’s eyes narrowed.

Victoria pressed forward before he could respond.

"This isn’t a matter of who cares the most," she said, leaning forward slightly. "It’s a matter of what the situation requires." Her voice remained calm. "For all we know, this location could be the most important discovery we’ve had since the calamity began."

Nobody argued with that.

"For all we know," Victoria continued, "the thing responsible for creating that safe zone could be benevolent." A pause followed. "Or it could be catastrophically dangerous." Another pause. "We simply don’t know." She spread her hands. "That’s why every field needs to be covered."

Her gaze moved between them.

"If this turns into a fight, Mirabella handles offense. If something goes wrong, Agatha provides support. If the situation escalates beyond expectations, Astrid acts as the contingency."

Then she looked directly at Lukas.

"And if we encounter something that requires another specialist entirely, bringing an additional knight won’t solve that problem. For all we know, it could be a malevolent God. Or a demon."

The room went silent as Fiona stared at her, then sighed.

"That seems way too much."

Victoria shrugged lightly. "Just making a point."

"An unnecessarily dramatic point," Fiona pointed out.

"I disagree."

"You would." The Solkari shook her head.

"I absolutely would."

Astrid couldn’t help the small smile that appeared.

Even Lukas looked slightly less tense, only slightly. The young knight opened his mouth again, clearly preparing another argument.

But before he could speak, Astrid gently intervened.

"It’s fine, Lukas." Her voice wasn’t forceful; it never needed to be. He immediately looked toward her.

Victoria folded her arms, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

Astrid continued.

"Victoria knows best." Lukas looked unconvinced, but the princess smiled nonetheless. "At least when it comes to dealing with the Abyss." That earned a small snort from Fiona as Astrid continued. "She has helped tremendously so far."

Victoria immediately raised a hand.

"Well," a grin spread across her face. "’Tremendously’ is a very generous term." She leaned back into her chair. "But I will gladly accept the compliment."

"Then I suppose we should inform Agatha and Mirabella." Fiona murmured thoughtfully, one hand resting against her crossed arm as she considered the next steps. The brief levity that had settled over the room faded slightly as practical concerns returned to the forefront of her mind. "Though Mirabella has been quite frustrated as of late. " Her ears twitched faintly. "The Abyss takes its toll eventually. Even on people who pretend it doesn’t."

Nobody immediately argued with that.

The truth was difficult to ignore: the constant fighting, the endless patrols and reports. Every day brought another problem, another threat, another reason to remain vigilant. No matter how strong someone was, eventually that pressure accumulated.

Mirabella was no exception.

Astrid’s expression softened slightly at the mention of her younger sister.

"Not to worry," she said, a small grin appearing despite everything. It wasn’t forced. It was the smile of an older sister who had spent years dealing with someone far more stubborn than herself. "Mira won’t have a choice but to be cheered up with me around."

There was confidence in her voice, one that no doubt came from knowing someone deeply.

Fiona found herself smiling at that.

Victoria immediately placed a hand against her chest dramatically.

"Oh my, older siblings certainly are terrifying." Her expression was grave for all of half a second before amusement overtook it. "Though I speak from experience, as an older sibling myself."

Astrid let out a small laugh; even Lukas seemed less rigid than before.

Fiona shook her head. "You say that as though you’re a victim."

"I am," Victoria replied without hesitation. "It is a difficult burden to bear."

"Yet you look remarkably unburdened." Fiona noted.

"Years of practice," Victoria said lightly.

The exchange earned another small smile from Astrid.

For a moment, it felt strangely normal.

A rare thing these days.

Fiona’s expression gradually softened as another thought surfaced.

"How are your mother and Gwendolyn doing these days?" The question lacked any strategic purpose. It was not a discussion of the Abyss, just a genuine question.

Victoria’s playful expression eased into something warmer.

"Quite fine." Her answer came immediately, though her smile became gentler. "Poor Gwen still can’t stand the sky." The amusement in her voice was accompanied by a trace of sympathy.

It was difficult not to understand why.

Many people struggled to look upward these days, with the endless darkness, the countless tears and the feeling that the skies themselves had become wrong.

Victoria leant back slightly.

"And Mother has thrown herself into work." Her smile became slightly more helpless. "Hm." She tapped a finger against the armrest. "I suppose I should take a break and visit them."

Astrid visibly brightened.

"Oh." She leant forward slightly. "Could you take Valerie with you, please?" There was immediate hope in her voice. "She clearly misses Gwendolyn." Astrid smiled softly as she continued. "Yet she’s too afraid to venture beneath the sky."

The words carried understanding rather than criticism. Children coped with fear differently; Valerie’s fear was hardly unreasonable.

Victoria’s answer came without hesitation.

"You need not even ask." A genuine smile spread across her face; it was the kind that rarely appeared when discussing investigations, calamities, or military matters. "Seeing two cute munchkins interact shall be good for the soul."

The sincerity beneath her joking tone was obvious.

Astrid’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Thank you."

Victoria simply waved a hand.

"No thanks necessary."

"Oh, now I have to go with you." Fiona’s declaration came so suddenly that their eyes turned towards her. The Solkari crossed her arms, looking entirely serious. Though the faintest hint of amusement sat behind her expression. "Someone has to ensure Victoria behaves herself."

Victoria gasped dramatically. "What a terrible accusation."

"It wasn’t an accusation," the Solkari defended.

"It certainly sounded like one." Victoria stated with a small huff.

Astrid covered her mouth to hide a chuckle.

Victoria gestured towards Fiona. "See how this one is here to make me suffer?"

"I doubt you, of all people, suffer." Fiona said dryly.

"I do," Victoria said solemnly. "Your lack of empathy wounds me deeply."

Fiona immediately looked away; the conversation had reached the point where responding would only encourage her further. Victoria relished her new victory.

"But do not worry, all are welcome," Victoria said at last, still smiling, and surprisingly, she meant it.

The room grew quiet afterwards; it was not an awkward or heavy silence. For the first time in what felt like days, nobody was discussing death.

They were merely speaking about family, about visiting loved ones, about things that should have been ordinary. Things that once were ordinary.

And for a brief moment, the atmosphere felt considerably lighter.