Chapter 184 – In the Long Silence
After the shadows of Alicia and Stacia disappeared into the expanse of the sky, Sylvia stood silently on the upper balcony of her castle. The wind that had once teased strands of her hair now flowed more quietly, more hollow. As if even the air itself realized that two pulses of life had just departed from this place.
The castle returned to calm. Too calm.
Sylvia slowly turned around, her black gown shifting lightly over the cold obsidian floor. She walked slowly down the main corridor, accompanied only by the soundless steps of zombie servants standing rigidly along the hall. Their empty eyes didn’t blink, didn’t meet her gaze only followed commands and functioned. Like dolls that moved endlessly in a world untouched by time.
Before long, she arrived back in her study.
The desk was still cluttered with stacks of reports and construction documents. Some were maps from survey teams, exploration notes from scout units, and remnants of magical experiments attempted by undead mages. But all of it felt heavier today. Not because of the workload, but because of the atmosphere around her once again... empty.
Only she and Celes remained.
Celes was already there. The silver-haired girl stood near the bookshelf, as if selecting a read, but her eyes occasionally stole glances at Sylvia. As soon as Sylvia entered and pulled out her chair, Celes approached.
"Alicia and Stacia are gone?" she asked in a soft, almost whispering voice.
Sylvia nodded without turning. "Yes."
"They... will be alright, won’t they?"
Sylvia paused her hand over a document. She inhaled slowly before answering, "Alicia is with her. And Stacia is not a weak girl. They’ll return."
Celes nodded, though her expression remained anxious. She knew, even if Sylvia appeared composed, something inside the queen was hollow like a chamber slowly drying out after losing its spring.