Galahad was sitting behind the desk, at Archibald’s usual spot.
He appeared stronger than the last time they’d seen him. Even without consciously releasing his domain, the pressure he radiated was undeniable. He’d clearly mastered his new affinity already. The man was dressed sharply as always, without a single wrinkle visible on his silken trousers or his shirt, buttoned to the collar. His dark hair was neatly cut, and even the office itself was tidier than when Archibald had been in charge.
But his eyes were tired. Evidently, exhaustion was the one thing he couldn’t just tuck in place. A spark of relief still lit up in his pupils upon seeing Elaine, however.
“Help me make sense of this,” he said. “I’ve heard that your cousin has been killing Blues. I assumed that had to be your doing, but not a single mention of you has reached my ears.”
Elaine shrugged, pulling a chair to sit across from her uncle.
“Part of it was me,” she admitted as Percy deactivated the controlled concealment runes on the bandages.
Galahad’s eyes widened at the sight of not only her Blue core, but the second Green one right underneath it. Yet, she continued.
“But make no mistake. Percy is more than capable of killing Blues by himself. In fact, he’s taken down several more since we parted ways. Luckily, it seems they haven’t learned of my involvement, or I wouldn’t have dared to return.”
Saying that, Elaine couldn’t help but crack a smile, some pride bubbling up at her cousin’s exploits. He’d already mostly closed the gap to her by the time he’d returned from the Guild. The only reason she’d still been ahead of him was because he’d taught her Circulation. And she’d only managed to remain stronger due to the new core he’d given her, and his help with her advancement.
Percy was always grateful whenever she did some small gesture for him, such as celebrating his birthday, or getting him to experience some traditional snack he’d missed out on. Somehow, he didn’t seem to realize how much more he’d done for her over the years.
And even though the gap between them had widened once again, Percy was already working tirelessly to close it. Perhaps, he’d be stronger than her the next time they met in person.
Galahad took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“We’re in a ton of trouble. Your grandfather is held captive at the Alchemists’ Guild, and the neighbouring Houses want our land.”
“I’ve heard. I stopped by Pinesap town on the w–”
“Uncle, I’m sorry,” Percy butted in, taking control of her body. “This is all my fault. I don’t regret keeping the Aurora Dew from the Order, but I should have never returned to the mansion after becoming a fugitive. If that bastard hadn’t found me here, things wouldn’t have been this bad.”
Elaine felt her cousin’s voice choking in her throat. Of all the risky choices he’d made over the years, this was probably the one that bothered him the most.
“Percy? Are you here too?” Galahad asked.
He nodded.
“Just one of my clones. My main body is still on the run. I’ll hand Deimos the recipe right now if you think he’ll release Grandpa.”
Galahad shook his head.
“Don’t. You were wise not to do that. The only thing giving Father the benefit of the doubt is the fact that we’ve denied all involvement with you. If they see you compromising to help us, it’ll make the situation worse. Besides, things are somewhat stable for now.”
Percy raised an eyebrow.
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“How so?”
“The Root has allowed us to visit Father a few times over the years. They’ve kept him and your mentor alive, since they’re still trying to extract the information they want from them. Deimos is in a difficult position, because they’ve both refused to break under torture, and he can’t risk going too far.”
“Why hasn’t he harmed our family?”
“Two reasons. First, he knows your grandfather has only surrendered to keep us safe. If he tries anything funny, Father will fight back. Also, our official position is that we’ve excommunicated you, condemned your actions, and complied with all their demands. Even for the Root, wiping out an entire family without evidence of wrongdoing would send an unsettling message to the other Houses.”
“Is there nothing we can do to save Grandpa?” Elaine asked, her voice shaky.
She didn’t know if Galahad had realized who had spoken, but it didn’t really make a difference.
“Not for the time being. He wouldn’t want us to worry about him either. He’s entrusted me with keeping our family safe, and that’s what I intend to focus on.”
Percy tapped her fingers on the desk, leaning back on the chair.
“We might be able to help with that,” he said after a while.
Next, he took a few deep breaths, activating Circulation. Galahad tilted his head at first, since this wasn’t anything new to him. But his eyes widened as soon as Percy took the spell a step farther, countless azure bubbles feeding ambient mana into their channels.
“It’s still incomplete, but we’re getting there. We can explain how the water version of the spell works, though you’ll have to figure the lightning and acid portions by yourself. I assume you’ve already worked out the Circulation patterns for them?”
“Naturally,” Galahad said, a rare smile finding its way onto his face. “How about Elaine’s second core. Is it close to Blue?”
She shook her head.
“Over five years with Aurora Dew, but I haven’t brought much with me. Fifteen with the regular elixirs. Speaking of that, I’ll need your help to buy my second daily dose. It doesn’t have to come from the family’s stash. I have enough resources to pay for it.”
“Alright. I hope I don’t need to tell you how important it is to keep everything a secret. If you’re forced to reveal your strength, make sure not to leave any survivors.”
Elaine nodded, as Percy spoke again.
“What about her hand? She’s been like this for months.”
Galahad sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“We’ll get Isolde to do it. Of all our Blues with the life affinity, I trust her the most. I suppose we can teach her the boosting art too. No sense in keeping it from her if she knows everything else. Father left me detailed instructions on the life pattern before leaving.”
Isolde was Galahad’s younger sister. The third and final child from Archibald’s first wife. And she was also a Yellow-born, about thirty years younger than Galahad. Elaine hadn’t interacted much with her, but her impression of the woman wasn’t bad. With the pattern readily available and a life affinity to accelerate her physical conditioning, she’d learn the spell in no time. If she managed to figure out the Dance too, they’d have three Blues as strong as Violets, even if they couldn’t really flaunt them. That was enough strength to practically crush any lone family dumb enough to attack.
Elaine could teach her father the Dance too, since he already knew Circulation and had the same affinity as her. Gawain was “only” at Green, so the impact wouldn’t be as great, but no family would say no to another Blue-level combatant. If they got lucky, he might obtain a domain too with the spell active.
She was about to get up, to let her uncle arrange everything, when Galahad spoke.
“Wait. There’s something else I need to tell Percy.”
Her cousin flashed Galahad a questioning look, prompting him to continue.
“Don’t beat yourself over what happened. Father was right to protect you, and so was Elaine. Noble families always encounter some resistance when they get their hands on a big opportunity, and they have to overcome it to grow. Usually, the trouble isn’t as exaggerated as it is in your case, but then again, the rewards can’t be compared either. Truth be told, you’ve helped us just as much as you’ve endangered us.”
“I have?” Percy asked.
“Father wouldn’t have been strong enough to wipe out House Tantalus without your help. Those demons were a thorn in our side for centuries. Also, you’re part of the reason why the other families haven’t attacked yet. The rest of Remior might not be certain about your connection to us, but you still serve as a powerful deterrent.”
“They’re afraid of me?”
Galahad smiled again, for the second time this meeting.
“Why wouldn’t they be? Noble Houses are fixed in place. Bound by rules and all sorts of concerns. But you’re not. What’s more scary than a criminal that freely roams the continent, slaughtering Blues left and right? They’re all hesitant to touch us. After all, what if you do care about your family? The amount of damage you can cause is significant. There were a few signs of them gathering their forces to invade a couple months ago, right until the news about the dead Holy Children spread.”
Percy nodded, but their uncle wasn’t done.
“At the same time, this is only true as long as your main body remains free. The moment the Divine Root catches you, our enemies will no longer have any concerns. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
A wave of determination gushed through their connection, as Percy clenched their fists.
“I do. I won’t get caught.”