Two figures lay unconscious in the snow beside Lily’s massive form.

One was a woman, the other a man, both looking like they’d been put through hell and barely survived.

"Ashley Blackheart... Admond Ashford."

Damian’s voice came out quiet, the names falling from his lips as recognition hit.

Indeed, they were the same two who’d been captured by the SFD after the Tranquil City attack, the traitors who’d joined the Shadow Council.

Damian’s eyes tracked over their forms, cataloging the damage.

Both had lost weight, their frames looking gaunt and malnourished compared to the last time he’d seen them fighting Yara.

White hairs streaked through Ashley’s black and Admond’s grey, the kind of premature aging that came from extreme stress and trauma.

But most importantly–

’Their S rank Aura cores have been crippled.’

He could sense it, the way their bodies felt hollow and broken, like vessels that had been shattered and poorly reassembled.

They were awakeners in name only now, stripped of the power that had defined them.

’But what are they doing here? Weren’t they handed over to–’

"The Northern Regional Governor is a friend of mine."

Agatha’s calm voice came from beside him.

They both started walking toward the unconscious forms, their footsteps crunching through snow.

"Ever since these two were handed over to him after the attack on you and your orphanage, I’ve been trying to get my hands on them."

Her walking stick tapped against the stone as they moved.

"But the SFD Director needed them for investigations regarding the Shadow Council. Extracting information, you understand. Breaking down their mental defenses, learning everything they knew about the organization’s structure and operations."

She paused, her breath misting in the cold air.

"After a few days of torture, when every piece of useful information had been extracted from them, they were being transported to Death Island for permanent imprisonment."

Her smile became gentle, almost grandmotherly.

"But sadly, the SFD convoy that was escorting them was attacked by some rogue beasts during transport... Very tragic."

Her eyes found Damian’s face.

"Both prisoners died in the incident, their bodies lost in the chaos."

Damian looked at the unconscious bodies lying in the snow, understanding crystallizing with clarity.

Agatha had used her connections to fake their deaths, pulling strings through the Northern Governor to make them vanish from SFD custody.

His eyes moved to his Grandma’s smiling face.

’So she sent Lily for this.’

The woman standing before him had lost all her children except Lyandra, and had buried them one by one with her own hands over the years.

Her domain was Mother’s Embrace, peaceful and comforting, representing everything gentle about maternal love.

But here she stood, having orchestrated a kidnapping, delivering two broken prisoners to her grandson for what could only be execution.

The disconnect was jarring, showing a side of Agatha he hadn’t seen before.

’Even though her domain remained the same, she changed as well, didn’t she? Not just her husband.’

Grief changed people in ways that went deeper than surface emotions, carved out pieces of who they were and replaced them with something harder.

"What about the Ashford Imperial family?"

Damian’s voice came out carefully neutral.

"They aren’t fools. Won’t there be problems for you when they start investigating?"

Agatha looked at him, and her smile widened with something approaching amusement.

"My dear grandson, are you forgetting where you are?"

Her hand gestured around them, encompassing the mountain, the north, everything beyond.

"No matter how much influence the Imperials have, no matter how powerful they are in the Capitol or the Central Region, one fact remains unchanged."

Her eyes gleamed.

"This is the north! And it’s not the same north where they butchered an entire family without repercussions seventeen years ago."

The words hung heavy with meaning, with implications left deliberately unstated.

Damian’s mind connected pieces rapidly.

’The Northern Governor is at odds with the Imperials.’

The understanding settled.

’And after that night, the Marshals have become extremely wary of Imperial influence. But not every Marshal...’

His thoughts jumped to the Kestrel Noble Family incident, and the conclusions he had formed regarding the military.

’There are factions among them... I already knew that, but–’

The question surfaced unbidden.

’Did they start forming immediately after the Bloodworth incident? Or were they always there, just hidden better?’

He looked at Agatha’s meaningful expression, at the knowledge clearly visible in her eyes.

’There are many things I still don’t know. Many pieces of the political landscape I’m missing.’

His mind raced.

’I need to find more information, figure out which Marshals are already under Imperial control and which ones might be–’

"Grandson." Agatha’s voice interrupted his thoughts. "I know some things about what happened between you and these two."

Her walking stick tapped against stone once.

"And there’s some advice this old woman would like to give you, if you’ll listen."

She looked up at the sky, her expression becoming distant.

"Power’s ladder claims those who climb without care for the foes they leave behind... the wise survive by choosing well which enemies to make at every rung they find."

Her eyes found his again.

"Power without wisdom is just a shorter path to the grave... Remember that."

Damian remained silent, processing the advice, recognizing the wisdom born from decades of loss.

Agatha moved towards Lily, climbing onto the dragon’s back.

"I’ll be back in some time."

Her voice carried across the distance as Lily’s wings spread.

"I have some other matters to attend to. You should finish what needs finishing here before I return."

The implication was clear without being stated directly.

Whoosh

The dragon launched into the air, wings beating hard, carrying Agatha away.

Damian watched them disappear into the clouds, then turned his attention back to the two unconscious figures.

He walked to the edge of the mountain peak, his footsteps crunching through the snow, then raised his hand.

His Telekinesis activated, invisible force wrapping around Ashley’s body, dragging her across the snow toward him.

Her unconscious form slid to a stop at his feet.

Damian looked down at her for a moment, then his hand came up.

Slap

The sound echoed across the empty peak, sharp and clear.

Ashley’s head snapped to the side from the impact, but she didn’t wake.

SLAP

The second strike landed harder, enough force to leave a red mark across her pale cheek.

But she still didn’t wake up.

SLAP

The third blow finally did it.

Ashley’s eyes snapped open, unfocused and disoriented, her breath coming in sharp gasps.

’W-what... where am I...’

Her thoughts were fragmented, confused, struggling to process her surroundings.

Then her eyes focused on the figure standing over her.

"It’s... it’s you!"

The words came out strangled, terror and recognition mixing.