At the far corner of the Forge of the Ninth Bell, Raine and Ren sat together. The walls around them were lined with a variety of weapons, decently arranged, but the massive axe just above their heads was something else. It stuck out like a sore thumb and held the attention regardless, unusual and intriguing in equal measure.

Sweat had broken across both their faces. Their heads turned occasionally toward the air conditioner beside them, the one that had been working a few days ago and wasn’t now, its silence more noticeable than its noise had ever been.

Raine fanned herself with an empty envelope, let out a relieved sigh, and found Ren’s eyes.

"You don’t look too pleased, Raine. What’s in the letter?"

Raine met her mostly with silence. Between her fingers, a letter from her parents was warm, appreciative, and full of encouragement from Leon City. All that warmth, travelling all that way. It still wasn’t enough to put a smile on her face.

She knew her family well enough. Warmth like this, delivered with such urgency, always meant hardship somewhere behind it.

"Is it the Sonnet family?" Ren asked.

"Does it have something to do with the Church of Light?" Her expression said what the questions didn’t quite manage.

Raine said nothing. She slid the letter across the table, letting it speak for itself.

"What’s there for the Church of Light to take at this point? I think they miss us already. Just words of encouragement."

The words left her plainly. When they settled, she reached for her bitter Seed Tea, knowing it was too late for it, the sun already setting, golden rays bleeding through the doorway.

Widely disliked for its bitterness and avoided after four in the evening, this tea carried enough energy to run a marathon. That made it worse for a cadet, and even worse for someone with a sweet tooth like Raine.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

She sipped it with a straight face regardless. The bittersweet coated her tongue, and the green seeds danced in her mouth as she chewed them deliberately, knowing she was stripping away the little honey flavour, making it too bitter. She did it anyway. It felt right.

Her parents were likely struggling financially, quietly, the way they always had. And there was nothing she could do from here. She hadn’t even secured a Calamity title, which meant no salary. Nothing to send home. Nothing at all.

Four families had brought the St. Claires down, among them the Sonnet family. The Firstlight Goddess held considerable sway over the Prism Kingdom’s history, her twelve devoted churches functioning as the kingdom’s true powerhouses. The Church of Change had once been among them. It wasn’t anymore. That was the other churches’ doing.

Ren frowned and tossed the letter on the table.

"What do you take me for, Lady Raine? Your parents raised me too. I may never share the same bond you have with them, but I know them well enough to see how much this is hurting them."

Raine’s attention shifted toward Ren, but the cheerful demeanour she was used to was nowhere in sight. Ren wasn’t even looking her in the eyes.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"You need to get yourself together, Lady Raine." She reached into her maid’s attire, produced a newspaper, and dropped it on the table without ceremony. The headline read: Breaking news — The Church of Light Has Funded the Largest Airship.

Ren looked into Raine’s eyes then. "Your grandfather’s blueprint brought this to life, didn’t it? Don’t tell me this doesn’t boil your blood."

Ren’s words wrapped around Raine like invisible chains. Her body trembled, enough to shatter the cup in the process. The sight of the newspaper had stirred something hot in her chest that she hadn’t felt before. She couldn’t even find the words for it.

Ren puffed out breath.

"I know you’re carrying secrets, but drowning yourself in worry won’t solve anything. We have to restore your family’s honor, that’s why I’m here. If you cannot kill, then let me become your sword. I will serve you without hesitation."

Raine steadied herself with a few breathing exercises, then leaned over to Ren and patted her on the head with a smile.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"You’re still too young to kill, Ren. I need you here beside me for moments like this, not to carry the burden of blood that should be on my hands."

She stretched her body slightly. "You may have misunderstood me. I can never let go of my conviction... In fact, I have the perfect plan. And it starts with Leomaris."

Ren’s expression darkened briefly before the cheerful mask returned, smooth and natural as breathing. Almost impossible to believe it came from the same person.

"You’re not thinking of joining his faction, are you? He’s a Calamity."

Raine shrugged, and the dense atmosphere from moments ago lifted with her expression, like a curtain drawn aside.

"I asked him to prove himself to me. He needs me as much as I need him. Until he does, I can’t give you a definite answer."

A widening grin from Ren. "I just have a strange feeling that with the young master, we might pull it off."

"I don’t know... have you seen him lately? I’m not sure if he’s taking drugs or something, but he looks terrible."

As the words settled, Tae emerged from his forging room.

All seven feet of him, a sword in a black leather sheath held in one hand. From where Raine sat, it looked barely a few inches long. Then he drew closer and placed it in her hand, and she understood. His height had made the illusion. The sword was anything but small.

Ren hurried over, took the sword from Raine’s hand, and unsheathed it. Blade and hilt alike were black, but at the bridge between the two, Raine’s name was etched in a soft, glowing blue against the Vantablack blade.

"I used Preet Metal, the hardest metal from the Naver Kingdom, and enhanced it with an artifact for durability and strength. I’d say it would take three to five years to lose its edge, and that’s with daily use." Tae said, feeling proud of what he’d accomplished.

Shock left Raine’s mouth agape. Grateful as she was, she’d never known such a blade could be made. "You only took two hundred pennies... that’s not even up to a crownsmark."

"It’s all good, Lady Raine." Tae smiled, a little awkwardly. "I wanted to make something special for you."

"Hmm." Ren studied the sword with a fresh eye and nodded her approval. "You’ve done a great job, Tae. I take it, is it just as sharp?"

"Oh, it is. It can effortlessly cut me in two, even through armor. It’s a katana. Something I learned from ancient history. You’d love it."

Ren looked to Raine with barely contained enthusiasm. "What do you think, my lady? Should we take over the academy?"