Izutsumi now vaguely understood the reason why Marcellus was no longer the same man he used to be. It all made sense-until Kiyoko summoned Elliot, and he turned back into a monster. Simply put, Elliot was the root of everything.

Izutsumi recognized Elliot, of course. She had once followed in his footsteps. That was back when she was still immature-her flames still burned red with fighting spirit.

It was during a routine battle between the Hive and Etrea at Starswept Valley that Izutsumi first encountered Elliot. The young man had deep blue eyes that seemed to carry a strange peace. Perhaps, at that moment, Izutsumi had felt something-despite him being the enemy.

That feeling only grew stronger when she ultimately lost to him. The intense azure flame he wielded became something she obsessed over. When she finally attained that Azure Flame herself, news came: Marcellus had visited the Hive and left with two bodies-one belonging to the second Greatlord, the other to the heir apparent.

Marcellus killing two successive Hive leaders was unprecedented. The Hive's final decree was to retrieve Marcellus's head at any cost, even if it meant forming alliances with all other factions, including the Central Authority and Etrea.

At that time, Kiyoko was only thirteen.

"Ugh..."

Thirteen-and by the age of seventeen, she had been through all the Hive's political chaos, even becoming a candidate for one of the five council seats. The power vacuum had thrown the Hive through three Greatlords in just four years.

But Kiyoko was still so naive. All she really wanted was for her sister to care more about her. Not that Izutsumi didn't care-Kiyoko just never understood what "enough" looked like. Eventually, that desire morphed into a desperate need for recognition. To be seen as grown up. As strong.

But Kiyoko had failed on both fronts. And the cost was plain to see.

"So tired..."

"You don't have a Graceful Flame?"

"No. Who the hell picks Graceful Flame? I don't do that team-player crap."

In this world, the sound of a campfire is soothing. Those who sit near one naturally recover faster. The Graceful Flame acts as a temporary substitute for that.

"I'm done..."

Kiyoko came in. She was surprised to see Setareh, whose perpetual smile gave off a strangely disturbing vibe.

"Hello."

"...Hey."

"You haven't used the Idol yet?"

"Ah..."

Kiyoko stammered.

"Why not, Kiyoko?"

"Sis, I-"

"He killed you. Why haven't you broken that damn link yet?!"

Faced with Izutsumi's rage, Kiyoko turned and ran out.

"Hey-wait!"

Izutsumi called after her, but the door slammed. Kiyoko's footsteps faded into the hallway.

"Tch. I give up. You can go too."

"...Good night."

...

Kiyoko didn't get far.

As she turned into the stairwell, she ran right into Marcellus. The same face, the same horns, the same sword-the one that had stabbed through her and left her shirt stained in blood.

"Huh..."

Her hands instinctively tightened as if to grasp her weapon-but there was nothing there.

"What are you doing?"

"I-I'm sorry... It's not what-"

Marcellus sighed. "Where are you going?"

She tried to slip past him, but he blocked her way.

"Your sister will worry."

"Let her."

"Hey-"

Before he could say more, Kiyoko punched him hard in the gut and bolted while he winced in pain. Coincidentally, Setareh had just arrived and saw the whole thing.

"...Ha."

"?"

"You look ridiculous."

"...Nothing funny about it."

Marcellus turned away.

"You still have the Vow of Mastery. Call her back."

"I'm not skilled enough to do that."

The Vow of Mastery has many levels. Each grants different command privileges. The supreme command, Command: Summon, surprisingly not Command: Live, allows absolute control-but Marcellus couldn't issue that.

"Forget her," Izutsumi called from the room. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"You heard her," Setareh added. "If she won't break the Vow, we just won't use it."

There wasn't another option. The initiator of a Vow of Mastery cannot break it-only the one who accepted the vow can. If it were that easy, Marcellus would've dissolve it the moment he saved her life.

"Fine."

Marcellus exhaled. He had learned that not everything could be controlled.

But at least now, he had something to do. Because as he descended the stairs with Setareh, they ran into Kiana and Alm-both looking rushed.

"Ah, there you are, Marcellus. We've located the nearest whirlpool."

The Depths-the destination of all souls after death-was not reached by one path alone. Spontaneous whirlpools appeared randomly throughout the world and could pull anything into the Depths. It was certainly a more tolerable option than outright suicide.

"Thanks, Kiana."

"I'll take you there. We depart tomorrow morning."

"Huh?"