Chapter 19 â Echoes of Justice
The day after Alice healed Andrewâs mother was quiet. It wasnât the kind of quiet that followed grief or tension. No, this was the kind of quiet that gently followed a stormâone filled with both hope and uncertainty. Lucid stood on the balcony outside their room, arms resting on the wooden railing, watching the thin mist curl around the floating sector like wisps of thought. The memory of Andrew sobbing happily, still echoed in his chest. He couldnât remember the last time someone trusted him enough to break like that in front of him.
The morning breeze tugged at his long black coat, whispering a reminder: the peace wouldnât last.
He turned slightly as Alice came out from the room behind him, her pale green hair still a bit messy from sleep.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his voice lower than usual.
She nodded. "I had a dream that I was flying."
Lucid gave a small smile. "Is that so? Maybe one day you will."
After breakfast, Lucid decided it was time to look for the researchers. They were the ones who had welcomed him and Alice when they arrived in Andorrea. Something had always felt off about their kindness, not in a malicious way, but in how measured it had been. He needed clarity.
He left Alice in Andrew's care. She was reluctant, clinging to his sleeve at first, but when Andrew offered to teach her a new magic trick, she lit up and waved him off.
The building where Lucid first met the researchers, a tower tucked into the quieter side of Andorrea, still stood with its ivy-covered walls and humming wards. As he approached, the man from before, an older scholar with wiry hair, blinked in surprise.
"Oh! You're back. We werenât sure if youâd survived."
Lucid raised a brow. "I tend to do that. Survive."
He was led inside, the warm scent of old parchment and strange spices filling the air. Sitting at a long table littered with scrolls and artifacts was Neylea. The researcher with sharp amber eyes and a sharp mind to match.
She looked up, her curiosity igniting the moment she saw him. "Well, well, the ghost returns. And without chains, I see."
Lucid sat across from her. "You're well-informed."
"I make it my business to be."
He studied her. There was something familiar in her expressionsâa refined coldness, a mirage of detachment. It reminded him of Shion.
"What do you want to know, Lucid?" Neylea asked.
"Why did the village send us after Yu Sakamoto with so little to work with? No funding, no route, no idea where she was."
Neylea leaned back and tapped a finger against the table. "Because they didnât want her back."
Lucid remained silent, letting her continue.
Yu was supposed to inherit the seat of the sister village of Arayune. But tradition demanded a male heir. She was... not. So they spun tales. Said she betrayed them. Said she endangered the world. But truthfully? They feared her."
"Feared her power?"
"Feared her resolve and her reluctance to accept tradition. She challenged it and she built her own network, helped commoners, defied the archmages and nobles. In a world like ours, that was reason enough for exile."
Lucid nodded slowly. "You seem to know a lot about her."
"More than most."
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He caught it thenâa small glint in her expression, a soft pause in her words. It wasnât just knowledge. It was personal.
"You're her sister."
Neylea didnât answer immediately. She just looked at him with a strangely relaxed expression. "Youâre perceptive. Keep that to yourself."
Lucid gave a faint nod. "Does she know youâre here?"
"No. And letâs keep it that way."
Before he could press further, a bell sounded in the tower. Urgent footsteps echoed in the hall, and
"Lucid," Neylea said behind him. "You didnât hear this from me, but the nobles have been meeting privately. They plan to declare martial law. They want control before the commoners revolt."
Lucid didnât respond at first.
"Will you run?" she asked.
He looked over his shoulder. "No. I have someone to protect, no people to peotect too."
Her gaze softened. For the first time, she truly saw him not as an anomaly, or a variable, but as a person. Not quite a hero. Not quite a threat. But someone whom she could trust.
She nodded. "Then be careful. Because whatever's coming... itâs bigger than any of us."
Lucid left the tower soon after, walking through the winding alleys of Andorrea as the mist began to clear. He thought of Alice. Of Yu or rather shion. Of Andrew. And lastly Neylea.
And for the first time, he realized he had a place in this worldâs storm.
He wouldnât run from it.
He would meet it head-on this time not just for alice but for the family he had saved, for shion oddly and lastly Andrew and his mother.
Lucid had been walking for a while, hopping between sectors, when he finally discovered that Sector 5 was the highest he could reach. This realization came after an interaction with a guard, who demanded proof of noble status before allowing him to go any further.
His thoughts were a tangled mess, when he found himself outside a building. A large, imposing structure at the heart of Sector 5. There was a symbole near the door, one he recognized from earlier the same symbole the guards wore.
It was also the same place where the nobles and archmages held their private meetings that neylea have told Lucud about.
Lucid knew of the archmages but had never encountered one in person. His curiosity led him here, though he wasnât sure what to expect. As he stood outside the building, a chill ran through him, his instincts telling him that something big was about to happen.
The door opened slowly, and Lucidâs heart skipped a beat. The man who stepped out was tall, his features sharp, and he was wearing a regal cloak with a blue crest, and medium shirt silver hair. Lucid recognized him or at least what he was.
'An archmage'
The archmage themenos was the one who had been investigating the aftermath of the noblesâ deathsâseeking justice, perhaps. However Lucid didn't know Themenos or let alone the fact that he was on to him or what he was after, he felt a sudden wave of apprehension. This man seemed like someone who would do whatever it took to uphold the so-called "justice" of Andorrea.
Themenos stopped in his tracks when he saw Lucid, his expression cold and calculating. The wind shifted, and the cape behind him fluttered, adding to the imposing nature of his presence.
âYou.â Themenosâ voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it. âIâve been hearing whispers about you.â
Lucid didnât flinch. He was used to being watched, used to being a part of a bigger picture. He stood tall and unblinking, his eyes meeting Themenos' with the same intensity.
âI donât believe weâve met,â Lucid said, keeping his voice even.
Themenos studied him for a moment, his gaze cold, calculating.
âNo, we havenât,â Themenos said finally.
âBut Iâve heard about you, An outlander in a glass-mask. Youâve been... quite the observer, havenât you?â
Lucid didnât respond. There was no need to explain his actions.
âI was hoping I could avoid crossing paths with you,â Themenos continued, stepping closer. âBut it seems weâre on a collision course. You and I.â His eyes flashed with something dangerous. âI intend to seek justice for those who have fallen. And I wonât allow anyone to stand in my way.â
Lucid didnât move, not a single muscle twitching. His mind raced as he assessed the situation. Themenos was obsessed with justiceâbut what did that mean? Was he simply enforcing the will of the nobles, or was there something more sinister beneath his words. Could he have caught on to Lucidâs actions?
âAlright... i hope you find what you are after.â Lucid said, his voice steady.
Themenos smirked. âThat's much too kind But this is bigger than you. Itâs bigger than any of us.â He turned to leave, but before he did, he glanced over his shoulder.
âYouâll be seeing more of me, Lucid. And next time, I wonât be as patient.â
Lucid watched him walk away, his thoughts swirling in confusion. He had only scratched the surface of what was going on in Andorrea. And now, Themenos, a figure of âjustice,â had set his sights on him. Lucid didnât know what would happen next, but one thing was certainâhe couldnât keep running. The time to make his move was approaching.
He would have to face whatever was coming, no matter how dark it seemed.
'Looks like someone caught on I guess, I better inform yu.. no shion'