In one of the resting chambers of the palace, Adelasta sat on the edge of a low couch. Narisva was sprawled far less elegantly across another seat with one leg hooked over the armrest, idly flicking a mote of condensed spatial energy between her fingers. Elyonari sat close to Narisva, summoning wind in her hands.
Where Phaenora had been moments earlier, there was now only a crystalline shell. Sapphire had sealed over her form completely before dissolving into motes of light and vanishing. Her physical body was gone, abandoned cleanly and deliberately.
All three of them stiffened as their systems activated simultaneously.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: I'm with Veneri so no need to worry. I'm not dead.]
Adelasta exhaled slowly. "Good."
Elyonari inclined her head. "He's not alone."
Narisva clicked her tongue. "Figures. Huh..."
Adelasta glanced at her. "What?"
"You know what I just realized?"
Elyonari didn't turn. "If it's about Darling—"
"It's not. It's about you. Out of all of us, you're the most voluptuous."
"Excuse me?"
Narisva pressed on, completely unfazed.
"Like, objectively. You've got the most… generous proportions and yet you're an archer. That doesn't add up."
Elyonari sighed. To them, it was a deep, tired sigh of someone who had answered this question more times than she cared to remember.
"You're asking how I draw a bow while having a body that doesn't align with your assumptions."
"Yes," Narisva said immediately. "Also how strong you actually are."
Adelasta tilted her head slightly. "I'm also curious."
Elyonari closed her eyes for a moment. Then, without ceremony, she reached for the hem of her blouse. Both Adelasta and Narisva froze.
"Wait, you're not—"
Elyonari pulled the blouse over her head and set it aside. What was revealed wasn't shocking because of nudity—she was still wearing a fitted sports bra—but because of what wasn't visible under her usual layered outfit.
Her back was well defined. Broad muscles framed her spine. Her shoulders were strong and her arms were thick with strength rather than bulk. Even her biceps—usually hidden beneath flowing sleeves—were sculpted, dense and unmistakably trained. She had the body of someone who had drawn a bow thousands upon thousands of times.
"Oh."
She lifted a hand, summoning her bow. Elyonari turned to Narisva.
"Try to pull the string. Don't hold back."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Narisva stood, rolled her shoulders, and took the bow. She planted her feet, gripped the string and immediately frowned.
"Okay."
She pulled harder. The bowstring barely moved. Narisva's expression widened as she drew used her Divinity. Her muscles began to tense as she poured her full strength into it. Slowly and painfully, the string came back.
Her arm shuddered. The moment she released from lacking grip, a shockwave ripped through the chamber, slamming into the walls, rattling the windows and nearly sending Narisva flying backward. She stumbled, clutching her arm.
"That almost tore my shoulder off!"
Elyonari took the bow back gently. She drew it effortlessly. The string bent like it was made of normal material, not divine alloy.
"How strong are you?"
Elyonari relaxed the bow and let it dissolve.
"I've trained in archery since birth. Elves specialize in upper-body strength. Our entire martial culture is built around it. Archery isn't about finesse alone. It's about endurance, control, and power."
Narisva rubbed her arm, scowling. "That explains a lot."
"And as for this," Elyonari added, gesturing lightly at her chest, "it's not an obstacle."
She tapped the fabric of her sports bra. It morphed smoothly into a more relaxed, everyday design.
"Compression garments were developed through centuries of collaboration between humans and elves. It has adjustable support and zero interference. When I'm fighting, everything stays where it should."
Adelasta stepped closer, reaching out then paused, glancing at Elyonari for permission. Elyonari nodded. Adelasta placed a hand against her back.
"We've bathed together dozens of times. How did I not notice this?"
"Posture, relaxation, muscle only shows when it's engaged. I'm the second strongest among us after Asenane. Dragon strength isn't exactly theoretical."
Narisva leaned back, whistling softly.
"Yeah… okay. That checks out."
Adelasta broke the comfortable silence after a while.
"We need to ask Lady Lysameria to train us."
Narisva didn't even hesitate. She nodded immediately.
"Yeah. I agree. I've been… reckless. I keep throwing power around instead of using it. She's right. If we're going to walk with him while he collects the Time Fragments, we can't afford to be liabilities. He's going to keep getting stronger. We're not mortals who can hide behind excuses. If we fall behind him, we'll get left behind by the world itself."
Adelasta's eyes narrowed slightly. "And with Lysameria as his mother, she will never tolerate weak women at his side. Ever."
That much was obvious.
"I can delegate internal stabilization to the Richinaria Houses. The loss of Divinity crisis is manageable now. Since the entirety of Richinaria regained their Divinity through Phaenora's system, governance won't collapse. So we are free to leave."
A voice answered immediately.
"A very sensible conclusion."
All three of them jumped. Narisva nearly tore open space on reflex. Lysameria stood behind them.
"We didn't sense you," Narisva muttered.
"That's because you weren't meant to. Priestess, turn around."
Elyonari blinked then complied. Lysameria stepped closer and without ceremony, placed both hands on Elyonari's back, pressing lightly along her shoulder blades and spine.
"Hm. Well-built muscles."
"Thank you…?"
"You focus heavily on archery despite being mage-aligned. Elves don't do that without reason. You know the classification. Mage Elves and Archer Elves, right? You were born for the former so why did you force yourself into the latter?"
"Spite."
Narisva snorted.
"I wasn't obedient as a child. Expectations irritated me so I broke them."
"Good. About The training, I was already planning to take you all somewhere."
"All of us?"
"Yes, Adelasta. A training vacation. I know the perfect place. It's somewhere brutal enough to expose your weaknesses without killing you."
Elyonari stiffened. "We?"
"You," Lysameria said, gesturing to the three of them, "and my stepchildren plus my daughter."
That made Adelasta's attention sharpen instantly.
"The Richinaria family must be strong enough to endure what's coming. The chaos ahead won't care about Divinity or sentiment. This will take time. You three are interesting cases. Your fundamentals are underdeveloped."
Narisva bristled. "Hey—"
"But," Lysameria continued, cutting her off, "you're advanced everywhere else. Power, intuition and adaptability is already fixed. You just skipped a few steps. That means that you weren't trained by your parents but learned on your own. Asenane and Phaenora already covered their basics. They lack battlefield density, not structure. Experience will fix that. And if you impress me, I'll allow you to remain at my son's side."
The weight of that sentence settled hard.
"Make no mistake. This is a matriarchal standard. I will not allow weak women beside him."
Adelasta bowed her head slightly.
"Understood."
Narisva cracked her knuckles. "Say less."
"We won't disappoint you."
"Good. We leave tomorrow morning. I've planned everything so no need to worry, Adelasta."