Rimazu's voice cut through the dining hall.
"Abraham wants to kill Queen Maria!"
The words echoed against the high ceilings.
Silence.
Forks froze mid-air. No one breathed.
Zain slowly turned his head toward Rimazu.
"How could you possibly know that?"
Rimazu swallowed hard. "I overheard them last night."
"Them?" Aisha asked sharply. "Who was with him?"
Rimazu hesitated.
"…Leona."
All eyes shifted to her.
Zain's voice lowered. "Is this true?"
Leona looked at Abraham, her expression pleading.
"Just tell them."
Abraham exhaled.
"Yes. It's true. But don't drag Leona into this. She has nothing to do with it."
Benjamin frowned. "This isn't you, man."
Sulaiman looked confused. "So… are we fighting him or what?"
"No," Zain said firmly. "We're finding out why first."
Queen Maria rose from her seat and faced Abraham directly.
"Why?" she asked gently. "We're around the same age. Why would you want to kill me?"
Abraham pushed his chair back and stood.
"Because your soldiers killed my hero — my father!"
The hall felt smaller.
"I don't know which soldier did it," Abraham continued, his voice shaking between anger and pain. "He's probably dead by now. I can't sense him. So if I can't punish him… the punishment falls on you."
The royal guards instantly tensed.
Maria lifted her hand. They froze.
Instead of stepping back, she stepped forward.
Closer to Abraham.
"I see," she said quietly. "Then allow me to apologize."
The room stiffened.
She bowed her head slightly.
"Forgive me… and forgive this nation… for taking your hero from you."
Her voice trembled.
"In war, we saw only enemies. My father was killed in that same war."
Abraham's anger flickered.
"And your mother?" he asked.
"She died giving birth to me."
The air shifted.
Abraham's fists loosened slightly.
But the conflict inside him only grew louder.
That's when Scarlet stood.
She hadn't spoken until now.
She walked forward slowly, stopping beside Abraham.
"Enough," she said calmly.
He glanced at her.
"You carried this for years," Scarlet continued softly. "You thought revenge would fix it."
Abraham didn't respond.
"It won't," she said. "Killing her won't bring him back."
His jaw tightened.
Scarlet's voice lowered.
"And if you do this… you won't just lose your father. You'll lose us too."
That hit harder than anything.
She met his eyes directly.
"Let it go. It's for the best."
Silence followed.
Ryo, still seated, finally spoke with a faint smile.
"She's not lying."
Sulaiman nodded quickly. "If big brother says so… then it has to be right."
Rimazu watched the scene unfold, stunned by how quickly the energy had shifted.
Abraham looked at Maria again.
She wasn't afraid.
She wasn't angry.
She was grieving too.
His chest felt heavy.
"…Fine," he muttered. "Stop crying. I forgive you."
A small, relieved smile touched Maria's face.
"That doesn't make us friends," Abraham added quickly.
"That's alright," she replied. "Acquaintances will do."
The tension in the room finally dissolved.
But something had changed.
Later That Afternoon
Team Z was escorted to one of Mivarala's research chambers.
Glass walls. Floating holograms. Mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling.
Maria stood before them.
"Would you mind if we ran some tests?"
Zain folded his arms. "Tests?"
"The last war was our first," Maria explained. "We were unprepared. Since then, we've developed weapons capable of affecting low-stage combatants."
She lifted a sleek metallic firearm.
"This can severely injure anyone at Stage One. Damik user or Ranian."
Ruqayya frowned. "And what counts as weak to you?"
"Stage One," Maria replied calmly.
Sulaiman's stomach tightened.
Everyone here is Stage Two or higher…
I'm only Stage One.
Ryo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're fine."
Sulaiman nodded. "Yeah… big brother."
Zain stepped forward again.
"So what exactly do you want from us?"
Maria's eyes sharpened slightly.
"We want to study your Damiks."
The room went quiet.
Not hostile.
But cautious.