The atmosphere within the chamber was suffocating, the air itself so heavy with mana that an ordinary man would have struggled to draw breath beneath it.
Aiden and Godric remained utterly still, their gazes fixed upon Victoria without so much as a blink. Neither allowed the slightest distraction to dull their vigilance.
The hostility was mutual.
Victoria met their eyes with the same cold intensity, her stare carrying a silent threat sharp enough to unsettle even seasoned sorcerers.
Aristovelli, meanwhile, delighted in every moment of the tension.
She had always possessed an unhealthy fondness for drama. To her, a peaceful and uneventful life was not comfort, but a nauseating form of stagnation she could scarcely endure.
Still, there existed a time for all things.
And before them sat a mystery yet to be unravelled.
"Who are you?" the legendary witch asked at last. "And from what land do you come?"
Victoria offered no reply. She remained silent as a tomb.
Aiden immediately frowned at what he perceived as disrespect toward his master.
"You should answer when she speaks to you!" he barked. "Do you even understand who stands before you?"
"I rarely find myself agreeing with Aiden," Godric added calmly, "but this time he speaks the truth." His gaze sharpened upon the fallen princess.
"You appeared from nowhere and attacked us without warning. I dislike admitting it, but had the Grand Master not intervened, most of our guilds would have perished. Even we guild masters would not have escaped unscathed."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"So, cooperate while you still can. Otherwise, you may find yourself handed over to the Magic Council." His tone darkened slightly. "And despite their saintly appearances, many among them are far from merciful. Think carefully before deciding your next move."
Before either man could press further, Aristovelli slowly raised her right hand, silencing her former disciples at once.
"Calm yourselves, boys. She's still a lady. Have you both forgotten your manners already?" Aristovelli teased with an amused smile.
"A lady?" Aiden scoffed, folding his arms in open disagreement.
"As all of you know, I am a great ladies' man," he declared proudly.
"A great ladies' man?" Godric and Aristovelli thought in unison, exchanging comically confused glances.
Even Victoria's expression mirrored theirs ever so slightly.
"In all my glorious years," Aiden continued, "I have never seen a woman this violent. She is no lady—she's a gorilla draped in a woman's skin!"
He pointed accusingly toward Victoria.
"A gorilla?" Godric and Aristovelli repeated inwardly, once again staring at one another in bewilderment.
To their surprise, the absurd accusation finally shattered Victoria's silence.
"Who exactly are you calling a gorilla?"
Aiden blinked.
"Oh? So, you can speak."
"Of course I can, idiot," she replied coldly. "And stop shouting. It is not as though your voice is pleasant to begin with."
Godric immediately covered his mouth, failing to suppress his laughter.
Aristovelli, on the other hand, did not attempt whatsoever to restrain herself. She burst into loud laughter, clutching her stomach as tears gathered in her eyes.
"Hein!? So now all of you are taking her side?" Aiden protested, thoroughly offended.
"That was excellent!" Aristovelli laughed.
"I already like her. She has a wonderful sense of humour!"
After a moment, she wiped the tears from her eyes and casually issued an order that stunned both guild masters.
"Unchain her, boys. She's cute!"
Godric frowned slightly.
"You truly intend to release her?"
"You want us to free that monster?" Aiden exclaimed in disbelief.
"Do not fret," Aristovelli said with a reassuring smile. "I believe we shall come to understand one another."
The two guild masters exchanged doubtful glances. Neither of them approved of releasing Victoria, yet neither possessed the courage to oppose their Grand Master directly.
Reluctantly, they obeyed.
The chains binding the fallen princess were undone one after another as their master released the seal.
Victoria rolled her shoulders lightly, stretching her arms before rising to her feet.
"What was the point of chaining her up in the first place if we were simply going to free her the moment she awakened?" Aiden grumbled in frustration.
"It was a necessary precaution," Aristovelli replied calmly. "We needed to understand what manner of person she was."
Her smile softened slightly as she turned toward Victoria.
"And now the answer is rather obvious, is it not? You are not someone we should treat as an enemy."
Victoria gave no reply.
Aiden and Godric glanced toward one another again, both still struggling to grasp what their former master had discerned so quickly.
"Considering your present strength," Aristovelli continued, "you could have shattered those chains and broken the seal the moment you awoke. Yet you remained still."
Her mismatched eyes narrowed gently.
"Why?"
Having regained her freedom, Victoria slowly walked toward the nearby window. Cool air drifted in from outside, carrying with it the distant sounds of village life.
Children ran through the village's lanes laughing, blissfully ignorant of the cruelty that governed the world around them.
Not far away, men and women exchanged warm words beneath the evening light. Some were lovers, nurturing a kind of affection Victoria herself had long since abandoned.
"You are not like them," the fallen princess finally said.
Her voice was calm, stripped of the hostility she had shown before.
"Your hearts may not possess the purity of children… but neither do I sense evil within you." Her gaze lingered beyond the window. "What I feel instead is the desire to protect what you hold dear."
A brief silence followed.
"And I have no quarrel with that."
For the first time since her awakening, Victoria spoke without aggression.
And upon hearing those words, both Aiden and Godric instinctively loosened their grips around their weapons.
"I was furious," Victoria continued quietly. "And I still am."
Her gaze drifted toward the night beyond the window.
"When I awoke, I realized I could have shattered those chains whenever I pleased, just as you said. Yet… something stopped me."
She lowered her eyes slightly.
"It felt as though I stood before an invisible wall. I am lost… and I no longer know where my path even begins."
The chamber fell silent for a moment before Aristovelli spoke again.
"Then let us return to the beginning." She crossed her fingers beneath her chin. "Who are you? And from what realm do you come? Without understanding that much, we cannot truly help you."
At those words, fragments of that winter night resurfaced within Victoria's mind—the night her downfall began.
The snow. The blood. The betrayal.
She rubbed her face slowly with her palms before exhaling to steady herself.
"My name is Victoria Ave Strassfey," she said at last. "Queen of Auronis… a mighty kingdom from another world."
"A different world?" Aiden repeated in astonishment.
Godric's eyes narrowed slightly as realization dawned upon him.
"Do not tell me…"
"Yes, Goddo," Aristovelli said with a smile. "She is a deviant."
"A deviant?" Victoria asked, her curiosity sharpening immediately. "What does that mean?"
Aristovelli stepped away from the others, folding her hands behind her back as though preparing to recount an old tale preserved through the ages.
"Long ago, Eros—the Goddess of Love—inherited these lands and opened them to persecuted beings wandering throughout the cosmos."
Victoria remained silent, though inwardly her thoughts darkened.
"That monster did such a thing…?"
"But her mercy was never unconditional," Aristovelli continued. "Those allowed to enter this realm were chosen according to the goddess's own measure of suffering."
She turned her gaze toward the fallen queen.
"In other words, only those whom Eros herself deemed truly persecuted were granted passage into Utopia."
"Yet not all possessed the patience to await the goddess' intervention," Aristovelli continued. "Some sought salvation by their own hands. Through the study of sorcery, they forged a spell powerful enough to force passage into this world."
Her gaze settled upon Victoria.
"Those people came to be known as deviants."
Victoria absorbed the explanation in silence before speaking again.
"Then tell me how to return," she said firmly. "My kingdom has fallen into the hands of a usurper. I must reclaim it before it is too late."
"Unfortunately for you," Aristovelli replied calmly, "sorcery is not some childish miracle that bends reality with the snap of a finger. Laws govern the world of mana, and those laws demand acknowledgment."
"I have no issue with laws or sacrifices," Victoria answered immediately. "No matter the cost, I will pay it. All I seek is to return to my world and restore my house's honour."
Aristovelli slowly stepped closer until only a short distance separated them.
Then she looked directly into Victoria's eyes.
Neither woman blinked.
Though the legendary witch had initiated the stare, the fallen princess took the opportunity to examine her as well—to discern the nature of the strange woman standing before her.
For a brief instant, silence stretched between them like a drawn blade.
Then, without warning, Aristovelli turned away.
"Your eyes are far too dark," she said lightly. "You should allow yourself peace now and then."
She paused before adding:
"What you seek is the Ecclesiastic Key."
Victoria's curiosity sharpened immediately.
"The Ecclesiastic Key…? What is that?"
To better illustrate her explanation, Aristovelli raised a hand.
At once, harmless magical projections shimmered into existence before them—glowing shapes and symbols woven from mana itself, prepared to aid her tale like illustrations from an ancient chronicle.
"The Ecclesiastic Key is the greatest divine relic ever known to this world," Aristovelli began as the floating projections shifted around her like pages from an illuminated manuscript.
"It is the sacred instrument that opens pathways between dimensions and realms. One who wields it may stand anywhere within creation itself."
Her heterochromatic eyes narrowed slightly.
"To possess such an artifact is to become nearly omnipresent… a sovereign among gods."
She allowed the weight of those words to settle before continuing.
"The Key once belonged to Eros. But after her downfall, it was taken from her grasp."
The glowing projections split into three fragments suspended in the air.
"It was shattered and divided among the three rulers of Utopia—the Triad of Chaos."
The fragments slowly revolved around one another.
"If you truly desire to return to your world, then you must gather every fragment and restore the Ecclesiastic Key to its original form."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"To spare you false hope, I shall say this plainly—it is a task bordering on suicide."
Victoria folded her arms and bit lightly against her thumbnail, contemplating the explanation in silence.
After a moment, her gaze sharpened with suspicion.
"If you understand how impossible it is to seize those fragments from the Triad… then why do I feel as though you expect something from me?"
"Hmm…" Aristovelli hummed playfully. "Let us simply say that you possess remarkable potential."
Victoria's expression did not soften in the slightest.
"The last person who said that to me attempted to offer me to a monster."
"And where is that man now?" Aristovelli asked casually.
"I killed him."
The atmosphere immediately shifted.
Darkness flickered across Victoria's face as killing intent leaked subtly from her aura.
At once, Aiden and Godric tightened their grips around their weapons, instinctively reacting to the hostility.
Yet Aristovelli merely laughed as though she had heard an amusing jest.
"Well, that is unfortunate for him."
Victoria, however, no longer possessed the patience for humour.
Her gaze pierced straight through the legendary witch.
"Do you intend to use me as well?"
The air around her trembled faintly as her aura seeped outward like an unsheathed blade.
Aiden and Godric reacted instantly.
Flames erupted around one while arcs of lightning danced around the other, both men summoning their mana at the slightest hint of danger. The pressure released into the chamber was so violent that cracks spread across the walls like spiderwebs.
Outside the room, guild members immediately gathered, having sensed the sudden surge of mana.
"It sounds like their conversation has turned sour," Gron muttered uneasily to Eltrish. "I do not know about you, but I have no desire to face that monster again."
"Neither do I," she admitted. "But this time is different. We have two guild masters here… and Lady Aristovelli as well."
Within the chamber itself, tension sharpened like drawn steel.
Everyone stood on guard.
Everyone except one person.
The strongest among them merely clapped her hands together, laughing softly as though the situation amused her greatly. After a moment, Aristovelli stopped and smiled at Victoria with visible intrigue.
"How frightening," she said playfully. "Tell me… if I admitted to wanting to use you, would you kill me as well?"
"It depends," Victoria answered without hesitation, her threatening aura still leaking through the room.
Aristovelli only laughed again.
Then she casually waved a hand toward her former disciples.
"Put your claws away, boys."
Reluctantly, Aiden and Godric obeyed. Their mana receded, flames and lightning fading little by little, though neither lowered his vigilance entirely.
Aristovelli then turned her full attention back toward Victoria.
"Listen carefully."
The witch leaned back slightly in her chair.
"The moment I first laid eyes upon you, I sensed it immediately. I possess rather excellent eyes, you see." She smiled knowingly. "Still, I chose to investigate further before trusting my instincts."
Her expression sharpened faintly.
"And I was correct."
As she spoke, she slowly rose and began pacing around the room.
"By tracing lingering mana residues, I discovered that roughly three leagues from this village, Eros herself had been sealed beneath the earth."
A flicker of admiration crossed her gaze.
"The spell used to bind her was magnificent—truly the work of a master. Yet its greatest strength was also its flaw. Maintaining such a seal demanded a monstrous quantity of mana."
She paused briefly.
"An Achilles' heel fatal enough to doom its caster."
Her footsteps echoed softly across the wooden floor.
"The underground sanctuary collapsed. Countless lives were lost. And more importantly…" Her gaze narrowed upon Victoria. "I could no longer sense the goddess's presence anywhere."
She circled slowly around the fallen princess before stopping directly before her.
"The dormant power sleeping within you does not belong to the Eros I once knew."
A brief silence followed.
"But it mirrors her frighteningly well."
Victoria remained motionless.
Then Aristovelli spoke plainly.
"So let me cast aside all pretences." Her smile returned. "I will take advantage of you… and in return, you shall take advantage of me."
"What if I refuse?" Victoria asked coldly, staring directly into her eyes.
"Then our paths end here," Aristovelli answered without the slightest hesitation.
She returned to her seat and crossed her legs leisurely.
"You remain stranded within this world." Her smile softened faintly. "And all of us walk away empty-handed."
"What is it that you want from me?" the fallen princess asked, cornered yet composed.
Aristovelli's smile widened slightly.
"I shall tell you when the time comes. In exchange for your cooperation, I will guide you toward the path that leads beyond this world. More importantly, I shall help you harness the power sleeping within you to its fullest extent… until you become strong enough to surpass even me."
Shock immediately crossed Aiden and Godric's faces.
"Surpass the Grand Master?" they thought in unison.
Victoria's gaze sharpened.
"Your words imply that you are extraordinarily powerful yourself. So why not bring down the Triad with your own hands instead of waiting for me to grow strong enough to challenge them?"
It was a reasonable question—one that even stirred Aiden and Godric's curiosity.
Yet Aristovelli merely smiled, as though the answer had long since settled within her heart.
"We all possess our own destinies and purposes in this life," she said calmly. "As for me, my existence has remained unchanged from the era of Eros to the reign of the Triad."
She turned slightly toward the window, her silver hair swaying gently behind her.
"To make enemies of the Triad holds no meaning within the course of my existence… unless I suddenly choose to play the hero." She chuckled softly. "And this world already possesses one."
Then her expression shifted.
Her playful demeanour faded just enough for the weight of her words to settle heavily within the room.
"But you…" She snapped her fingers before pointing directly at Victoria. "You are neither a hero nor a saviour."
Victoria remained silent.
"And that is precisely why you matter."
Aristovelli's gaze deepened.
"The fall of the Triad is not a matter that can wait upon the whims of wanderers like myself. For you, it's as necessary as drawing breath."
Her voice lowered, calm yet absolute.
"We are not born to fulfil our destinies through passion alone, but through duty."
She extended her hand toward the fallen queen.
"Do you understand, Queen Victoria? And if you do…" Her smile returned faintly. "Then shall we come to terms?"
Victoria said nothing immediately.
Instead, her gaze wandered across the chamber.
She looked upon Aiden and Godric.
Then, toward the guild members gathered beyond the doorway.
Beyond them stood the villagers—ordinary people clinging to fragile peace beneath an uncertain world.
At last, her eyes returned to Aristovelli.
Slowly, Victoria extended her hand forward until both women clasped hands, sealing an agreement founded not upon trust… but mutual necessity.
"We have terms," the fallen princess declared.