Ravenna climbed the t steps of Alice’s home—one of the newly pleted apartment plexes that now stood tall against the desert skylihe buildings had their arched windows and curved domes desigo bat the oppressive desert heat. Though still fresh with the st of dried t and polished wood, the structure already felt lived-in, a testament to how quickly Jo was evolving from a barren city into a thriving city.

  Yet, despite the progress, Ravenna fouhoughts drifting elsewhere.

  Her footsteps slowed as she exhaled sharply, a twinge of utling in her chest. Her emotions were uncharacteristically turbulent—ay, worry, even fear—all for Mina’s well-being. But what uled her more than the itself was the realization that it might not even be her own.

  “Since when did I start feeling Ravenna’s emotions?”

  It had been some time since she had taken on the persona of the inal Ravenna, carefully shaping herself into the woman everyone expected her to be. Yet, despite knowing that her own memories and identity remained intact, the emotions, instincts, and even habits of the former Ravenna seemed to bleed into her thoughts, iwining with her own like creeping vines.

  She ched her fists. “I should stop thinking about it.”

  Pushing aside the uling notion, she reached the top of the stairs and stepped forward. Marie and Hughes followed closely behind as they ehe ft, the cool interior providing a brief respite from the desert’s heat.

  Ihe room was simple yet well-furnished, its wooden beams and sandstone walls giving it a sturdy, homely feel. The apartment, like many in the plex, was built with high ceilings and strategically pced windows to allow natural ventition, a y in Jo’s unfiving climate. A woven rug covered the floor, and a small dining table sat in the er, but Ravenna’s gaze went immediately to the cradle he window.

  Alice sat nearby in a sturdy wooden chair, her posture weary yet attentive as she watched over her daughter. At the sound of footsteps, she turned, her eyes widening in surprise.

  “R-Ravenna?” Alice’s voice wavered slightly. “When did you return?”

  Before Ravenna could answer, Hughes moved past her, stepping toward the cradle where his tiny daughter y. He gently cupped her small hand, his expression softening with a mix of and relief.

  Ravenna crossed her arms. “Just now,” she said simply. “I heard Mina was sick.”

  Alice sighed, rubbiemples as if the weight of the past few days had finally caught up to her. “Yes… The healer from the church came by earlier. From what they told me, it’s the heat. Apparently, young children in Jo tend to fall sick from it now and then. It’s a on occurrence.”

  Hughes, still looking down at Mina’s sleeping form, frowned. “And what did they say about treating it?”

  Alice’s fingers brushed against Mina’s forehead as she adjusted the damp cloth resting there. “They reended keeping a wet cloth on her head and ensuring she stays cool. The healer also used some minor healing spells, but they said she should recover on her own in a few days.”

  Ravenna’s sharp gaze drifted around the room before settling ba Alid the sleeping child.

  “I see…” she murmured, almost to herself.

  She turoward the window, where the bright desert sun streamed in, casting long golden rays across the floor. Even with the architectural adaptations, the heat was relentless.

  “So the weather really is being a problem…” she muttered.

  Jo had groidly and while they had overany obstacles, they had yet to truly address the harsh realities of their desert enviro. If even the local children were falling ill from the heat, how would newers fare? What about the workers, the elderly, or those with weaker stitutions?

  Her fingers lightly tapped against her arm as thoughts ed in her mind. This was another challeo overe.

  Sun Pace, Capital City, Ana Empire

  In a secluded er of the Sun Pace, a hidden courtyard flourished, untouched by the outside world. Uhe rest of the empire—where strict ws forbade the cultivation of certain rare flora—this garden was an exception, a secret oasis of forbiddey. Enclosed within a dome of shimmering magical energy, the air was thick with the fragrance of exotis, their petals glistening with an unnatural radiance. Deep violet roses, golden lotuses, and silver-leafed vines climbed gracefully along the carved stone walls, thriving in a space where magic itself kept them in bloom year-round.

  At the heart of the courtyard, a fountain stood—its marble surface carved in the image of Goddess Solious. Water cascaded gently from the statue’s open palms, trig into a crystal-clear pool below, where koi fish of shimmering gold and silver swam zily. The seremosphere made it easy tet that beyond these walls y the vast and turbulent world of politid power.

  A man sat at the edge of the fountain, his posture rexed, yet there was an undeniable aura of authority about him.

  Though well into his te sixties, he retained a youthful vitality that defied his years. His raven-bck hair, streaked with only the fai hints of silver, reflected the soft glow of ented nterns, giving him an almost ethereal presence. His eyes—pierg gold, like the sun itself—held the weight of decades of rule, tless victories, and unspoken burdens. This was Andrew Sorius, Emperor of the Ana Empire.

  As he absentmindedly trailed his fihrough the water, the quiet of the courtyard was broken by the sound of approag footsteps.

  A man of advanced age, dressed in luxurious silk robes of deep crimson and gold embroidery, entered with careful steps. His whitening hair and the slight weariness in his movements hi the burdens of decades spent in service to the empire, yet his sharp eyes still gleamed with intelligehis was Frank Eldrie of the Emperor’s most trusted ministers, a man who had served the Sorius dynasty loyally for decades.

  The momeepped into the courtyard, he bowed deeply. "Your Imperial Majesty."

  Andrew looked up and smiled. "Ha, Frank. e in." His voice was warm yet carried the weight of and.

  Frank stepped forward, his movements precise and respectful. “I bring the test reports oatus and activities of your children, Your Majesty.”

  Andrew’s golden eyes flickered with a mix of amusement and intrigue as he leaned back against the fountain. "Ah, my troublesome brood. Let's hear it, then."

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