The group stood in a state of collective shock. Even Candado, who rarely allowed his composure to slip, felt a faint tremor of disbelief. Hammya, for her part, made no effort to hide it: a mask of pure astonishment settled on her features as she gazed upon that impossible place.

  Candado looked up, turning rigid for a long second. Two immense moons shone in the sky, suspended like ancient, lidless eyes watching the world. It was then that the truth struck him with absolute clarity: they were no longer in their own world.

  He shook his head, forcing himself back to the present.

  "Focus," he commanded.

  The sheer firmness of his voice was enough to make the others straighten their posture.

  Candado began to push the wheelchair, following Mikos, who walked ahead with his hands folded elegantly behind his back. Declan’s eyes darted from side to side, wary of an ambush that existed only in his mind. Clementina was a whirlwind of activity, scanning everything she could: the architecture, the energy readings, the local flora and fauna. She recorded and took photographs without pause. Héctor, by contrast, was in a state of rapture. He walked with shining eyes, keenly aware that he was treading upon another world, another universe, inhabited by creatures he had never even imagined.

  As they approached the house, Candado noticed a shift.

  Sara was restless.

  "Do not fear," he said in a low voice. "I am here."

  Sara offered a small smile, but the unease did not leave her expression. "It isn’t that..."

  "Then what is it?"

  She was about to answer when Mikos came to a dead halt.

  "We have arrived."

  The great gates of the enclosure swung open with a deep, resonant creak. Two strange beings awaited them. One resembled an octopus in shades of crimson and violet, possessing a humanoid body and tentacles that moved with a fluid, haunting grace. The other was even more unsettling: it looked human, yet had wooden buttons sewn where its eyes should have been.

  "Mikos! What a pleasant surprise," the octopus exclaimed. "I see you found what you went looking for."

  "Ha. Ha. Ha," Mikos replied, his sarcasm as dry as bone.

  The two creatures greeted the group. The octopus was cordial and expressive; the other barely spared them a glance before ignoring them entirely to return to its work.

  The doors of the manor swung wide.

  They entered what appeared to be a dining hall. The interior was elegant and picturesque, filled with furniture of unique craftsmanship, carved into shapes none of them had ever seen. The floor, covered in polished tiles, reflected the glow of strange, unknown lamps. Clementina didn't waste a second, beginning her systematic analysis of the room.

  Mikos led them into the grand entrance hall. From there, a set of majestic stairs ascended, flanked by two balconies—one in front and one behind them.

  Candado felt the weight of eyes upon them.

  Two figures watched from above. A woman with verdant skin, hair made of living leaves, and rose-colored eyes studied them in silence. Beside her stood another woman, taller, with eight serpents of blue and yellow hues writhing upon her head like a gorgon. Her amber eyes glowed with intensity... and they were fixed squarely on Sara.

  "Wait here," Mikos said.

  He climbed the stairs and vanished from sight. After a few moments, he reappeared on the balcony.

  "You may come up."

  "She can’t," Candado retorted. "She’s in a wheelchair."

  "The Mistress said to come up," Mikos replied without hesitation. "Do so. She has deigned to give you her time."

  Candado was on the verge of a protest, but Sara stopped him with a firm gesture.

  "It’s alright. We will go up."

  She smiled at him—a calm, steady look, as if she were the one trying to soothe him.

  Candado sighed and looked at Clementina. "If you please."

  "Immediately," she replied.

  Candado leaned down, and Sara held onto him as he lifted her with practiced care. Clementina folded the wheelchair to make the ascent easier.

  "Declan," Candado whispered. "If they try anything... use your sword."

  The words didn't go unnoticed by the two women watching from above, nor by Mikos. Declan rested his hand on the hilt of his blade as they climbed.

  "I hope I’m not too heavy," Sara joked softly.

  "You’re not," Candado replied. "You weigh about as much as a workbench."

  "I’ll take that as a compliment."

  Candado didn't respond. His attention was locked on every detail, every potential threat.

  Upon reaching the top, Clementina reassembled the chair, and Candado settled Sara back into it with care.

  "This way, please," Mikos said, resuming his march.

  He opened an oval door with a flourish. Inside was another salon, vast and airy, with a great window overlooking the garden. Candado knew instantly that she had watched them arrive from that very spot.

  In the center of the room sat an imposing lady. She wore a gown of red and sky blue; she was tall, even while seated, and held a teacup larger than any Candado had ever seen. Her face was fine-boned, her ears pointed. From her head sprouted two antlers, similar to those of a deer. Her hair, red as rubies, fell in a shimmering cascade, and her blue eyes glowed with a constant, almost magical light. She smiled with sweetness... and with absolute authority.

  "I am glad to see you," she said, setting down her cup. "Especially you, Vanaccia."

  Sara closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. Clementina’s sensors picked up a sharp spike in her heart rate. Fear. Primal fear. But before she could analyze further, Sara’s rhythm stabilized.

  "Hello, Lady Nyrvana Scarlet."

  "I see you remember my name. That is a novelty."

  The lady then turned her gaze to Mikos. "Lead the rest of the guests to the guest quarters. They are to remain there until further notice."

  "Hey, we aren’t leaving without Sara," Héctor protested.

  "That’s right," Declan added, stepping forward. "We’re staying."

  Suddenly, a figure descended from the ceiling, clad in white. Snow-white wings, long hair of the same hue, and a spear gripped in its hands. Its face was expressionless, but its eyes—large and wide—were reminiscent of an owl's. An angel.

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  "I believe there has been a misunderstanding," Nyrvana said calmly. "I am not asking."

  "Declan, back down," Candado ordered.

  "Yes, listen to your friend, little knight," she added.

  Declan hesitated but obeyed. The moment he stepped back, the angel made its spear vanish and ascended back toward the ceiling.

  "Good work, Umi," Nyrvana said without looking away.

  Mikos sighed and escorted the rest of the group out of the salon. Everyone... except Candado, who remained standing beside Sara.

  "I believe I said 'everyone,'" Nyrvana remarked, taking another sip of her tea.

  "I’m not going anywhere," Candado replied. "Not as long as you maintain that passive-aggressive tone with us."

  From the ceiling, Umi’s spear materialized once more. But Nyrvana raised a hand with a soft smile, staying the angel's hand.

  "You impress me, Vanaccia," she said. "How far this little one is willing to go for you. I wonder if he even knows who he is dealing with."

  "I told him."

  For a fleeting second, Sara’s answer managed to surprise her. Just for an instant. Then, Nyrvana regained her confident smirk—the look of someone who always knew more than the rest.

  "Now that is a novelty," she said with a slight tilt of her head. "Did you really tell him you were a bloodthirsty assassin? That you led a massacre so great it was recorded in the history books of multiple nations?"

  Candado slowly turned his head toward Sara, unable to hide his bewilderment. Nyrvana saw the gesture... and her smile widened.

  "I see," she continued. "You didn't tell him the whole truth."

  Her eyes locked onto Candado.

  "Just as you hear it, little friend. Your companion was a participant in one of the darkest moments in this world's history. A member of a criminal organization called the Autivas, responsible for conquering much of the Matác Islands—the homeland of her species, the Kevintaz. A territory besieged and taken without mercy. And, of course, her most atrocious and vile act, the one that made all of Eurania learn her name..."

  She made a calculated pause.

  "The Massacre of Kelez."

  The air in the room seemed to grow heavy.

  "The night the Autivas, led by Vanaccia the Assassin and her 'father' Hemito, invaded an elven city and exterminated every civilian. They took advantage of the fact that no troops were stationed there. A minor detail." Her eyes flashed. "That place... was where I was born."

  Candado remained motionless, visibly shaken. Sara did not lift her gaze; her hands gripped the armrests of her wheelchair so hard her knuckles were white, her bluish skin pale with tension. Nyrvana, by contrast, seemed to savor every second of the stage she had set.

  "I told you," Sara whispered at last. "I did atrocious things. I never lied to you."

  Candado closed his eyes and reached for his tie, trying to steady his heart and his thoughts.

  "How boring," Nyrvana commented with disdain. "I would have struck her and thrown her from the chair by now."

  "Shut up," Candado said.

  "My, my... such manners, boy."

  Candado opened his eyes and looked at her with iron resolve.

  "You’ve said what you wanted. Now, will you listen to me?" Sara asked.

  Nyrvana stood up and walked until she was positioned directly behind Sara. Standing, her figure was even more intimidating, casting a long shadow over the woman in the chair.

  "Can you remind me what it is you want?" she asked with false innocence.

  "I need Keltalo stones," Candado replied. "The Guo peninsula—your nation—possesses them. I need them to help my people. The deal was clear: you would help me if I delivered the stone to you."

  "Ah, yes..." Nyrvana said, revealing the object. "The Crystal Mind."

  "Then... will you do it?"

  "Let me think," she replied, feigning meditation.

  She raised her teacup, bringing it slowly until it was positioned directly over Sara’s head.

  "I think not."

  She tipped the cup.

  But before the liquid could touch her, Candado moved. He snatched another cup from the table and placed it with surgical precision beneath the stream, catching every drop of tea. The silence that followed was absolute.

  Sara looked at him, stunned. She hadn't imagined Nyrvana would be capable of such a thing... nor that Candado would react that way.

  "Oops," Nyrvana said. "My hand slipped."

  With absolute calm, Candado took the tea and set the cup back on the table.

  "Of all the teas I have tasted," he said, "this is, without a doubt, the worst."

  He stepped forward until he was face-to-face with her, looking directly into her eyes.

  "I can understand your hatred, your resentment, and your enmity. But it seems you’ve forgotten something: she is my friend. And I do not allow my friends to be hurt, much less humiliated, in front of me."

  Nyrvana let out a mocking laugh and leaned down to his level.

  "How touching. A boy who is friends with atrocious genocides. Your world must be a paradise, human."

  "You’re wrong," Candado replied without blinking. "My world, for the most part, is shit. You’re either born with power or you’re born without it. Blessed be capitalism."

  "I’d love to give you a clever retort, darling," she said, "but I don't understand a word you're saying."

  "It doesn't matter. In my world, they don't usually understand me either," Candado replied. "I don't blame them. I envy them."

  He took a step forward, interposing himself between Sara and Nyrvana.

  "She may be everything you say. A criminal with blood-stained hands. Something that will surely haunt her forever. She may have committed the most atrocious acts you mention. But I don't know any 'Vanaccia.'"

  His voice grew firmer.

  "I only know Sara De Holly Truth. The Sara I know hasn't harmed or killed anyone in my world. It may sound cold and heartless, but I don't care what she did here. I wasn't born, nor did I grow up, eat, or live within this culture."

  He stared at her, unblinking.

  "I do not defend or endorse her past actions. But they do not stain or erase my relationship with her. So, I will be clear with you..."

  He paused.

  "Do not do something like that in my presence again."

  The silence that followed wasn't immediate. It was dense. Heavy. As if even the air needed a few seconds to decide which way to fall.

  Nyrvana watched him without flickering. Her blue eyes, previously bright and almost playful, sharpened. There was no open rage in them, but something more dangerous: curiosity.

  "How interesting..." she murmured at last. "You don't beg. You don't plead. You don't justify. You only demand."

  She walked a slow circle around Candado, evaluating him like a strange piece on a game board.

  "Do you know what you’ve just done, boy?" she asked. "You have come into my home, to the land built upon the corpses I wept for—brave soldiers I saw grow up, who never returned to their families' arms. And you have asked me to be... considerate."

  "No," Candado corrected, without turning around. "I asked for respect. There is a difference."

  Nyrvana gave a brief, dry laugh.

  "Respect... a curious word coming from someone who protects a murderer... worse, a genocidal one."

  Sara finally looked up. She turned her wheelchair to look the lady in the eyes.

  "He isn't protecting me from you," she said, her voice low but steady. "He’s protecting you from me."

  Nyrvana stopped. Slowly, she turned her face toward her. "Oh? Really?"

  "Yes," Sara continued. "Because if you continue, if you cross that line... you won't be punishing me. You’ll be using my guilt as an excuse for your own cruelty. And that isn't justice. It’s vengeance."

  "Who said I wanted justice?" Nyrvana whispered, leaning on both armrests of the wheelchair, bringing her face intimidatingly close.

  Candado looked ready to act, but he held back when he saw that Sara did not flinch.

  "Because knowing you, I know you don't just speak of justice—you live by what you preach," Sara said, undaunted.

  For the first time, Nyrvana’s smile vanished completely. She stepped back from the wheelchair.

  "Careful," she warned. "Do not dare speak to me of justice."

  "I’m not," Sara replied. "I’m speaking of you."

  The angel on the ceiling descended a few inches, a nearly imperceptible movement. Candado noticed. Nyrvana did, too.

  "Umi," she said without looking up. "Enough."

  The figure became still once more.

  Nyrvana returned to her seat with measured elegance and picked up the empty cup. She stared at it for a few seconds, as if remembering something bitter at its invisible bottom.

  "Vanaccia..." she said finally. "There is no punishment sufficient for what you did. No sentence. No exile. No repentance."

  She set the cup down. "But there is also nothing I can do here that will bring back the dead."

  The silence returned, different this time. Colder. More honest.

  Nyrvana looked up at Candado.

  "I will not help you out of compassion," she said. "Nor out of sympathy. And certainly not out of forgiveness. Never that."

  Nyrvana leaned forward, resting her elbows with deliberation.

  "I will help you," she said at last, "on one condition."

  She raised her hand, revealing the crystal. The Crystal Mind. Its transparent surface seemed to pulse with an internal, living, and unsettling light.

  "Only if you pass this test."

  She turned her head and fixed her gaze on Candado.

  "And since you talk so much, little boy, you shall take it as well. Let’s see if you are only skilled with words... because, to be honest, right now I am more tempted to tear your head off than to help you, Vanaccia. As for you, Mr. Barret..." she smiled without humor, "I am tempted to throw you out of my house."

  Sara gasped at the demand.

  However, Nyrvana straightened up further.

  "But I recognize two things: courage and audacity. You have both shown me both. If I am to send high-value stones to another world, without knowing what dangers await me, I need to be sure you meet my criteria. Especially you..."

  She narrowed her eyes, evaluating him. "I’m sorry... what did you say your name was?"

  "Candado Barret," he answered without hesitation.

  "Well, Mr. Barret. Would you be willing to...?"

  "I accept."

  Sara jumped. "Candado!" she interrupted. "The Crystal Mind is a very powerful object... and a very cruel one. It forces you to face your fears. It shows the darkest things we hide in our minds. Are you sure? Just because you’re tough doesn't mean you won't feel anything."

  Candado looked at her with gravity, devoid of any mockery.

  "Trust me," he said in a low voice. "If you knew what I’ve done to get this far, you wouldn't worry."

  "Perhaps..." Sara replied. "But your friends..."

  Candado fell silent. He thought of Clementina, of Héctor, of Declan. Of everything they had already seen... and what they had yet to see.

  Then, something clicked.

  "So that’s why that girl chose them..." he whispered.

  "Did you say something?" Nyrvana asked.

  "No. Nothing."

  He cleared his throat and looked up.

  "We’ll take the test."

  Nyrvana smiled, satisfied.

  "Good," she said. "Let’s see what becomes of you. Remember, if you fail, you leave this place and you never return."