"Don't let their arrival make you weak," Lance said to Kali.
They were alone in Kali's room, speaking in private.
"This has nothing to do with them," Kali replied.
"Of course it does. I saw how shocked you were when Lunaria and Nimora rescued their sister."
Without responding, Kali ordered the old man to leave her room.
She stepped toward the large mirror in her chamber, staring at her reflection—still wearing the mask she hadn't removed all day.
This time, she took it off. Her scarred face was illuminated by the moonlight, her eyes glowing with an eternal red—not by birth, but by choice. A choice that made her a Red Rose.
•••
Ten Years Ago
A young woman pressed a damp cloth to her face to soothe the bruises—a result of the harsh training meant to make her stronger.
"Kal, come on! You need to train again," called a man standing at the doorway. It was Lance.
"It's Val, damn it! Not Kal," Valtiria snapped, refusing to accept the nickname.
Lance sighed and walked over, sitting beside her on the large bed.
"I get it. You can't forget them. But sadly, they've forgotten you," Lance said.
"They haven't forgotten me!" Valtiria snapped.
"Where's the proof? You've been here for ten years, and not once has any of them come to rescue you. I'm sure they're old enough now to control their powers—but they've never used them to find you."
"Of course not, because I told them not to. It's better they stay away than end up being used by Morgana," Valtiria replied, turning her gaze away.
Valtiria asked Lance to leave. Still, he insisted on reminding her to resume training—because if Morgana were the one to demand it, Valtiria would be training with her face already beaten.
Morgana, the current ruler of the Everia Kingdom, was a woman of ruthless discipline. She treated everyone the same—including Valtiria, whom she trained personally.
Despite Valtiria not being of royal blood, Morgana saw the potential in her to one day lead Everia with her immense power.
But Valtiria didn't want her power to be exploited—especially not by someone like Morgana, who wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who defied her.
Now, Valtiria stood at the training grounds. She took her stance, gripping her wooden sword tightly as she faced her teacher.
She was forced into this training by Morgana's command. The bruises and scars on her body were proof that Morgana never went back on her word. Still, Valtiria now chose to endure—not to serve Everia, but to grow strong enough to one day defeat Morgana.
•••
Present Day
Astraea awoke from a nightmare, her face drenched in unease.
Lunaria, who had been sleeping on the sofa nearby to watch over her, was startled awake by Astraea's screams and rushed to her side.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. It was just a nightmare," Lunaria said, wrapping her arms around her sister.
"Nimora… she's really in danger. I can feel it," Astraea whispered.
"No, she's fine. She'll be back soon. Don't worry about her."
Suddenly, Astraea pulled away from the embrace, looking around with a confused and pale expression.
"As, what is it?" Lunaria asked.
"Someone's watching us," Astraea replied.
"What? No, there's no one here."
"Shhh… Do you hear that?" Astraea whispered.
"Hear what? I don't hear anything."
"THERE!" Astraea shouted, launching a fireball toward the open bedroom door.
Lunaria jumped at Astraea's sudden movement. She rushed out to the veranda, turned on the lights, and readied her powers in case of an intruder.
She checked every room—nothing. No signs of forced entry, no strange sounds. She headed back to the bedroom. But to her horror, Astraea was gone.
Looking out the window, she saw Astraea with flaming hands, sprinting into the woods like she was chasing something. Lunaria didn't hesitate to follow.
"Where is she going?" Lunaria muttered, uncertain of the direction.
She caught sight of faint flashes of fire deep in the woods and ran after them.
Astraea ambushed her sister in the silent, shadowy forest. Flames from her hands lit up the darkness, revealing Lunaria's startled face.
"You thought you could kill me that easily?" Astraea asked coldly, challengingly.
"As, snap out of it! It's me—your sister!"
"I don't trust you. Or your choices. Fight or die."
Lunaria didn't reply. She raised her left hand, summoning a bright blue flame—different from Astraea's red-orange fire.
"So this is what you want? Still eager to train, even now?"
Astraea smirked, thrusting her hands forward to clash her red flames with Lunaria's blue. The two fires collided with a thunderous sound, and purple sparks exploded into the air.
Lunaria jumped aside, dodging Astraea's next attack, and countered with a burst of blue fire. Astraea dodged with ease.
Their duel intensified—flames bursting, sparks flying. Astraea's fire was powerful, but Lunaria was faster and more precise.
Though Astraea had the edge in raw strength, Lunaria kept evading and striking back with calculated moves.
After several intense minutes, Lunaria finally dodged a fatal blow and retaliated with a powerful blue fireblast.
Astraea fell to the ground. Lunaria stood over her, the flame still burning in her hand.
"Nice try, Sis," Lunaria said.
She extinguished her flame and extended a hand. Astraea took it.
But the moment their hands touched, Lunaria screamed in pain—her arm felt like it was burning.
"A-As, what are you doing!? Let go!" she cried, trying to pull away, but Astraea's grip was unrelenting.