All the princess did was push in on two very indistinguishable wall details, revealing a hidden door in the corridor. Apparently, there were things like that all over, but not many knew they existed anymore. Though, there used to be two repressed children that would slip in to visit the sea. As they headed down the stairs, Verona let her fingers trail over the wall, small glowing crystals emitting light for them. The deeper they went, the more gems there were, some of them just laying on the ground, and the deeper they went, the colder it got.

Again, (Y/n) had a bad feeling. She knew what the cold did to her. She knew there was a large possibility of her losing control, or even of harming Verona. For some reason, the woman knew this, too, and made a stop at the hundredth stair, loosening a tile and pulling out a thick fluffy jacket for the both of them. This helped, definitely, warming up the younger girl's body significantly, but she could not stay down there long. Her face was still exposed, her nose becoming painfully red.

Before long, as they turned a corner on the stairs, a huge cavern came into sight, rushing water dribbling down from the sea. It brushed up mist that turned immediately to ice, falling into one of the many dark abysses. They had gone so deep that they were now mostly under the seafloor; a concerning thought. Some light still poked through along with the water, but not enough. More ice-like gemstones lit up the area, showcasing a massive pile of gold and treasures laying to the far left of the open area. Occasionally one or two ancient-looking coins would fall into one of the deep abysses, never to be seen again, but no one seemed concerned with that fact.

On the other side of the cavern was a tunnel. Verona took her that way, but (Y/n) paused for a moment as she noticed some diagrams on the moss-ridden yellow bricks. One of them was a diagram she recognized. In the north, a griffon. In the south, a golem. In the east, a phoenix. In the west, a siren. In the middle...Well, one half of (Y/n). Angrily, she punched the wall about as hard as she could, crushing the bricks comprising the middle figure and causing the others to topple out, too. The siren fell first.

Further down the corridor, there were more treasures. More gold, more crowns, more paintings, more gems, more everything. Some toys were there, too, completely out of place. For a while, the gems dimmed, but, when they came out of the tunnel, a much brighter room was revealed. The same crumbling yellow bricks still lined the walls. At least, it lined one wall to the left. To the right was a seemingly neverending cavern of pure ice, icicles sharp enough to poke through anything. It was the most freezing there.

The room itself was a mess. There were scrolls, books, and jars laying around everywhere. She wasn't entirely sure what they were, but as she went to pick one up, she realized she couldn't read it. Continuing to sift around, she noticed her name, her eyes going wide. What was written was not (Y/n). It was her true name. Grabbing the thing, she fully intended on throwing it away, only to find her name written on countless other things. They dated back years. The oldest writing she found was when she was six years old. For a moment, she suspected Tia was...

"Berry?"

The girl turned sharply around to find Celith waddling up to her, Emi behind him. The two had likely come out due to the noise she was making, and though they were surprised to find her there, they were ecstatic nonetheless. The yukinko began tugging on her dress, trying to get her attention, while Celith spent his time sifting through one of the gold piles. Emi once again reminded him that (Y/n) didn't want an offering in his native tongue, but he kept looking nonetheless, eventually presenting a jewel-encrusted mirror to her. She refused to take it.

"Tia," Verona called out playfully, a low growl reverborating through the cavern, "I have a guest for you."

A snapping sound came from the tunnel the kids had come through, followed by the sound of crystal. At first, the footsteps sounded heavy, shaking the earth beneath their feet, but within an instant, they transitioned to sound light, a predictable pace the entire time. The clicking got louder and louder until (Y/n) shot up from her seated position, hoarding the books with her name to her chest. Defensively, she stood, glaring down the tunnel until the sight of a familiar face made her drop everything, papers flying up around her.

She was given a glare. The blue-haired male placed his hand on his hip as he came to a stop, wrinkling his nose before his eyes shot angrily (or perhaps disappointedly) at Verona, who shrugged. Celith attempted to mimic the expression, thinking it was a greeting, only for him to get frustrated at how complicated it was. He eventually sneezed because of his efforts, the boy rubbing his tickly nose sorely.

The male in front of her shocked her to her very core. His hair was different than she remembered it. Before, it had been purely blue, but now, it was nearly translucent, clear at the roots, normal in the middle, and a richer azule at the tips. The style was the same. His deep blue eyes were also the same though the emotion in them was now different, as was the body language he portrayed. His attire was strange. He wasn't wearing a simple hoodie and sweatpants anymore. Now he was wearing some kind of tight robe. She thought he hated tight clothing. So many things were off. Was this a shapeshifter? Or was it -

"Eito?"

He shrugged. It pissed her off, enough to make her charge at him, only for her to immediately freeze at the realization of the wings on his back and the horns on his head. Wasting no time, she backed up, grabbing at Celith. The blue-haired male flinched, which only made her place a particular object to his throat. The boy didn't understand what was happening. He'd never been in danger before. He just knew that a female of his kind was holding him, the boy blushing shyly before grabbing onto her affectionately.

"So you had it," the male huffed, rolling his eyes, "No wonder. I got yelled at for nothing."

"What are you on about? I've always had this. I made this. I use this. I protect myself with this. I...kill with it," the girl chuckled humorously, pulling Celith a bit closer.

"Right," A pause, the male's eyes glossing over with an unreadable emotion before he crossed his arms over his chest and looked to the side. "Well."

"Demon?"

"No."

"Dragon?"

"Sure."

"Brothers?"

"None."

"You?"

"Spy."

"Contract?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Plural."

"Names?"

"AZB-9731431."

"And?

"Dunno."

"Motive?"

"Love...?"

The back and forth of singular words continued for a while. It was relatively seamless, Verona noticed. While she wasn't aware the two knew the other beforehand, it still fascinated her she was able to talk to him like that. Sure, Verona could get away with teasing him, but only because she was loved by Celith and Emi. (Y/n), however, was threatening the life of the white-haired boy. She was shocked he hadn't tried to kill her for that yet. Though, as ice began forming from his feet outwards, it was obvious he was getting impatient. The younger girl then pointed at the male.

"Name."

"Multiple."

"Mine."

"Am - "

"Stop."

The male lifted an eyebrow, finally looking back at the girl. The ice did not stop creeping towards her until she released the boy, Celith turning around with a look of heartbreak. He held his arms out, mumbling the little nickname he had given her. It must have made Tia mad, the male huffing and rolling his eyes. The boy must have noticed, giving a guilty expression and kicking at the ground. He waited for (Y/n) to nod before he waddled back over to the male, hugging his leg tightly.

The ice melted away, not that he even so much as looked at the boy. Celith then said something that made him flare red and cover his face, the dragon responding with a harsh-sounding insult. Still, the boy rubbed his cheek on him, repeating a word, until the blue-haired male pushed him gently away. Then he ran right back to the (h/c) haired girl, hugging her leg instead. He didn't mean to make the dragon jealous, but he did, the male cursing in his native language.

"So. How's this going?" Verona asked sweetly as she put her hands together, both (Y/n) and Tia glaring at her, "Better than I expected, then."

"Where's Narahashi?"

"Why would I know?" the male scoffed.

"Because the rest of your 'brothers' are dead. He's the only one that got away."

"They broke the contract. The moment they did, I had no obligation to keep tabs on that family. If he hadn't vanished, I would have killed him. And, if not, I promise you someone else has."

"Fine. I didn't expect him to be alive anyway."

"You don't seem that broken up about it."

"Shut it."

The (h/c) haired girl began sifting through the books she had dropped, looking for the specific one with Etisian's name. Celith tried to help, but he didn't know what he was doing, giving small sounds of concern. Still, he was very enthusiastic about it, only wanting to please. Finding the book, (Y/n) shoved it in the dragon's arms, watching as his eyes darted over to Celith. He was probably the only reason he wasn't flinging her off into the icicles and why he chose to put up with her arrogance instead.

"Etisian. Explain."

"I don't see any benefit in it for me."

"I don't kill Celith."

"Gee. A fight between a dragon and a demi-human. Riveting."

Celith frowned. He didn't know what they were saying, but he could make out that Tia was making (Y/n) mad. Defending the girl, he began childishly hitting the dragon's leg. It obviously did nothing to harm him, but, still, he was foolishly weak to the boy. Only because of that did he sigh and pick the boy up. The male then caved in.

"What do you want to know?"

"Where he is, for starters. His daughter."

The dragon rolled his eyes. It was such a stupid curiosity. No doubt the thing in front of him had come all that way back halfway across the world just for that. She wanted to know about two people that couldn't have cared less about her. They didn't have strong emotions about her one way or the other, so whatever she thought the information would do seemed pathetic. Then again, he knew firsthand how foolishly stubborn she could be. And how stupid.

"Probably where he left you. Have you checked?"

"Fantastic idea. Why don't I just walk into a den of demons and monsters and malicious spirits to find him?"

"He wouldn't have left. There's nowhere else to find a female. Especially not the kind he was looking for."

"Fine. Where's his daughter? I'm more curious about her."

Tia glanced back at the tunnel briefly before he steeled his gaze. She didn't notice, too fixated on the book with her and Etisian's name in it. Maybe the dragon was just interested in keeping tabs on their kind. Maybe it wasn't personal. Maybe. Of course, the reality was not that simple. Celith and Orion didn't seem to be a part of that exploration. Though, perhaps it was Celith that was the key to understanding them.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You have tabs on at least five of us, but you don't have tabs on the most 'special' one of us?"

"I stand by my statement."

(Y/n) glowered at the male for that. Of course, she went right back to threatening Celith, knowing it would get a reaction out of him, but he did not care. There were ways to get her to stop without killing her. For instance, he could lower the temperature some more. When he did that, she stiffed up, realizing what the repercussions were. Her eyes darted over to Verona in concern before she backed away, leaving at once.

"I will tell you this," A pause. "Because you seem very much interested in your own self-preservation, you might like to know they found your home. The one on the mountain."

"They?" Verona hummed, knowing the implication behind that.

"The kid you wed."

"Please, don't call him...that particular word."

"You're all little to me. The point is he's bound to - Mm, there she goes. Don't follow her so closely though. At least, not until she warms herself up."

Verona began to chase after the younger girl, worried for her state of being. That left Tia alone with the children he had practically adopted. They both stared at him wordlessly, as if asking why the (h/c) haired girl was leaving. For some reason, despite the fact that she was inherently selfish and would sacrifice them at will if it benefitted her even the slightest bit, they really adored her. He wrinkled his nose at the thought. So many people were like that, even without the charm she could use. Why?

. . .

"A...shrine?" Orion mumbled, munching on some sunflower seeds, "In the mountains? Is there anything special about it?"

"Your father discovered it," Presley responded, eagerly reciting everything about the site, "It's more ancient than anything the sect has come across. Things are real hush-hush right now, but, just think about it, your highness! It could have major treasures that even Ezdia, herself, could have touched. Or perhaps inscriptions or prophesies, or even gifts for the royal family."

"Is it the Sun God's shrine?!"

"Well, it's not public yet, but, if you ask your father, I'm certain that - "

"Oh," A pause. "That's okay. I'm...not that interested anyway."

The knight watched as Orion turned over in his bed and pulled his blanket over his shoulders. After his excitement of the possibilities, all of a sudden, he seemed lethargic about the topic. Atlas shook his head, telling him not to press on the matter. And even if he didn't, of course, the coral-haired man knew why he reacted as such. But that didn't make it any easier to see. After all, much like the prince, Presley idolized Cadmus. Ever since Orion was little, before he would go to bed, they would read some piece of news about him. An article, an interview, or even just a picture; it didn't matter. It just had to be Cadmus.

For Presley, it was for a different reason, but for Orion, it was because he was sick. His father had set out in the first place to find a cure for him (or so one of the many rumors went), meaning he barely caught glimpses of him growing up. Moreover, he was too frail to meet with him when he was at the castle. But even now that he was able to walk on his own and even eat more, there was still some kind of barrier between them. So the knight made up his mind. One way or another, he was going to change this relationship, even if it meant kneeling in front of (Y/n) Shiratori.