Capítulo 266: Investigation I
My fingers gently traced the curve of Cecilia's cheek as she slept peacefully, her breathing soft and steady. Yet her words lingered in my mind, echoing in the quiet room.
"Do you love me as much as I love you?"
My heart thudded in my chest, the question weighing heavily on me.
I loved Cecilia. I loved Rachel. I loved Seraphina.
Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, I had fallen for all three of them. It had happened long before my isolation training, in moments I hadn't thought to examine until it was too late.
When I returned, I found the courage to confess, not because it was expected, but because I truly cared for them. Each of them.
And yet, this hurt.
Cecilia had voiced it aloud, the doubt gnawing at her, but what if the others felt the same? What if they, too, wondered whether my love for them matched their own? It made sense, didn't it? For them, there was only me. I was their singular focus, the one who occupied their hearts entirely.
But for me, my heart was divided. They were all there, each as vital as the next.
The thought twisted something deep inside me, the idea that they might feel overshadowed or less cherished. That doubt, that worry, pierced through me like a dagger.
"I need to do better," I whispered to the quiet room, my voice barely audible. My hand lingered against Cecilia's cheek for a moment longer before pulling back.
I needed to do better—for her, for Rachel, for Seraphina.
Because I loved them. Each and every one of them. And they deserved nothing less.
Cecilia stirred in her sleep, shifting closer to me. Her breathing remained steady, her eyes still shut, and a soft smile tugged at my lips as I watched her.
'That was close,' I thought as I let my gaze linger on her face, carefully avoiding the temptation to look elsewhere. Heat crept up my cheeks, and I pushed the feeling aside with an awkward cough.
"Luna, get me out of here," I whispered.
With a shimmer of light, Luna appeared in her human chibi form, a tiny figure no taller than my forearm. Her purple hair tumbled in soft waves, and her eyes sparkled like galaxies, vast and infinite. She looked like a doll brought to life, but there was an undeniable power radiating from her small frame.
Luna tilted her head, giving me a knowing look before raising her tiny arms. The space mana around her rippled, bending the very fabric of reality with an ease that would have made most mages weep with envy.
"Goodnight, Cecilia," I murmured softly. Leaning down, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, lingering for just a moment before the space mana enveloped me. In an instant, the room disappeared, and Luna whisked me away, careful to avoid drawing too much attention.
Though I knew anyone at Immortal-rank or higher would have sensed the disturbance easily.
I reappeared in my own room, the familiar surroundings a quiet comfort. With a tired sigh, I peeled off my clothes and slipped into fresh ones before collapsing onto the bed. The softness of the blanket wrapped around me like a cocoon, and I let my body sink into the mattress.
"There's so much to do," I muttered to myself as my eyes grew heavy. The weight of the day pressed down on me, but for now, the quiet of the night offered a brief reprieve.
The next day, the investigation of the Southern Sea Sun Palace officially commenced.
The morning's proceedings continued with a formal announcement in the grand courtyard. After Daedric's polished speech and Li Zenith's measured response, the investigation teams were assembled. The students were divided into groups of seventeen, with one adult assigned to lead each group. The exceptions were Magnus Draykar, who chose to investigate on his own.
The organization was meticulous, almost unnervingly so, with palace attendants directing everyone to their assigned teams. The sheer scale of the operation was impressive—200 students from two academies, accompanied by a dozen high-ranking professors and warriors. Yet, the tension among the groups was palpable. This wasn't a mere excursion; it was a mission, one that could uncover truths better left buried.
I found myself grouped with Seraphina, Rachel, Cecilia, and fourteen other students from Mythos Academy and Starcrest. Our team was led by Professor Nero and Master Li Zenith, a pairing that instantly reassured me. Li's calm authority and Nero's sharp intellect were exactly what we'd need if things went sideways.
Other groups filed out in different directions, heading to their assigned sectors of the vast island. The Southern Sea Sun Palace grounds extended far beyond the main palace, encompassing ancient ruins, hidden groves, and isolated villages that hadn't seen the light of outside visitors in centuries.
"Stick together," Nero said, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the group as we moved toward the east wing of the palace grounds. "And remember, observe everything. Nothing is too small to take note of."
Rachel, walking close to me, glanced at the shimmering Red Sun artifact in the sky, now partially obscured by the towering spires of the palace. "If they're hiding something, they've had centuries to perfect it," she murmured. Her tone was casual, but I could hear the edge of unease in her words.
Cecilia, on my other side, reached for my hand briefly, her fingers brushing mine before she pulled away, her expression unreadable. Seraphina walked slightly ahead, her silver hair catching the sunlight like molten steel, her icy gaze fixed on the path ahead.
As we approached the edge of the east wing, the atmosphere shifted. The grandeur of the main palace gave way to something older, something untouched. The stone paths beneath our feet grew rougher, the intricate carvings of the palace walls replaced by weathered surfaces and moss creeping into the cracks.
We split into smaller groups to scour the east wing with painstaking detail, searching for even the faintest hint of something out of place. But the deeper we delved, the more frustratingly empty it all seemed.
I used Luna's heightened senses, stretching them as far as they could go, scanning every corner, every shadow. Nothing. Not so much as a whisper of something amiss.
"They're hiding well," I muttered under my breath, frustration creeping into my thoughts. Just what were they playing at? The Southern Sea Sun Palace wasn't giving up its secrets easily, and the longer we searched, the more tangled the situation felt.
Something about this place gnawed at me. It didn't add up. The Palace wasn't simply being corrupted or destroyed by the vampires, as I'd first assumed. None of the Palace's residents bore the signs of a vampire contract. If anything, they seemed to be functioning perfectly well under their own power.
It wasn't a simple invasion or domination. It was… symbiotic. A relationship where both sides relied on each other. But why? Why would the Red Chalice Cult—or the vampires—care about the Southern Sea Sun Palace?
In the grand scheme of things, the Palace was insignificant. A fading remnant of power, completely dwarfed by the might of the Red Chalice Cult and the vampires. The Cult alone boasted dozens of Immortal-rank members and Alyssara Velcroix, a Radiant-ranker with power to rival nations. The vampires? They had just as many Immortal-rank individuals and were led by Cassius, the Vampire Prince.
The strongest figure in the Palace was Daedric Solaryn, a mere low Immortal-ranker. Someone like Cassius could crush him with ease, leveling the Palace in a heartbeat if he wanted. So why hadn't they?
That left only one possibility: the Southern Sea Sun Palace was providing something—something valuable enough to warrant this twisted partnership. The Cult clearly had resources and power to spare, and yet they chose to work with the Palace. What was the exchange? What did the Palace offer that the Cult and vampires couldn't simply take by force?
A pulse of mana rippled through my body, sharp and sudden. My artifact, the Mind's Aegis, hummed to life, its presence a steadying force as my thoughts sharpened and splintered into parallel streams. It allowed me to process layers of information simultaneously, to consider angles I might otherwise have missed.
I turned each possibility over in my mind, one by one, searching for the missing piece in this puzzle. The vampires weren't known for alliances without reason, and the Cult's motives were never anything less than calculated.
Whatever the truth was, it lay somewhere deep beneath the surface, hidden behind layers of deceit and centuries of isolation. If I was going to uncover it, I needed to think like them. Like predators.
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