Nova stepped into the bedroom after climbing the creaky wooden stairs, with Annelie following close behind. The small room smelled of fresh sea air from the open window. Millie and Quinn sat cross-legged on the worn floorboards, pushing tiny wooden carts back and forth between them.

At the sound of footsteps, they both looked up. Quinn's weathered face held a gentle smile, looking more spirited than usual. Millie bounced to her feet, nearly knocking over the carts in her excitement.

"Nova! Look at our room!" She spread her arms wide, spinning in a circle to showcase the modest space.

Nova leaned against the doorframe, looking at the single bed pushed against the wall and the simple wooden furniture. "Yeah, isn't it nice?"

Millie stopped spinning and glanced between the narrow bed and the three of them. "It's great! But I don't know if we all will fit in the bed…"

"Ah, I'm sure we'll figure something out. You and I can sleep on the floor as long as we have a blanket, right?"

"Of course!" Millie puffed out her chest proudly.

"And then Princess Annelie can have the bed."

Annelie crossed her arms, giving him a flat look. "Since when am I a demanding guest?"

"Since yesterday, when you needed a silencing formation to sleep." Nova ticked off points on his fingers. "In your dark bedroom with a giant, silk-covered bed."

A faint blush colored Annelie's cheeks as she looked away. "...I had a lot on my mind."

"Sure you did." Nova's teasing smile faded as he turned back to Millie and Quinn. The fishmonger still sat quietly on the floor, watching their exchange. "Annelie and I will be out for a while. Do you think you'll manage here, Quinn?"

"Sure." Quinn pushed himself up from the floor with a slight grunt. "I can close the shop for the day."

"I think Millie wanted to try eating in one of the nearby restaurants. I'll give you a bunch of gold when we return, so don't worry about the cost."

"I can cover that much." Quinn's voice carried a hint of pride as he straightened his worn apron.

"I am incredibly rich, so please don't turn me down." Nova's tone softened. "You deserve this much."

"...Well, I guess it won't hurt either."

"Good." Nova turned to Millie, who had started gathering the wooden carts into a neat pile. "Millie, you take care of him if anyone tries to hurt you, okay?"

"I will!" She snapped to attention, bringing her small hand up in an enthusiastic salute that made both Nova and Annelie smile.

"...But only if he's really in danger, okay?" Nova added quickly, noting the fierce determination in her eyes.

"Okay!" Millie's voice rang with cheerful confidence.

Quinn furrowed his brows, looking like he wasn't quite sure if they were joking or not. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"Yeah, but Millie has a Soul Power of two thousand." Nova shot him a meaningful look. "You never know what might show up."

"...Point taken." Quinn's eyes widened slightly as he glanced down at the tiny girl now carefully arranging the toy carts on a shelf.

"We're off then. Have fun, you two." Nova stepped back into the doorway where Annelie waited.

"Good luck and bye!" Millie yelled across the room, waving her hand with enough energy to make her whole body sway.

Quinn simply nodded, turning back to the little girl with a smile. Something in his eyes had softened, like a spark of warmth in a long-forgotten kiln.

The castle wall was just as easy to climb as ever for Nova's trained feet. Jumping from one small cliff to another only required a sliver of strength, and now he didn't even need to use the fragment.

Annelie had no issue keeping up with him, transforming her feet to their blackened form and kicking off with immense power. Small rocks scattered beneath each powerful leap.

They soon reached the top, where the rock walls stretched out above them. Only a final jump remained to reach the garden. The longest one.

"...You want me to carry you?" Annelie asked, watching Nova look up to their destination in silence.

"There's a barrier." Nova's eyes traced an invisible line in the air where essence disrupted the natural flow.

"Oh. Can we get past it?"

"Yeah, it's not very strong. But this probably means Newark's granddaughter is cured."

"Right. Less leverage." Annelie shifted her weight on the narrow ledge, studying the barrier with narrowed eyes.

"Which also means Newark might have cooperated with the overseer more than we thought." Nova's voice hardened. "He could even be the one who sent for him."

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"...Which means we need to force him into a contract as well?" Her grey eyes fixed on his face, waiting for confirmation.

Nova released a heavy sigh, leaning back against the rough stone. "I'm starting to long for a way to solve our problems through violence."

"It's not impossible."

"Oh yeah? How would we ever manage that long term?" Nova turned to face her fully, genuinely curious about her answer.

"Once the children are gone, there's no way to trace them to wherever we put them, right? Since the church is the buyer of our property, we can say the children are special talents from nearby kingdoms. And the two of us won't be traceable either."

"...Maybe." Nova's brow furrowed in thought. "But having two thousand children disappearing from one place before suddenly two thousand children appear in another place… It won't take a genius to become suspicious. Plus, the king would know someone is targeting his harvesting facilities."

"I'm not saying it's the best solution." Annelie's shoulders dropped slightly. "But it's not impossible."

"...As I see it, secrecy is the only option. We could potentially rid ourselves of Newark with the overseer's cooperation, but there isn't much of a point."

"Then, not much has changed." Annelie's eyes returned to the barrier above them. "How do we get through the barrier?"

"It doesn't even have a feedback system. We can hop through it with a simple wind slice." Nova straightened from his position against the wall, studying the invisible boundary.

"...You go first?" She shifted her weight, preparing to follow his lead.

"Yeah, I'll handle it. Just follow closely behind."

Nova gathered his essence, letting it pool in his hands as he prepared to jump. Power hummed beneath his skin as he coiled like a spring. Then he burst upward from the rocky surface, sending a blade of wind ahead of him.

The barrier split like butter beneath his attack, parting with barely a whisper. His momentum carried him smoothly toward the top of the wall.

Annelie followed closely behind, but she overshot her jump slightly. Just as the children in the courtyard below looked up at the disturbance Nova had caused, she reached the peak of her jump. Time seemed to slow as she began falling back down beside Nova.

"Nova! You back!"

The shout echoed across the courtyard. Children playing with dirt and rocks froze in place, turning toward the sound. Then, like a wave, recognition swept through them.

"Nova's back!" The cry spread through the garden as children abandoned their games. They rushed forward, creating a living tide of eager faces and reaching hands.

Nova landed smoothly on the dirt floor, steadying Annelie beside him. "Careful with the jumping next time—"

His words were cut short as small bodies collided with him from all directions. Tiny arms wrapped around his waist and legs while excited voices competed for his attention.

"Where did you go?" "Did you see new place?" "Can you say more stories?" "Who is she?"

Nova patted heads and squeezed shoulders as he tried to address the barrage of questions. "One at a time, everyone! And give our guest some space."

The children reluctantly stepped back, forming a loose circle around Nova and Annelie. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity as they studied the unfamiliar girl at his side.

'They look healthier than before. No new bandages or injuries... That's something, at least.'

Nova felt his tension ease slightly at their enthusiasm. Whatever problems lay ahead, at least the children were safe for now. "This is Anny, and she'll be staying here today. Has everyone been fine while I was gone?"

"Almost! But Patty's arm hurts."

"Paddy?" Nova searched for the boy, finding him in the crowd.

He tried to hide the arm behind his back, looking like he had done something wrong.

"Paddy, come here." Nova's voice turned serious. "Let me see that arm."

"Is fine..." Paddy mumbled, but he still shuffled forward at Nova's stern look.

Nova took the small arm in his hands, feeling the pulse point at the wrist. His brow furrowed as he sensed the irregular flow of blood. The bone beneath had been set wrong, causing pressure on vital pathways.

"Who fixed this?" Nova asked, keeping his voice gentle despite his concern.

"Guard. After loud boom." Iver's voice trembled slightly. "Said arm is good now."

"Well, they were wrong." Nova gathered essence in his palm, letting it seep into the misaligned bone. "This might hurt a bit."

With careful precision, he used telekinetic force to shift the bone fragments back into their proper alignment. Paddy's eyes widened as he felt the strange sensation, but he stayed perfectly still.

"There." Nova gently released the boy's arm, studying the newly-healed joint. "Try moving it now."

The small boy rotated his shoulder tentatively at first, then with growing confidence. His eyes widened in wonder before he broke into a wide grin. "No more hurting!"

"Good." Nova ruffled the boy's hair. "Next time something hurts, you tell me right away, okay?"

Paddy nodded with such enthusiasm that his whole body seemed to bounce. "Will you tell story now?"

"Ahh, I'll be busy for a while. But Anny here can tell stories, can't she?" Nova turned back to her with a clever smirk.

Annelie didn't seem bothered, though. She simply smiled, looking around at the children one by one. "Of course! I am the best storyteller in the world! Should I tell you about the New World, where brave explorers faced terrible beasts? Or perhaps about the silent queen who ruled with wisdom instead of words? Or maybe..." She paused dramatically, "About the greatest blacksmith who ever lived?"

The children leaned forward as each suggestion painted new colors of wonder across their faces. Some bounced excitedly while others pressed closer, already caught in the spell of potential stories.

"Well, if you tell them about the greatest blacksmith, surely you'll tell them about the clockwork ballerina as well?" Nova teased, seeing Annelie's brows rise with hidden annoyance. "She's my favorite."

"...Of course. Then maybe I'll tell them of the demon who used his friend as a distraction so he could do what he wanted." Her meaningful look at Nova made it clear who she meant.

"Listen closely, everyone," Nova called out to the children, choosing to ignore her pointed comment. He stepped back from the growing crowd that was gathering around Annelie like moths to a flame. "Those all sound like great stories."

He watched their faces glow with anticipation as Annelie settled more comfortably on the floor, gathering them close like a mother hen with her chicks. Her voice dropped to an enticing whisper as she began, "Long ago, in a world covered in endless forest..."

Nova slipped away quietly as the children were drawn into her tale, knowing they were in good hands despite his teasing.

The familiar path to his old chamber felt shorter than he remembered. Worn stone steps led up to the small room where he'd spent so many nights doing nothing but reminisce. When he reached the doorway, he paused to study the repairs.

The crater Millie's explosion had left in the floor was filled now, though he could still see the faint outline where new stone met old. Above, fresh wooden beams crossed the ceiling where the roof had been rebuilt. The work was solid, if a bit rushed.

'At least they fixed it properly. They couldn't risk losing any more children, after all… Too costly.'

Nova settled cross-legged on the stone floor, resting his back against the cool wall. He drew the four materials from his core, arranging them in front of him.

The Drake Heart's metallic surface caught the light from the narrow window. Beside it floated a solid piece of the Millennium Tree's soulwood, softly shimmering. The Sylph Wing stretched thin like a fine silk cloth, nearly invisible except for occasional rainbow shimmer, while the Tears of the Mermaid Princess gathered into perfect spheres that seemed to contain entire oceans.

'Time to see what these can really do. The heart first, I think...'

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