They traveled on.
Lucien walked with the group, but his mind was not with the road.
Virel. Aniel.
The nas kept circling, refusing to settle.
He did not doubt that it was them. If his parents had reached Eternal Realm, surviving until this day was not strange.
What was strange was everything else.
He could not rember seeing them again after Lootwell’s life. In the Mural World, he only rembered the Celestial Race’s imnse contribution to the Millennia War.
And also, in the small world, they had appeared as humans.
They might even know the coordinates of his small world.
Lucien’s eyes sharpened as he walked.
’I have to get to the bottom of this,’ he thought.
Around him, the others noticed his silence.
They did not press him.
But the questions were there.
Then Lucien made a decision.
He would move faster.
The world was changing too quickly.
If he delayed, he would spend the rest of his life reacting.
Lucien exhaled once.
"Let’s finish this quickly," he said.
Saber’s eyes narrowed, pleased by the tone.
Condoriano nodded. "Good."
Morveth rumbled softly. "Speak your plan."
Lucien’s thoughts split with practiced ease. He placed Mirrorhorn Duants in his divine energy core first.
He then made it clear that they do not need to fight. A direct confrontation would cost ti, generate noise, and draw unwanted reinforcents.
Instead, they would steal. Every captive would be taken and they would disappear before the camp even realized what had been lost.
Deception was the foundation of the plan, as it often was with Lucien. It was not about pride or dominance. It was about efficiency.
And in this situation, deception remained the correct answer.
The others agreed. If the camp truly held dozens of Eternals, then this approach was the wiser choice.
And the problem of how they would execute it was easily resolved by Lucien’s skill.
And so, he raised his hand.
Origin Rewrite flowed.
Reality’s perception bent like a sheet of tal forced into a new curve.
Lucien’s gaze swept over them. "You will beco the five enemy Eternals from earlier."
Condoriano paused. "Impersonation? I approve."
Saber looked offended before the change even finished. "If you turn into sothing ugly, I will make you regret it."
Lucien’s tone stayed flat. "Brother Moonfang and Sky will be the twins. You have the speed and the presence. You can mimic Synchrony well enough for eyes that are not trained to read it."
Condoriano’s laughter bubbled. "Oh, this is perfect."
Saber stared at Condoriano with a slow, murderous calm. "Do not enjoy this too loudly."
Kira’s mandibles twitched as if she wanted to laugh. She held it in. Not for Saber’s pride, but because the plan required stability.
Origin Rewrite completed.
The group’s silhouettes hardened into familiar shapes.
Riftglass’s narrow obsidian fra.
Chainmane’s plated aggression.
Gravewing’s pale elegance.
And the Mirrorhorn Duants’ twin-born symtry.
Saber and Condoriano stood side by side in matching horned crests.
Condoriano lifted a hand, examined it, then nodded approvingly. "I look insufferable."
Saber, for the first ti, sighed.
Anvil-Horn beca the Chainmane with alarming ease.
Morveth beca Riftglass.
Kira beca Gravewing, her Withering imitation was precise enough to fool anyone.
Aerolith would play as the captive.
But she needed to look like a captive who had survived extraction.
Lucien invoked the Law of Reflection.
Bruises ford in places that suggested restraint. Cuts appeared. Blood marked cloth in believable patterns.
Even the "enemy" five gained small wounds and fatigue-lines, the kind that implied a fight had happened, victory had been earned, and the captive had been taken.
Aerolith pouted the mont her bruises appeared. "I do not like looking hurt."
Lucien’s tone softened a fraction. "It is only for their eyes. You are fine."
Aerolith’s pout lasted one more breath, then she nodded firmly. "Okay."
"One more thing," Lucien said.
He drew out the Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty.
The void disc appeared.
"Let’s charge this first," Lucien said. "I’ll trigger it when the camp’s attention is fully committed. When the captives are gathered."
Lucien had already calculated the exact amount of energy required for their retreat.
He then looked at Kaia and Lilith for half a heartbeat, then nodded.
"Sisters. You co with into Uncle Tortoise’s shell-city," Lucien said. "You will calm the humans and keep them ready. When we pull the captives, they need to move imdiately. Panic is the enemy’s last weapon."
Kaia grinned. "Leave it to ."
Lucien did not expect her confidence, but he accepted it.
They moved.
•••
Lucien, Kaia, and Lilith slipped into Morveth’s shell first.
The world changed the mont they crossed the threshold.
The humans inside were startled by their sudden appearance.
A ripple of fear moved through the crowd. It was imdiate and reflexive.
But Kaia stepped forward before it could beco chaos.
"Easy," Kaia said, gentle and firm. "You are safe. No one is taking you back."
A man with bruised wrists shook his head like he did not believe the concept.
Kaia crouched slightly so her eyes were closer to theirs.
"You’ll be safe here."
Her tone carried warmth without pity.
The crowd’s fear did not vanish, but it softened into sothing manageable.
Then, her golden fla surged outward, gently enveloping the injured. The warm radiance settled over torn flesh and bruised skin, and slowly, steadily, the wounds began to nd.
The crowd flinched at first, but their expressions quickly shifted as they understood what was happening.
Lilith did not speak much. She simply moved.
Rations appeared from her storage ring. Water. Cloth. First-aid kits. Simple necessities.
She placed them into hands that trembled. She nodded once at those who thanked her. Her face stayed composed, but her actions were unmistakably careful.
Lucien watched everything unfold.
He felt an old mory stir. Lootwell’s streets. The faces of people who had looked to him with hope.
He shook it off gently and focused.
Then the children ca.
They circled around him.
A boy pointed so hard his whole arm trembled. "It is him!"
Another child bounced in place. "The fairy!"
Lucien froze for half a heartbeat.
He had no idea why they rembered his tiny form so clearly. But children saw what adults tried to forget.
The kids sward him, careful but excited, hopping around and laughing as if laughter could push fear away.
"The fairy heard our wishes!"
"He ca back!"
Lucien’s smile twitched.
He turned his head slightly and found Kaia watching him with a weird expression.
Lilith’s eyes also held amusent.
Kaia put a hand to her mouth like she was about to say sothing responsible.
Then she did the opposite.
"You are right," Kaia announced brightly. "He is the fairy. He gave the instructions to save you from the evildoers."
Lucien’s gaze snapped to her.
Kaia’s eyes glittered. She stressed the word "fairy" like she was hamring it into reality.
Lucien wanted to knock her head.
He resisted.
The adults heard it. The rumor spread instantly. Fear turned toward gratitude so fast it almost hurt to watch.
Hands reached. People whispered thanks like prayers.
Lucien opened his mouth to correct it.
Then—
[Ting!]
[Title: Fairy obtained.]
Lucien stared.
’Fuck.’
Kaia broke first seeing the people around him.
She laughed, bright and helpless.
Lilith tried to hold her composure, failed, and her shoulders shook once with silent laughter.
The children danced around him, delighted to see him again.
Lucien closed his eyes for a breath.
Soon...
He guided the humans to rest.
He spoke to them with calm authority. He promised what he could promise and left the rest as intention.
"Rest first," Lucien told them. "You don’t need to worry anymore. The ones still outside will be saved as well."
His voice carried across the crowd, and his titles and skills did the rest, smoothing doubt into sothing gentler. His words beca effortlessly believable.
Hope was dangerous.
But without it, they would break.
So he gave them enough.
Lucien watched them settle.
For a mont, the shell-city felt less like a refuge and more like a cradle.
•••
Outside, the act continued.
The disguised five moved toward the enemy camp.
Condoriano, as one of the Mirrorhorn Duants, was fully committed. His posture was straight and his steps were deliberately synchronized.
Saber, matching him, looked like a twin carved from the concept of resentnt.
Condoriano murmured just loud enough for Saber alone. "Smile, brother."
Saber’s eyes did not move. "If I smile, it will be with teeth."
"That works," Condoriano replied cheerfully.
Kira kept her face neutral, but her eyes were bright with restrained amusent.
Anvil-Horn, playing Chainmane, carried stern authority naturally.
Morveth as Riftglass, moved with cold discipline.
Aerolith was slung over Kira’s shoulder like an exhausted prize.
They looked like the camp’s own returning, dragging new goods behind them.
And at the edge of the route, distant now, the enemy camp began to rise into view.
Lights. Guard posts. Law-wards embedded into poles like teeth. The scent of organized cruelty.
The plan had reached its starting line.
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