“Tsukimidaira is our ‘ho.’ I've always been careful to cover my tracks going in and out, and I assu you have too. But we can’t afford to gamble.”
“If he goes all-in and finds a specialist tracker to co after us, they might still pick up our trail.”
“Especially this ti. We used my sister’s ability. She only played a supporting role, but she was still deeply involved in this operation. We can’t guarantee there’s zero trace left behind.”
Nicole looked at Ember, paused, then stated her conclusion solemnly.
“So the best option is actually...”
“To temporarily leave Tsukimidaira.”
“Whether or not he ever tracks us there, the risk level has gone up because of this. If safety is the priority, then the best move is to leave. For now.”
“Agreed.”
Pandora nodded, her expression somber.
Nicole’s analysis was thorough. Cold and rational.
The risk Tsukimidaira posed might not be high in terms of probability, but given her current state—critically injured, running on empty—she had to eliminate any threat, even a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
“So...”
Nicole deliberately drew out the last word, her gaze glinting as she looked at “Ember.”
“Want to co with us?”
It was a sincere invitation.
“Alice and I found a place. Hidden, safe. Big enough for all of us. If you’re willing, we could be neighbors again.”
It was clear Nicole ant every word. Not a shred of perfunctoriness.
If Pandora said yes, Nicole would have told her the location on the spot. Or simply taken her there.
But unfortunately, she already had her own plan.
A better plan. One more suited to her own interests.
Ember shook her head slowly.
“Thank you, Nicole. I an that.”
Her voice was still hoarse from blood loss, but her tone held an unmistakable resolve.
Moving with Nicole and Alice might feel safer in terms of numbers, but a larger group made a larger target and attracted different kinds of danger.
Two sides of the sa coin.
Besides, she had a better option.
“I see...”
The light in Nicole’s eyes dimd slightly. But she was sharp, and she was perceptive; she read what wasn’t being said.
She nodded with understanding. No pushing, no prying.
“Alright.”
Nicole composed herself and offered a carefree smile.
“Then take care of yourself. Hope we work together again soti.”
The words sounded easy, but she wasn’t particularly confident in them.
She still didn’t have any way to contact “Ember.”
The woman had never even shown Nicole her Palmfiend, as if she was deliberately avoiding anything that could create a traceable link.
Collecting her thoughts, Nicole gave Pandora one final nod.
Then she reached back, pulled Alice—who had been peeking and fidgeting behind her the whole ti—close, and together the two sisters disappeared down the dim stairwell.
Silence reclaid the rooftop.
Only Pandora remained.
The wind turned cool.
The adrenaline that had kept her sharp through the fight was fading. In its place, exhaustion rolled in like a tide.
Pandora leaned against the broken, rust-covered railing and slowly slid down to sit.
No words needed. No elaborate ritual.
The discreet connection she had made before the battle even ended was already active, like an invisible thread pulling toward the most reliable person she had pre-arranged.
A gentle breeze brushed the hair from Pandora’s forehead, carrying a hint of cold.
Creak—
Behind her, the iron door she had forced open was gently pushed wide.
In that instant, Pandora’s slightly unfocused eyes snapped back into focus. Her nerves tensed on reflex, the last dregs of her strength instinctively stirring.
Then she saw who it was.
And the tension dissolved at once, as if swept away by a warm hand.
Aurora.
Yes.
She always had other choices.
Like the person who accepted her commission through The Snow interdiary.
That person undoubtedly offered stronger protection. More substantial shelter than any ordinary person could provide.
But power was never her only asure of reliability.
At a thought, Elsa’s sword slowly shifted form.
The manifested scarlet blade dispersed into the air like smoke, returning to its invisible, intangible state.
“Hh...”
A powerful wave of withdrawal hit her, making Pandora’s body sway involuntarily.
Her complexion, already paper-white from blood loss, took on an added layer of sickly pallor.
She was completely exposed now. Her true weakness, laid bare.
Without Elsa’s power. Without the potion’s false face.
She looked like a frail girl who might topple in a strong wind.
But strangely, for Pandora, that weakness felt like a different kind of relief.
On a body already critically wounded, the blood Price of maintaining Elsa’s manifested form had been crushing, like a clump of snow pressing down on a fragile branch.
Now that it was lifted, although she looked worse on the outside, the deep, ancient restorative power of the Witch’s bloodline began to flow more freely, more smoothly.
Elsa had been revived by the System.
And that ca with a Price.
That, she had never forgotten.
She drifted for a mont.
Then—
“My Lady!”
Aurora’s cry, tight with panic, rang clear in her ears.
At almost the sa instant, Pandora felt her body fall—
Not toward the cold, hard ground, but into a warm, steady, faintly fragrant embrace.
Several seconds passed before Pandora’s sluggish mind fully processed what had just happened.
The combination of extre exhaustion and the backlash from dismissing her weapon had almost sent her crashing to the floor.
Aurora’s instincts had caught her.
Pandora pressed one hand against Aurora’s chest to steady herself.
Her fingertips t a layer of close-fitted body armor. Cold. Hard.
But even through that heavy layer of plating, she could feel what was beneath it clearly.
A heartbeat, pounding furiously.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Startlingly fast.
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