The morning light seeped through the tall windows, painting the dining room in soft gold. Everyone sat around the long table — Noel at the center, the girls to his sides, and Noir resting at his feet like a silent shadow.

For a few moments, no one spoke. Only the faint clinking of cutlery broke the silence.

Elyra finally sighed, pushing her plate forward. "So… today's the day."

Noel nodded, his expression calm but his gaze distant. "Yeah. By sunset, it'll begin."

Elena's hands tightened slightly around her cup. "You're going with Lord Albrecht?"

"Yes. Selene's coming too," Noel replied. "You three stay here with Noir. Track any movement or fluctuation around the estate. If anything changes, send word immediately."

Elyra leaned forward, serious now. "We'll handle it. Don't worry."

Charlotte, who had been quiet until then, stood and clasped her hands together. "Before you all go…"

A faint glow enveloped her palms — soft, golden, pure. The air around the table warmed, not with heat, but with comfort. The others fell silent as she whispered the words of her Blessing.

When the light faded, Noel felt it — a gentle warmth in his chest, like sunlight against cold skin.

Charlotte smiled weakly. "There. A blessing for all of you. May you return safely."

Noel's eyes softened, but a shadow lingered behind them. He knew how much a blessing like that cost her — part of her life essence, burned away each time she invoked it.

He rose and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you. Really."

Charlotte looked up, eyes bright despite her exhaustion. "Just… make sure it wasn't for nothing, okay?"

Noel managed a faint smile. "I'll make sure of it."

After breakfast, the mansion had fallen silent. Most of the servants were gone, ordered to remain inside until the horde was dealt with. The only sounds that followed Noel were the faint echo of his own steps and the soft rhythm of Selene's beside him.

They crossed the courtyard together, the morning air crisp and still. Selene adjusted the strap of her wand holster, glancing toward him. "You sure we're enough for this?"

Noel nodded slightly. "Father said bringing more people would just get them killed. The monsters coming today aren't the kind normal soldiers can handle."

"Then it's just us," Selene said quietly. There was no fear in her voice — only focus.

A deep, measured voice broke the silence. "That's correct."

Albrecht appeared from the other side of the courtyard, his dark coat trailing behind him. The faint glow of runes on his gloves showed he was already prepared for combat. His eyes shifted between them briefly before stopping on Noel. "You both ready?"

"Yes," Noel replied.

Albrecht gave a single nod and turned toward the path that led behind the mansion — the entrance to the old tunnels beneath the Thorne estate.

Noel and Selene followed in silence, their footsteps echoing softly off the stone corridor as they descended. The light grew dimmer with every turn, replaced by the dull shimmer of embedded crystals along the walls.

For a while, none of them spoke. Then Selene murmured, "It's strange… walking into a fight we can't predict."

Noel looked ahead, eyes steady. "Every fight's like that."

Albrecht's voice carried from the front, calm and cold. "Then make sure you're still standing at the end of it."

The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead, the air heavy and cold. Their footsteps echoed softly across the stone floor — three sets of steps in perfect rhythm.

For a time, Noel said nothing. But curiosity, and something else he didn't quite name, finally made him break the silence.

"What happened with Mirelle?" he asked quietly, eyes fixed forward. "After I left."

Albrecht didn't answer right away. His stride didn't falter either — calm, deliberate, almost thoughtful. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, but softer than Noel expected.

"We talked," Albrecht said. "She and Serina both. It was… long overdue."

Selene glanced between them but stayed silent, sensing this was not her place to interrupt.

Albrecht continued, tone low but without anger. "Many things were said — things that should've been spoken years ago. Regrets. Accusations. Truths no one wanted to admit."

Noel blinked, a little caught off guard. His father's voice didn't sound like the cold, commanding tone he was used to. It sounded… human.

"She was angry," Albrecht went on. "But I could tell most of that anger came from herself, not me. Still, a line was crossed. She's been confined to her quarters for now. A punishment, but not cruelty. I don't hate her."

Noel slowed his pace slightly, studying his father's back. The man walking ahead of him felt different — not the harsh, distant figure he'd always known, but one who seemed… tired. And perhaps, for the first time, at peace.

"You seem calmer," Noel said finally.

Albrecht gave a small nod, not looking back. "I've spent too many years carrying ghosts, Noel. Maybe it's time I put a few of them down."

Noel's chest tightened. For the first time, he didn't see Albrecht as his father — but as a man who had finally started to forgive himself.

The tunnel opened gradually, the walls widening until the faint crimson shimmer of the crystal chamber glowed in the distance. The rhythmic pulse of its light washed across their faces — soft, steady, almost alive.

They stopped just short of the entrance. For a long moment, neither father nor son spoke. Only the quiet hum of the crystal filled the air.

Then Albrecht exhaled, his voice low. "Noel… I won't pretend I've been a good father. I won't even pretend I've earned the right to call myself one."

Noel turned his head slightly, meeting his father's gaze. There was no coldness in it this time — only a quiet resignation.

Albrecht continued, his tone steady. "But right now, none of that matters. What's coming… I can't stop it alone. I need your help."

Noel looked ahead toward the glowing crystal, its light flickering faintly against his eyes. "You don't need to ask," he said after a pause. "This isn't about family. It's something I have to do, one way or another."

Albrecht's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't press. There was something in Noel's tone — a finality, a weight — that made him realize pushing further would yield nothing.

"…Very well," Albrecht said quietly.

Noel stepped forward, the light of the crystal reflecting off his emerald eyes. "Besides," he added, a faint edge of dry humor in his voice, "if I don't, who else will?"

That earned the smallest twitch of a smile from Albrecht — brief, but genuine.

The silence that followed wasn't tense. It was… steady. Two men standing side by side — not as father and son, but as warriors, ready to face what the world would throw at them next.

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