[Katherine’s POV]

  Katherine slapped at a strand of hair that had caught fire, the faint smell of burnt ends mixing with the smell of scorched air. Her heart still pounded, her pulse echoing in her ears. She couldn’t quite believe what she had just witnessed.

  Crystal Weapons were rare. She had seen a few, read about others, but never anything like that.

  The beam from Demi’s trident had passed so close to her face that the heat had burned her hair. She had expected the weapon to pierce the creature cleanly where it struck, maybe burn through a few layers of armor. She hadn’t expected the blast to expand, to erupt outward with enough force to scar the floor behind.

  The hole in the Guardian’s chest was enormous, a perfect circle bored straight through its torso. The edges of the wound glowed faintly, cauterized by the weapon’s Energy. Smoke rose from the corpse, the scent of burnt flesh spreading through the air.

  When the others released their grip, the creature collapsed. The impact sent a shockwave through the temple floor.

  Katherine stared at the fallen monster, her mind spinning.

  John never showed anything like this.

  Her brother, with the Gold Crystal, was already among the most powerful beings alive. And yet, even he had never shown a weapon that could unleash such power. If this was the power of a Crystal Weapon, then the Great Houses were still hiding their true power.

  The silence that followed was heavy. The five of them stood there, each catching their breath, each studying the others. For the first time since the fight started, they had enough time to think about their next move. Yet suspicion lingered.

  Katherine’s instincts kept her ready. She maintained her guard up. The girl didn’t expect any deceit from Alan, but the others? Atlas, Adrian, even Demi? They were wild cards. The kind who could change allegiance at any moment.

  “Shall we?”

  Atlas’s voice broke the silence, calm but commanding. He was already moving toward the temple’s inner gate, the one the Guardian had been protecting. His tone carried no hesitation.

  Katherine’s eyes followed him.

  He was older than the rest of them, maybe by ten or fifteen years. The streaks of white in his beard and hair caught her attention. Though fatigue was obvious and he had a deep cut on his chest, he still moved with ease. His presence filled the space, measured, confident, dangerous.

  Atlas was the first to move. Without a word, he began descending the stone staircase, his footsteps echoing through the chamber.

  Adrian followed moments later. Demi lingered behind, gripping her trident with both hands. The weapon was still buried in the fallen Guardian’s remains. With a sharp tug, she wrenched it free, the sound of metal scraping against bone reverberating through the silence.

  Alan approached her, his expression softening as he noticed her anxiety. “You all right?” he asked, his voice carrying a note of concern.

  “Yes,” Katherine answered. She nodded once, though the exhaustion in her eyes betrayed her. After a breath, she began to follow the others down the stairs.

  “Impressive,” Alan murmured, his gaze lingering on Demi’s back as she descended ahead of them.

  “She fights like hell,” Katherine admitted, her voice low. “It’s no surprise she leads the Militarist Faction.”

  “Not just her skill,” Alan said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “The weapon. Seeing that kind of power up close. It’s something else. I’ve seen Crystal Weapons before, but never seen one in action like that.”

  Katherine’s brow furrowed. She wanted to ask. Where had he seen them? In the Empire’s black markets, or among the Lots’ secret stockpiles? Was the Republic arming itself with Crystal Weapons now? The thought unsettled her, but she bit back the question. Alan was a general of the opposing faction. Pressing him would get her nothing… except maybe the wrong kind of attention.

  So she stayed silent, her boots tapping softly against the spiral steps as they descended deeper.

  The staircase wound endlessly downward, the air growing cooler, the scent of moss thickening around them. Occasionally, the passage would twist just enough for her to catch sight of Atlas again.

  He moved with the same measured confidence as before. There was something about him that Katherine couldn’t look away from.

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  “Are you really OK?” Alan asked.

  Katherine hesitated before answering, her eyes flicking toward the front of the group where Atlas walked a few paces ahead.

  “He’s… strange,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Alan glanced at her, then nodded slowly. “He’s always been proud,” he said, his voice low, thoughtful. “But him cooperating like that. It’s strange, rare.”

  She frowned, confused. “Who are you talking about?”

  “Adrian,” Alan replied, his gaze shifting to the Imperial heir walking ahead of them. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him accept help.”

  Katherine exhaled softly, understanding dawning. She could picture it easily. The proud son of the Meridius, finally forced to fight alongside those he would easily call enemies of the Empire. Now that the Emperor’s legacy lies in ruins, he’s starting to realize the reality.

  “Yes,” she said quietly, “but that’s not what I meant.”

  Alan looked at her, puzzled. She nodded toward the man leading the group.

  “Him.”

  “Ah.” Alan’s expression shifted, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Yes. No doubt.”

  “You noticed too?”

  “Of course,” Alan said, his tone sharpening. “It was… odd. Very odd.”

  “You think so?” Katherine asked, her voice thoughtful rather than skeptical. “I just keep wondering. How did he know?” She rested her chin against her fingers, her mind racing.

  Had it really been that strange? Did the others notice too? Did they already know how her boon functioned? The thought unsettled her.

  Alan’s voice broke her train of thought. “How did he know? I have no idea,” he admitted. “But while the rest of us kept our Gauntlet lights on the whole time…” He paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked ahead again. “…he was the only one who never touched his.”

  Katherine let out another soft groan and slapped her own forehead, realization dawning.

  How had I missed something so obvious?

  Alan was already speaking, his voice low but quick. “He must be mapping his surroundings with Energy,” he said, almost thinking aloud. “But that doesn’t make sense. He’s supposed to be a merchant. A man who’s spent his life far from the battlefield. So how does he fight like that?”

  Once he started, the questions came in a torrent. “Where did he learn to move like that? How does he react so fast? Why does he fight like someone who’s been in war?”

  Katherine stayed quiet, her mind turning over every word. Each question echoed the same thought forming in her own mind.

  His story doesn’t add up.

  His entire history is a lie.

  She frowned, her thoughts spiraling deeper. “Even if he can sense his surroundings through Energy, why didn’t he activate his Gauntlet’s light?” she asked, her tone sharp with curiosity.

  Alan glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. “It’s off?”

  “Off?” she repeated, confused.

  Alan nodded. “Yeah. Maybe it’s out of power, or he doesn’t want it to have power.”

  She folded her arms, her mind racing. “But he must have a Ranger Armor. Every leader of a Great House has one.”

  Alan shook his head, his voice calm but confident. “That’s where you’re mistaken. The Gauntlet’s purpose isn’t to power the Armor. It’s to store the Crystals. The Armor doesn’t need to be connected to function.”

  “Even then,” Katherine countered, “he wouldn’t have access to the NET or any communication systems.”

  Alan’s reply came quickly, his voice steady but edged with meaning. “Maybe he doesn’t have access… or maybe he doesn’t want it. Anyone who communicates leaves a trail.”

  The words hung in the air.

  Katherine slowed, her mind spinning. The implication struck deep. He doesn’t want to be found.

  Alan’s theory opened a door she didn’t want to walk through, but couldn’t close now that it was ajar.

  The Emperor questioned his identity. The memory surfaced. Atlas Blackwell. The man who appeared out of nowhere, a merchant with little past, unmatching records, and almost no trace.

  Her thoughts began to accelerate, each one colliding with the next.

  Could he be the Green Ranger?

  The idea was absurd. She had seen. The Green Ranger was attacking while he was in the Senate.

  There can’t be another Green Crystal.

  Can there?

  The more she thought about it, the more the pieces began to align. His reflexes. His Energy control. The way he knew about her Blood Rose.

  For him to predict my attacks, he would have to know them. He would have had to have fought me before.

  Her stomach tightened. We’ve never fought together.

  Then he must have fought against me.

  The thought chilled her.

  Lost in her own theories, Katherine barely noticed her own steps until her boot struck something solid. The sound rang differently this time.

  There were no more stairs.

  She lifted her head.

  The air changed. The walls around them widened into an open space.

  They had reached the bottom.