"LUNA, do you know what's going on between Julian and Solenn?"

"I have an idea, Lord Wixx," Luna answered the Red Phoenix's question. Right now, they were walking back to her room after Tilly asked them to leave. Only the Supreme's immediate family remained in the room. Even Solenn was kicked out. "But I didn't expect Lord Julian to be that bold. I thought he was the gentle, obedient kind."

Lord Wixx laughed at that. "Well, Julian has Tilly's blood. It's only a matter of time for his stubbornness to show."

She just nodded as a response.

To be honest, she was distracted because she was a little nervous about the mission that Tilly gave her.

She wanted to go with the Supreme and her family but at the same time, she wanted to confront Stella. Even though she was the reincarnation of Elaine Moonchester, Stella was still her sister. They were born with the same parents in this lifetime, and she practically raised her little sister before Lahara took her away from her.

Once I get a hold of Stella, she'd get an earful from me!

Well, she was hoping that her sister hadn't changed that much.

"Luna, I want to bring you to Solarium."

Now that got her full attention.

She stopped walking. Then, she turned around and faced Lord Wixx. He looked serious as he stood before her while looking at her straight in the eye.

"I know now that gods are greedier and more selfish than normal humans," she said carefully. Her statement also applied to Tilly and Duke Nystrom. They were great people, no doubt about it. But she couldn't deny that the Supreme and the Black Serpent had made selfish decisions that messed them up. "But Lord Wixx, I don't think this is the right time to act on your selfishness. Your sister and her family are sacrificing their lives to save this empire from the Moonchesters."

"Still, I can't help but worry about you," Lord Wixx said seriously. "In the past you, I lost you when I took my eyes off of you for a moment."

"You lost me because you didn't choose me."

His eyes glowed menacingly but she knew that his anger wasn't directed at her. It was directed at himself. He couldn't even refute her accusation.

"I'm not blaming you for that, Lord Wixx," she said. "I understand that your clan needed you more back then. It was your duty as their guardian to protect them. And one of your obligations during that time was to leave an heir for the Fire Mage clan. The Supreme wasn't able to conceive a child then, so it was up to you to have one."

"Luna…"

"I was a Moon Priestess back then and most of your people saw me as an enemy," she continued even though reliving the past also hurt her a little. "To appease your clan, you had to choose the Sun Priestess over me."

He shut his eyes tight as his jaw clenched hard.

"I know that your duty outweighed your love for me and I accepted that," she said firmly. "Lord Wixx, I respected your choice back then– so now, it's your turn to respect mine."

Lord Wixx opened his eyes. The pain or regret that she was expecting to see where nowhere to be found. He just gave her a distant look, then he nodded politely. "I understand, Luna," he said in a formal tone. "But if you need my help, don't hesitate to call me."

***

"WHERE do you plan to go again?" Tilly asked Julian while trying to calm herself. Kiho's hand was gently patting her back in an attempt to soothe her. But frankly speaking, she still felt agitated. "Julian, our family has finally been reunited. But you're saying that you want to go somewhere else with Solenn?"

She could see the fear in Julian's eyes even if she didn't mean to intimidate him.

Even Solenn who was usually confident and arrogant couldn't meet her gaze.

The only "chill" one in the room was Winter, of course. But her youngest son was looking at his brother as if the latter just grew two heads.

This is making me feel bad.

She was surprised when Julian said he would "run away" with Solenn. It sounded like the two would elope. Of course, that gave her a mini heart attack.

Julian is still my baby.

"I'm not mad," she said because she didn't want to scare Julian and Solenn. "I'm just a little upset. So please tell me everything that I need to know."

Julian took a deep breath before he spoke. "Mother, I asked for Lady Solenn's help so please don't scold her," he said carefully while looking at her straight in the eye. "I asked her to help me get to the Plane."

She was shocked to hear that.

Winter looked clueless, of course.

But Kiho wasn't. Her husband seemed to be upset with what he heard from their son because all of a sudden, the room turned cold.

"Julian, do you know what the Plane is?" Kiho asked sternly. "Only dead people can get to the Plane."

Winter gasped when he heard that. "Brother, you're not planning to die, are you?"

"I'm not," Julian assured her brother. "That's why I asked Lady Solenn for help."

She turned to Solenn, hoping that she didn't look scary for the young princess. "May we know how you plan to help our son, Solenn?"

Solenn gulped before she spoke. "I plan to put Julian into a semi-permanent state of death."

Once again, she was shocked to hear that.

Semi-permanent state of death?!

Even Kiho didn't seem impressed because the room turned colder. "Solenn, it's not that we don't trust you," he began carefully. "But putting someone in a semi-permanent state of death is dangerous. I can see what you're trying to do. But the Plane isn't a place that you can easily enter and leave. That's the place where different gods reside after all."

"Kiho is right," she agreed with a firm nod. "Plus, the fact that you're putting my son in a semi-permanent state of death is more than enough reason to not give our permission to this "mission" of yours. Why do you need to go to the Plane anyway?"

"I'm suspecting that some ancient being is messing with our rebirth, Mother," Julian said in a mildly impatient voice. That was the first time she heard her son used that tone on them. "People with our lineage shouldn't have gaps in our memories. But the memories that we retrieved from the Sun God are still incomplete. I want to go to the Plane to personally check on them."

"You made a valid point, son," she said, acknowledging the fact that Julian realized it when it didn't cross their mind before. There was already too much on her plate, so she was glad that her son noticed the thing that she overlooked. "But I still won't let the two of you go. Kiho and I will deal with the Plane later."

Her husband nodded in agreement.

"It might be too late by then, Mother," Julian insisted in a firm voice. "Once you get to the Great Fire Tree, your binding vow with Lady Nia Moonchester will be over. I'm sure the divine war will begin by then."

"I agree with Julian, Aunt Tilly," Solenn said seriously. "The best time to "visit" the Plane would be the time that the gods are too busy watching the divine war on earth."

She hated to admit this but the young princess had a good point.

"And I have a feeling that Emperor Aku Moonchester wouldn't only be targetting the floating island," Julian added. "He'll probably attack every place and people dear to you while you're travelling to the land that drinks blood, Mother. I know that you already anticipated it, thus you assigned our people with different tasks. I believe that if Lady Solenn and I visit the Plane, it will give us a huge advantage in the upcoming divine war."

"The risk is too high," she insisted. As a businesswoman, she was a risk-taker. But as a mother, she wouldn't put her children's lives at stake for some "advantage." "No matter what you say, I won't allow you to go to the Plane."

"Then, I won't ask for your permission as my mother," Julian said in a more impatient voice now. "Lady Tilly Prescott-Nystrom, the Supreme Fire Mage, please allow me to go to the Plane with Lady Solenn for the sake of our victory against the Moonchesters."

She suddenly felt helpless.

As a mother, it was easy for her to decline Julian's request.

But as the Supreme Fire Mage, she realized that not allowing Julian and Solenn to go would be a waste.

Still, even in my point of view as the Supreme, sending Julian and Solenn to a dangerous place isn't really that worth it. Well, it's true that we may gain advantage if they find something important in the Plane. But if they get hurt, our whole clan will suffer. Julian is my firstborn, and Solenn is Solaris's only daughter.

Yet, if they got too late in reaching the Plane along the way…

"Brother, you're putting too much pressure on Mom," Winter complained to Julian. "Do you really have to go? You don't even know what exactly you're looking for in the Plane."

Julian turned to his brother. "I know what I want to see in the Plane, Winter. I need to look for the god in-charge of our rebirth and question him about the memories that we lost."

"Brother, do you think the Plane is small, cozy place that will warmly welcome an intruder like you?" Winter asked in a flat voice. "Please don't tell me that you believe a god would just simply answer your questions. And if they don't, do you think you could threaten them? Have you ever thought that they might just lock your soul up in the Plane forever?"

Their oldest son glared at his younger brother for the first time.

"I won't let that happen," Solenn said to Winter in a firm voice. "I will awaken Julian if I sense that his soul is in danger."

"Nah, that doesn't make your plan fool-proof."

"Winter, don't speak to Lady Solenn that way," Julian scolded his younger brother. "And are you treating me like an idiot?"

"I'm not treating you like an idiot, Brother," Winter insisted. "But if you think that way, then maybe your plan sounds stupid in the first place."

Julian released a bloodlust directed at Winter.

Of course, Winter flinched when he felt that.

Tilly wanted to stop the two from fighting but when the round table and everything on top of it were suddenly covered by ice, she held back and allowed her husband to take over.

"If you want to fight, take it outside," Kiho said sternly. "But if any of you step out of this room, I will take it as a rebellion against me and your mother."

***

"YOU WEREN'T able to steal even a small amount of flame from Winchell's spirit guardian?" Elis Ripperton, who sat on the sofa from across him inside the grand carriage, asked with a raised brow. "Did you only go to the North to drop off Nia Moonchester?"

"It can't be helped," Aku said while looking at the three vials in his hand. "Sentinel didn't come out of Lord Wixx while I was there. But these are enough."

One vial in his hand had the Black Flame that Nia stole from Lucina Morganna. The other bottle was filled with a golden light that came from Faline– Ainsworth's spirit guardian. And finally, the last vial was filled with a dark purple liquid that came from Yumi's venom.

"Once I get control of Lady Nystrom, Kiho, and Ainsworth, I wouldn't need Lord Wixx anyway," he said, then he turned to the Blue Dragon. "I didn't ask for your spirit guardian's essence because I trust you, Lord Ripperton. You're on my side, aren't you?"

"I will be on your side as long as our interests align."

"That's good enough for me," he said, then he put the vials in the inside pocket of his suit. "Let's head straight to the temple. I need the High Priest's assistance to recreate the Bangle."

The 'Bangle' would be the bracelet that allowed Lady Nystrom in the past to control the Ancient Beasts. But the bracelet had never truly accepted him as its master and thus, it easily melted when the Supreme decided that she no longer needed it.

So this time, he decided to create a new Bangle that would give him control over the Ancient Beasts. And in place of Lord Wixx, he decided to control Lady Nystrom instead. After all, the Supreme had the Black Phoenix in her.

"What will you do after recreating the bracelet?" Elis Ripperton asked him. "Will you personally fly with the winged-guardian to look for the Fire Mage clan in the sky?"

"I'm still undecided," Aku admitted, then he turned outside the window. Right now, they were already in the Royal Capital. To be precise, they were in the upscale part of the capital that the nobles frequently visit. Since it was the area where the ruling class reside, it was also the saftest part of the empire. "I have a feeling that I need to destroy the peace that my people enjoy before the divine war begins."

***

"YOU."

Mikhail Denver stopped in his tracks when Lord Wixx literally blocked his way. He was about to enter the main house when the Red Phoenix appeared. Well, to be precise, he flew down when he saw him. "My name is Mikhail Denver, my lord," he said politely with a bow. "I am the leader of the Fire Mages that managed to hide from the royal family until recently."

"Ah, is that so? Good job then," Lord Wixx said dismissively. "Have you already talked to Asher Forrester about the mission that my sister bestowed upon you?"

"Yes, I have, Lord Wixx," he said politely. "I am to serve as Miss Luna's escort to the Royal Capital."

"Luna is stronger than you so she doesn't really need your protection."

Ouch.

"I know that Miss Luna is stronger than me, my lord," he said. To be honest, he was starting to get pissed by the Red Phoenix's hostility towards him. But he held back because at the end of the day, Lord Wixx was still the god that their clan worshipped. "But it doesn't mean she no longer needs protection. Even if I'm inferior to her, I still want to be worthy of standing next to her. And I want to be of use to Miss Luna, even if all I can offer is support."

"Do you have romantic feelings for Luna?"

Ah, so it was about that, huh?

He heard that Lord Wixx and Miss Luna had a romantic relationship in the past. But as far as he knew, it wasn't the case this time.

"Answer my question honestly, Mikhail Denver," Lord Wixx ordered him, his dark purple eyes turned a deep shade of orange (almost red), and they were now glowing menacingly. "Are you in love with Luna?"

Mikhail Denver smiled politely at the Red Phoenix. "I believe that's none of your business, Lord Wixx."

Dear ancestors, please forgive me for my insolence.

***

PS: You may send gifts if you can. Thank you~

***

[NOTE: Please ADD my story in your LIBRARY so you can be notified when I post an update. Thank you! :>