A bird fell from the sky into the field of lilies where Ragna and Aura had been playing catch.

Its body crashed against the ground, its bones crunching on impact. Aura cringed on instinct as the sound reached her ears, but Ragna rushed to the bird. Blood had spread around its body that barely moved, yet she lifted it with her hands.

Aura looked at her friend.

Why was she doing this? There was no question that the bird would die. Why would she want to continue its suffering? Wasn’t hurting others bad? Didn’t Ragna tell her that? Then, why did she go back on her word?

But no matter how often she tried to argue, Ragna wouldn’t listen to her. She wouldn’t abandon it. Ragna would save the bird.

֎

Aura put a smile on her face.

That bird Ragna tried to save, in the end, it died. Ragna was crying for a day. Had she known its death would have devastated Ragna, she would have put more effort into the bird’s survival. Back then, she struggled to predict and calculate the reactions of others.

The bell buzzed, and the door opened. A dark corridor stretched in front of her and blocked her view of the garden. Darkness spread, as it swallowed the lights around her. She couldn’t see a thing.

“How welcoming.” Captain Fran crossed her arms.

Like a cave pulsated the corridor. The blackness started to move. In front of Aura’s eyes, their shades began to vary. Lines of silks seemed to draw between them, creating patches that differed in tone and saturation.

When the light had disappeared, darkness remained. But even it couldn’t remain a monotone color. Once the eyes adapted to it, they could recognize the differences.

“I promise this will be your last duty for today.” Aura took a step forward and entered the cave. She let the darkness consume her and started to walk.

Light sprung open from both sides and illuminated the next meter in front of her like a torch.

Captain Fran groaned.

“It’s not your first time here?” Aura asked.

“I would rather listen to your singing.”

Aura stomped forward, ignoring the slight against her musical talents, and the next set of lights flared up. Her heels echoed against the metal floor as they latched onto the spots of light on the ground.

Every few steps, a new set of lights illuminated her path, dictating to her the way she had to follow.

Aura obliged. She delved deeper into the cave system until they reached another door. Before she could knock against it, it opened, and gold shone into her pupils. And at the same time, the smell of bleach burned into her nose.

Behind the illusion, Aura pressed her hand against her face, barely suppressing a cough. She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers.

The gleam lost its strength.

Aura opened her eyes and walked through the door. Her heels clicked on the gold, and as her nose got used to the smell, she removed her hand from her face.

“Oh, quite impressive that the brilliance of my treasure didn’t rob you of your strength. But I guess that’s the princess for you.”

Aura looked around. Every centimeter of the room gold had covered. Whether it was layers or actual bars or a paintjob, it blinded anyone who tried to enter the room.

A painting of a woman fighting a dragon hung on the right wall. In front of her, the abstract image of a tree stared at her. Instead of leaves, circles drew at the branches’ ends.

And under this tree sat the CEO of the Fafner Orcichalcum Company behind his office desk. On it lay nothing besides a name plaque, calling the man “Regin Griffin” and a laptop.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mister Griffin.”

Regin stood up, and with a smile, he bowed in front of the princess and Captain Fran as the bangs of his jet-black hair fell over his fair face skin. “The honor’s all mine, future president Aurelia Adler. And you too, Daphne.”

He straightened his body while Captain Fran rolled with her eyes and blew her nose. “As always, it smells like you just cleaned up a murder scene.”

“I like to polish my gold.” Regin clapped his hands, and before he could offer Aura a seat, she had sat down on the chair on the other side of his desk.

“I really hope that wasn’t a euphemism.” Captain Fran grunted.

“President Reillius Adler would only retire in death.” Aura smiled. “So, please, don’t speak so lightly of his demise.”

“That was never my intention. Believe it or not, I’m quite fond of our great leader and his policies.” Regin’s smile didn’t fade for a second. He sat back on his seat, and his eyes gazed at Aura.

Black slits and golden pupils swam in a sea of darkness, giving proof to his heritage. Without them, one wouldn’t have guessed that he was Drake Griffin’s twin brother.

Regin’s facial features were soft and striking, Drake’s rough and grim. Drake looked like a barbarian, Regin like a knight or a gentleman. If one were to compare the two to Ragna, one would believe that Regin was the father.

The resemblance between the two was eerie.

“Still, what’s the occasion for this visit?” Regin asked. “Despite the FOC’s importance to Midgard’s economy and military, President George and President Adler acknowledged my existence as much as a deadbeat father his children.”

“We had hoped if we don’t give you attention, you’ll go away by yourself.” Captain Fran positioned herself behind Aura, standing like an iron wall. Her face refused to emit an ounce of joy. If her looks could kill, she would have reduced Regin to ashes and halved Aes’ population while she was at it.

“You hit the nail, Mr. Griffin.” Aura turned back to Regin, her face aligning with the illusion. “It’s time to give Midgard’s most important producer of Orichalcum and second richest man the respect he deserves. Especially after finding a way to synthesize Orichalcum in the lab.”

“Soon-to-be richest man.” Regin leaned with his arm against the back of his chair. “Dagobert McÖnd lost quite a fortune after that divorce, and my synthetic Orichalcum with flip over the market.”

Aura nodded. “It has quite the potential and might put an end to all slavery.”

“I’m really proud of it. Making a better world feels wonderful.”

“Ah.” Captain Fran blew her nose.

“And it’s much cheaper, to boot.”

“There we have it.”

Regin shrugged. “Regardless of the reason, doing good is still doing good. We businessmen don’t want life to get worse. We do want to make it better, but we prefer to get more money in our pockets.”

“Isn’t that the issue? A fly will always wallow in shit.” Captain Fran looked unimpressed.

Regin snickered. “It’s quite simple, I would say. If you want to improve the world, you have to make it afford- and profitable. You would get supporters and allies in no time. If you can convince the world of that, then the world will improve. That’s the spirit of capitalism and the free market.”

“What are you? Some first-year economics student?” Captain Fran spat.

“Many horrors in our world had been committed by those wishing to do good.” Aura smiled and folded her hands under her chin. “If intentions don’t excuse the ill, we do, perhaps they shouldn’t blemish our benevolent actions as well.”

“And slaves continue to suffer in the meantime.” Captain Fran sneered. “Moral relativism is about as good as running to lose weight is for a man in a wheelchair.”

“In my defense. I was genuinely not aware of what had happened. I have to thank Altera Xion – may she rest in peace – for reporting the incident. I can assure you that those responsible have been brought to justice, and every one of the miners is living in human conditions.”

“You sound a bit too happy about her demise.” Captain Fran narrowed her eyes.

“Of course, I do. She was hunting my cute little Ragna, after all. What kind of uncle would I be if I didn’t wish for my niece’s safety and bliss?

“I was actually surprised when I found out that you happened to be Drake Griffin’s twin brother.” Aura leaned back and matched her posture to imitate Regin’s. Not too much, that he would think she was mocking her, but enough that it could increase her sympathy. It was one of the easiest techniques in the book: imitating your communication partner to garner sympathy, and her illusions increased the effectiveness of the trick.

Regin sighed. “It’s not something we often talk about. We aren’t exactly on speaking terms.”

“That’s no good.” Aura shook her head and pointed at Regin’s chest. “You’re twins. You need each other.”

Regin titled his head. He narrowed his eyes, and his brow furrowed. For the first time, his smugness disappeared, making place for curiosity.

“Every human being was born incomplete.” Aura continued. “Our souls are lacking, so we yearn to fill the emptiness in our hearts. Because instinctively we know that somewhere in the world exists someone or something that fills the void.”

“Isn’t that what Fylgja are there for?” Regin asked.

He and Captain Fran looked at her, their eyes observing every movement she might make.

Aura shook her head anew. “They don’t fill the emptiness. No, they just fuel our yearning and give us the drive to continue our search. But twins are different.” Behind the illusion, she clutched her heart towards her chest. Her cheeks reddened, and a sad smile decorated her face. “Twins are born with their soulmate. Unlike everyone else, they can fill the emptiness. So, to live without your twin, without your soulmate, means to feel emptiness after knowing bliss. Having to bear the weight alone is just too cruel.”

“Hmmm. I wonder how correct that is, but I worry for my brother.” Regin lowered his eyes and glanced at the tree behind him. “The history of the Griffin family is one filled with bloodshed.”

“Is that so?” Aura raised her brow. “It’s quite a fascinating history with ups and many downs from what I’ve heard, starting with Niefflung the Griffin.”

“I guess that’s true. He was quite a crusader under President Tryggvason. Spilled a lot of blood and extinguished the people in the Rising Forest. He amassed hordes of treasure, so I can’t complain too much, and from that point on, the family history was mostly on the positive side. We even had a few heroes in our ranks, like Merrovingia Griffin. She actually managed to slay the dragon Fafnir.”

“You sound rather proud.”

“Well, for the most part, I am. The actual disgrace started with a generation of four squanderers who destroyed most of our fortune. And a gambler wasted the rest. From that point on, we had lost everything and become just another middle-class family.

“The horror.” Captain Fran sneered. She rubbed her fist against the corner of her eye, imitating tears dropping from them. “How could anyone live like that?”

“I would agree. Except that the bloodshed and greed continued.”

“What do you mean by that?” Aura asked.

“Many family members ended us as murderers or victims. As a result, by the time I was born, only five us remained. And that number dwindled as I grew older. My mother had devoured my father and my brother, and then, she tried to devour Drake and me as well.”

Devour?

Aura looked at Regin’s chair while the illusion continued to smile.

What could Regin mean by that? Was he implying that their mother was a cannibal, or did he talk metaphorically? But wouldn’t that mean that she was a sexual predator? Either way, she seemed to have wanted to kill her family. But why was Regin willing to tell her this story?

“Considering the topic, you have a surprisingly cavalier attitude. Most people are either shocked or offer condolences.”

Behind the illusion, Aura widened her eyes.

Crap. She had forgotten that people ought to feel empathy in these situations.

Aura chuckled, and the illusion imitated her facial expression. “I’m really sorry. It’s just … In my position, you become aware of the countless stories about Midgard’s dark side. Eventually, you become desensitized. It’s honestly not something I’m proud of.”

Captain Fran glanced at her.

It didn’t look like she believed her words. Hopefully, Regin fell for them as he didn’t know her as well.

“I can imagine that,” Regin said. “We all have our ways to endure the hardships of this world alone.”

“But I’ve to admit that a mother wishing to kill her own family is … extremely unusual.”

“That’s true.” Regin stood up from his desk and walked towards the western wall. He knocked against the façade, and the gold turned back to reveal a shelf full of bottles and glasses. He took out one bottle and three glasses and placed them on his desk.

Regin opened the bottle and poured the wine into the glasses. “Please take some.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not a fan of wine.“ Captain Fran’s voice remained emotionless. “I would just spit it out. And you know.” She smirked. “In a rich man’s house, there’s only one place to spit.”

“Really?” Regin looked confused. It seemed he had never heard the saying.

Aura nodded and took the glass. She let the wine swirl inside it and blew the aroma with her free hand into her nose before she took a sip. Her lips curled to smile, and she took another sip. “A Glasgow 1750. It’s sweet, but not too much. You’ve chosen a good one.”

Regin clapped into his hand and sat down. “Impressive. Most believe that this is an Edinburgh 1830, but you got it right on the first try. I’m quite proud of my wine collection. Of all of my treasures, it’s the only one I’m willing to share. What good is wine if you can’t enjoy it with others?”

Aura nodded. “Alcohol tastes better in company.”

It was better if she kept it to herself that she often drank alone.

“Anyway, about my mother.” Regin took a sip himself. “She was a cruel beast. She was selfish, stubborn, and put herself above everything else, but I could never say that she didn’t love us from the bottom of her heart.”

“She loved you?”

“She did.” A smile escaped Regin’s mouth. “And that’s what made her so dangerous. I’m not sure what exactly started it, but my father tried to leave her. Perhaps he was scared, perhaps he wanted to save us, or perhaps he had found some teenage girl with huge tracts of land. She couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving her. So, she devoured him.”

“Man shall beware of a woman scorned.” Aura blew her nose. “Yet, he foolishly unleashes such fury.”

“Well, a violate woman is beauty incarnate.” Regin’s eyes grew small, transforming his face into a grinning mask. “But I digress. At first, my father’s undoing would remain just a stain in our family history. An unusual event you would think about once in a while, but as we grew older, my mother grew paranoid. She couldn’t accept the thought that we could become independent of her and turned into a true dragon, keeping us away from the world. It wasn’t suddenly, but piece by piece until we had become her prisoners.”

Regin paused to drink.

And as Aura emptied her glass, she poured more wine into it.

“At first, she tried to make us dependent on her. She tried to drill into our heads that we could only fulfill our desires through her. She tried to control us, body and soul. Then, she restricted our freedoms. In her twisted mind, perfect children shouldn’t be able to live without a mother. But even this wasn’t enough for her. As her heart grew weaker, she realized we would outlive her. She plotted to devour us as well. First, she devoured our little brother. Drake and I realized we would be next and killed her when she had turned her back to us.”

“May I remind you that you’re talking in the presence of a Captain and the commissioner of the police.” Captain Fran grimaced. “Give me one reason I’m not going to take you in custody for murder.”

Aura raised her hand. “I don’t think there’s any need. You can understand that under those circumstances, the two had little choice. And if I remember correctly that incident happened over more than thirty years ago. The statute of limitation has long expired.”

“You can’t be serious.” Captain Fran growled.

“You tell me. How likely would he be judged?”

Captain Fran clicked her tongue.

But the question remained, why did Regin choose to tell them this story.

“It’s certainly a unique tale, but if I may ask, how come you and Drake aren’t close? Going through such an ordeal, shouldn’t that strengthen your bonds to unbreakable levels?”

Regin started to laugh. “Perhaps in a normal family. But not with us. No, because our mother’s love had already infected us.”

Aura narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“It had never become as bad as mother, but we both became dragons. We desired to amass as much treasure as possible and protect it all cost. So, naturally, we would come into conflict.”

“You tried to take his treasure.”

Regin grinned, the gold in his eyes gleaming in all its splendor. “Exactly. But I’m not so cruel to let my brother end with nothing. I actually went against my own nature and offered to share the treasure. But Drake would have none of it. He beat me to death’s door.” He chuckled. “I genuinely thought I was a goner. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive.”

Aura glanced at Captain Fran. Her stoic façade had disappeared. She glared at Regin, clenching her fist. She ground her teeth as her eyes wished all the suffering in the world upon him.

What kind of reaction was that? Why did Regin Griffin’s answer irritate Captain Fran? Was there something to the story she didn’t know. How frustrating. There more he revealed, the more questions it created. About him, about Drake Griffin, and about Ragna.

“And that’s why you hate him?” Aura asked.

He shook his head. “I never said I hate him. Our relationship has turned sour, but I still love him. And my cute little Ragna as well. I’m worried about the two. Call it a hunch, but I believe the two have entangled themselves in business way bigger than themselves.”

Aura took another sip. “So, you think they’re innocent?”

“Ragna, definitely. Drake, I can only hope. All I know is that, unlike me, his heart is in the right place. Why? Are you suspecting them to be behind the assassination?”

“I’m suspecting everyone and no one. Given the situation at hand, I can’t afford to rule out any possibility. But I hope to see the Griffin family at my wedding. You are all invited.”

“Thank you for the honor.” Again, Regin smiled. „Even if it’s not much, I hope I can assist you in this case.”

“I don’t think there’s much you can do. I can’t even figure out how Drake managed to escape undetected. I know his Fylgja allows him to fly, but heat sensors should have sensed him.”

“I can assure you Drake didn’t. His Fylgja indeed allows him to fly, but you would have noticed it if he had used it.”

“Oh, how interesting.” Aura took another sip. So, Regin knew more about his abilities than Midgard did. “Perhaps he had turned himself invisible.”

“As far as I know, he doesn’t have that ability.” Regin scratched his chin. „If it were Linde, it would be another matter.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Her Fylgja, “Eradicator of all creation” allowed her to erase everything in existence she came into contact with. As well as herself.”

“And since a Fylgja can’t hurt the owner, she would be able to survive this ‘eradication’.”

“Exactly. Linde could have fled undetected.” He somber tone mixed with his voice. “But she’s long gone.”

֎

Back in the limousine, Aura was looking out of the window.

“Well, that went better than expected.” Captain Fran sneered. “Perhaps I should’ve held back for your sake.”

Aura shook her head and smiled. “No, you did great. Next to a dumpster, every painting becomes an artwork. Compared to you, he must have seen me as open-minded and agreeable.”

“I’m not going to waste pleasant words on him. It would be an insult to our language.”

Aura crossed her arms. “I can’t figure this man out. I don’t think he lied at any point during our stay, but he’s hiding something. What’s your impression?”

“Before this meeting, I just couldn’t stand his guts.” Captain Fran’s voice deepened. “But now, I’m sure he’s a monster.”