Tara sat on the worn-out couch, her fingers gripping the edges of her sleeves. The weight of what had happened settled over her like a heavy cloak, suffocating and inescapable. The hideout was dimly lit, but the flickering lanterns cast a warm, uneven glow that made the place feel lived in. Safe. Something she hadn’t felt in hours.

  Kannie knelt beside her, her usually energetic demeanor tempered by quiet concern. “Okay, Tara. Take a deep breath,” she said gently. “Tell us what happened.”

  Tara looked up, her throat tightening. She hadn’t even had time to process everything herself. But she knew one thing—if Orion and the others didn’t understand the danger she was in, they wouldn’t take her seriously.

  She exhaled slowly. “Lucian… he was at my house tonight.”

  The words sent a shiver through the room. Even Gabriel, who had been lazily floating mid-air, stilled, his smirk fading. Orion’s golden eyes flickered like a dying ember, his attention sharpening. Ra cracked his knuckles but said nothing.

  Tara continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “He was threatening my parents. I overheard everything. He told them they were wasting his time searching for the Starbeam Necklace. He even—” She hesitated, feeling the bile rise in her throat. “He told them if they didn’t hurry, maybe he’d just take me instead.”

  A cold silence settled over the room. Tara saw the barely restrained anger on Orion’s face, the way his jaw tensed.

  “Lucian has the king’s favor,” she went on. “He has power in the court. The king lets him do whatever he wants as long as he brings in gold, women, and does all the things the king won’t dirty his own hands with.”

  Orion said “we know of Lucian everyone in the slums do”

  Tsuki, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly sat up straighter. His silver eyes flashed dangerously. “Did you ask someone for directions on your way here?”

  Tara hesitated before nodding. “I didn’t know where to go. I only remembered an old tavern. I asked a man…. A older man loitering near a fire pit but I think he was lying he was. He looked at me weird.”

  Orion turned his head toward Ra, his expression unreadable. He didn’t have to say a word. Ra simply nodded and stood up. “Tsuki, Nerpheus. Let’s go.”

  Tsuki grabbed his cloak, his movements quick and precise. Nerpheus, who had been quiet, rose from his seat without hesitation, his oceanic gaze unreadable. Without another word, the three of them disappeared into the night.

  Tara swallowed hard. “Will they… kill him?”

  Orion met her gaze. “Depends.”

  She wasn’t sure if that answer made her feel better or worse.

  Kannie clapped her hands together. “Alright. Enough heavy talk.” She turned to Tara, eyes scanning her critically. “We need to change your hair.”

  Tara blinked. “What?”

  “Your hair,” Orion repeated, crossing his arms. “Red is too noticeable.”

  Tara’s fingers instinctively went to her long red strands. “You want me to cut it?”

  Kannie grinned and grabbed scissors from a crate in the back of the hideout. “Yup. New hair, new you. We can’t have Lucian sniffing around.”

  Tara hesitated, but then, slowly, she nodded. There was no going back now.

  Gabriel, who had been lounging on his back mid-air, tilted his head at her. “Just so you know, she thinks she’s a hairdresser,” he remarked. “But she’s really about to make you look fugly.”

  Kannie growled and kicked him in the side. “Shut up and go make some tea or something.”

  Gabriel groaned dramatically. “Why is it always me?”

  As Gabriel floated off to the small fire pit, Tara sat stiffly on a crate, hands folded in her lap as Kannie got to work. The scissors glided through her hair with surprising precision.

  “I usually dye Tsuki’s hair,” Kannie said as she worked, her voice light. “He has silver hair naturally, but we keep it black. Keeps him hidden. And also, he lets me do it, which is nice. I think he just likes when I mess with his hair.”

  Tara sniffled but smiled slightly.

  That made Tara think. There was more to this group than she had initially realized. And maybe more to Gabriel than even he knew.

  By the time Kannie finished, Tara reached up hesitantly. Her once long red hair was now shoulder-length and dyed a deep brown. She barely recognized herself.

  Kannie beamed. “You look good! Now you officially don’t look like a noble.”

  Tara let out a weak laugh. “Thank you.”

  Kannie stretched and yawned, flopping onto the couch. “Alright, I’m beat. You should sleep too.”

  Tara hesitated. She had been running for so long she had forgotten what it felt like to rest. But here, in this worn-down old tavern, with the sounds of laughter and banter around her, she felt… at home.

  She curled up beside Kannie, the exhaustion washing over her like a wave.

  Before she drifted off, she heard Orion’s voice, low and firm. “She doesn’t leave until I say so.”

  No one argued.

  For the first time in a long time, Tara felt safe.

  And as sleep took her, she realized she was safe

  The scent of grilled fish wafted through the tavern’s upper floors, mingling with the crisp morning air. Tara stirred, her eyes blinking open to the warm glow of dawn spilling through the broken shutters. For a moment, she forgot where she was. Then, memories of last night crashed over her, and she turned her head, realizing she had fallen asleep beside Kannie.

  In the main room, Kannie was already up, perched on the wooden counter, grinning as she saw Tara approach. “Morning, princess,” she teased. “Sleep well?”

  Tara yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Better than I thought I would.” She took a deep breath. “You weren’t lying about the fish.”

  Kannie smirked. “Told ya. We get fresh fish every morning thanks to our resident swimmer.”

  Tara glanced around. “Where’s Orion? And Ra? Tsuki?”

  “They’re out training,” Kannie replied, swinging her legs. “Those guys love to fight. Sparring, running, climbing—Ra calls it ‘getting stronger,’ but I think they just enjoy punching each other.”

  Tara raised an eyebrow, amused at the thought of the three boys battling it out first thing in the morning. “And Nerpheus?”

  Kannie pointed to the corner where a figure sat, arms crossed, wrapped tightly in cloth as usual. Nerpheus barely acknowledged their presence, but Tara could tell he was listening.

  Kannie hopped down. “Come on, let’s eat! I wanna show you my favorite spot.”

  As Tara followed her upstairs, she heard Gabriel’s voice echo from below. “Hey! Who ate my fish?!”

  Kannie rolled her eyes. “Here we go.” As if on cue, Gabriel stormed up, his blond hair messy from sleep, his turquoise eyes blazing with outrage

  “Kannie,” he accused, crossing his arms. “Where’s my fish?”

  Gabriel’s jaw dropped. “You ate it, didn’t you? You ate my share! You—”

  “I *shared* my share with Tara,” she corrected, smirking. “Which means you should be blaming yourself for not waking up earlier.”

  Gabriel dramatically threw his hands in the air. “This is a crime! A betrayal of the highest order! I work hard—”

  “You float around and annoy people,” Kannie interjected.

  Gabriel ignored her, pacing. “—and what do I get in return? Nothing! No food, no respect, no love!”

  Kannie flicked a fish bone at him. “Shut up and go get more fish if you’re so hungry.”

  Gabriel gasped. “You *expect* me to work for my food?”

  Kannie rolled her eyes. “I need you to fly into the university and steal some books for Tara.”

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  Kannie kicked him lightly on the shin. “Shut up and do it.”

  “Ugh, fine,” Gabriel groaned, rubbing his leg.

  “I’ll go with you today, Kannie.”

  Kannie arched an eyebrow. “Also to the market?”

  Gabriel gave her an incredulous look. “No! To the university. You said you were gonna grab some books for Tara, right? I’ll come with you. Since *I* can fly, I’ll make it easy.”

  Tara smiled. “Thank you.”

  Gabriel groaned. “Yeah, yeah, we’re all sweet and sentimental. Now *hurry up* so we can leave before I die of starvation.”

  With a wave, the two vanished down the stairs, leaving Tara alone with Nerpheus.

  Silence settled between them as Tara turned to face Nerpheus. He sat still, wrapped in his usual coverings, his posture rigid. She hesitated before speaking. “Are you… sick or something?”

  Nerpheus finally looked at her. His gaze was unreadable, but after a moment of deliberation, he exhaled. Slowly, he reached up and unwrapped part of his cloth, revealing his face fully for the first time.

  Tara sucked in a sharp breath.

  He wasn’t human.

  His skin shimmered faintly in the light, the blue tint of his Aquarian heritage now unmistakable. Gills lined his neck, and his features were sharp, almost too perfect, his eyes dark and endless like the abyss of the ocean.

  “You’re an Aquarian,” she whispered.

  Nerpheus nodded.

  Tara understood immediately why he hid. The nobles of Xylodia would pay a fortune for someone like him. Aquarians were rare—more than rare. To surface-dwellers, they were myths, creatures whispered about but never seen.

  “How did you… end up here?” she asked softly.

  For a long time, Nerpheus said nothing. Then, finally, he spoke. “I didn’t mean to leave the Aqua Domain. An underwater stream caught me and threw me into a fishing net. Orion and Ra freed me before I was sold off.”

  Tara shuddered at the thought. “Your family…?”

  He went silent again, his jaw tightening. “Dead.”

  At that, Nerpheus’ expression darkened. “Mercure He’s the ruler of the Aqua Domain. He controls the seas. And he does not tolerate those who leave.”

  Tara swallowed. “What do you mean?”

  “The penalty for surfacing is execution,” Nerpheus said, voice hollow. “Not just for the one who left, but for their entire bloodline.”

  Tara’s stomach twisted. “He… killed your family?”

  Nerpheus didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

  Silence stretched between them, heavy and unspoken. Tara struggled to find the right words, but nothing felt sufficient.

  Then, to her surprise, Nerpheus lifted a hand, and with a fluid motion, water from a nearby bucket rose, twisting and curling in the air like a ribbon.

  Tara watched in awe. “You can control water?”

  Nerpheus nodded. “All Aquarians can.”

  The water formed into a delicate shape—a spiraling shell—before he let it fall back into the bucket with a soft splash.

  Tara exhaled slowly. “That’s incredible.”

  Nerpheus tilted his head slightly. “What do you want to do, Tara?”

  She blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re here now,” he said simply. “So what’s next?”

  Tara hesitated, looking out over the cityscape. “I… don’t know,” she admitted. “But I think I’d like to stay.”

  Nerpheus nodded once. “Then you should.”

  The air inside the hideout carried the fresh, smoky scent of grilled fish as Tara sat on the wooden floor, still adjusting to her new surroundings. She had spent the morning with Nerpheus, who had shown her his water manipulation abilities in a quiet yet impressive display, but now a new shift of energy had entered the room. Orion, Ra, and Tsuki had returned from training.

  Tara looked up just as Tsuki sat down next to her, his black-dyed hair still damp from sweat, his silver eyes piercing yet calm. Up close, she noticed the soft edges to his face, the sharp jawline yet the lingering traces of youth. He was undeniably handsome. A strange nervousness crept into her chest, and she found herself looking down at her lap, too flustered to meet his gaze for long.

  Ra, as expected, sat down with a separate sack of fish—something he had clearly been expecting. Given his size and strength, it wasn’t surprising that he needed to eat more than the others. He tore into his food with the efficiency of a soldier, his green dragon-like eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he ate.

  Tara then turned her attention to Orion, and for a moment, she forgot everything else.

  She had never seen anyone like him before. His skin was a deep, rich brown, unlike anything she had encountered among the nobles. His white dreadlocks framed his face in a way that made him look almost ethereal, his golden eyes glowing under the dim light of the hideout. There was something regal about him—not in the way nobles carried themselves, but in the sheer presence he commanded. Despite being only eleven, he moved and spoke with the authority of someone much older.

  Orion took a bite of his fish, chewed slowly, then looked up at the group. “Where’s Kannie and Gabriel?” he asked casually.

  Nerpheus, still quietly eating his own meal, answered in his usual calm tone. “They went to get books for Tara.”

  Orion nodded, taking another bite before glancing at Tara. “You should stay inside for a while,” he told her. “A few weeks at least. We’ll listen around, see if Lucian is looking for you. If the coast is clear after a while, then you can start coming outside with us.”

  Tara was slightly taken aback. “You’d do that for me?”

  Orion’s golden eyes softened. “Of course.”

  The warmth in his gaze caught her off guard. She had expected a group of rough thieves to be much less… welcoming. But Orion, despite his intensity, carried himself with a quiet kindness she hadn’t expected.

  She took a deep breath. “I… I like reading,” she admitted. “And studying history. I know it sounds boring, but I love learning about old artifacts and magic.”

  Ra chuckled, his deep voice amused. “You and Kannie are complete opposites.”

  Orion smiled slightly. “That’s not a bad thing.”

  Just then, the hideout door creaked open, and loud bickering filled the space before the figures had even stepped inside.

  “I told you to grab books, not just anything, you absolute idiot!”

  Gabriel groaned loudly. “What the hell, Kannie? You just said ‘grab books’! How was I supposed to know you didn’t want cookbooks?”

  Kannie stormed in first, a large sack of books slung over her shoulder, her long rabbit-like ears twitching in frustration. Gabriel floated in behind her, looking equally annoyed, his turquoise eyes rolling dramatically as he held a second, much smaller sack.

  Orion raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. Gabriel did something stupid again?”

  Kannie threw her hands up. “He is USELESS sometimes! You should’ve seen him—just grabbing books off the shelves like some mindless buffoon!”

  Gabriel scowled. “You never said what kind of books! I saw books. I grabbed books.”

  Ra leaned back, smirking. “And what exactly did you end up grabbing?”

  Kannie yanked a book from the bag and dramatically held it up. “Cooking for Beginners.”

  The room went silent.

  Gabriel crossed his arms. “Hey, food is important!”

  Orion exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Gabriel… we needed books for Tara.”

  “Well, excuse me for not being a mind reader!” Gabriel huffed, floating down onto the floor, crossing his arms. “You should be thanking me. You want to know how to cook fish a thousand different ways? I got you covered.”

  Kannie shot him a glare. “We don’t even have a kitchen.”

  Tara, despite herself, let out a small giggle.

  Gabriel’s eyes darted to her. “See? She gets it.”

  Tara smiled. “It’s… nice to have a variety of books, I suppose.”

  Gabriel pointed at her dramatically. “Finally, someone who appreciates my genius.”

  Kannie groaned. “Orion, can we trade him for a smarter idiot?”

  Orion, clearly amused but trying to maintain order, shook his head. “We’re stuck with him.”

  Gabriel grinned smugly. “You’re all lucky to have me.”

  Ra snorted. “Debatable.”

  Kannie dumped the rest of the books in front of Tara, ignoring Gabriel’s continued protests. “Here. These should be better.”

  Tara’s eyes widened as she sorted through them. “These are incredible… There are some university-level books in here!”

  Kannie grinned. “Told you I’d make you feel more at home.”

  Tara’s chest warmed. She had never expected to find friends in a place like this.

  The afternoon sun filtered through the broken windows of the old tavern, casting golden streaks across the worn wooden floor. The scent of grilled fish still lingered in the air, mixing with the faint mustiness of old wood and dust. Orion sat with his arms resting on his knees, his golden eyes locked onto Tara, watching her with quiet intensity.

  Tara felt her stomach flutter under his gaze..

  “You ever think about going back home?” Orion finally asked.

  Tara hesitated, fingers curling around the hem of her tunic. Her home. The noble district. The towering estates, the marble halls, the endless lectures on etiquette and responsibility. The constant weight of her parents’ expectations, the suffocating grip of their world.

  And now, the looming shadow of Lucian.

  She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “I don’t think I can go back. Even if Lucian wasn’t looking for me… I don’t want to return to that life.” She glanced around at the others—Ra, still eating with steady, focused bites, his green dragon-like eyes half-lidded as he listened; Tsuki, sitting next to her, absently running a hand through his dyed-black hair; Nerpheus, quiet as ever, arms crossed, watching the conversation unfold with his unreadable gaze. “I… I feel at home here.”

  Kannie grinned. “Of course you do! Who wouldn’t? We’re awesome.”

  Gabriel, sitting upside down on the couch with a book over his face, snorted. “She says that, but she’s the most annoying one here.”

  Kannie kicked his leg. “Shut up.”

  Orion leaned forward slightly. “If you want to stay with us, it won’t be just for a little while. You’d be family.”

  Tara blinked, her heart skipping a beat. “Family?”

  Ra finally spoke, his voice low and steady. “We don’t just take people in. If you stay, you’re one of us. That means we look out for each other.”

  Kannie nudged Tara. “And it also means you’re stuck with us forever.”

  Tara hesitated, the weight of their words settling over her. She had never felt this before—not just kindness, but something deeper. A bond that wasn’t forced by blood or duty, but by choice.

  She swallowed, looking up at Orion. “I want to stay.”

  Orion nodded, reaching to his belt and pulling out a small dagger. The firelight glinted off the sharp edge as he turned it over in his hand. “Then we do this properly.”

  Tara’s breath hitched as Orion flipped the dagger in his palm and sliced a shallow cut across his hand. A thin line of blood welled up before he closed his fist. Without hesitation, Ra followed, then Tsuki, Nerpheus, Gabriel—who muttered a dramatic, “We really need a less painful tradition”—and finally, Kannie, who winced but grinned through it.

  Then they all turned to Tara.

  She stared at the blade Orion offered her. It wasn’t just a test of bravery; it was an initiation, a promise. Her fingers tightened around the handle, and she drew a small cut across her palm, wincing at the sting.

  Orion extended his hand, and one by one, the others placed theirs on top. Tara hesitated for only a moment before pressing her palm against theirs, feeling the warmth of their skin, the faint stickiness of shared blood.

  A moment of silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken vows. This was more than a ritual—it was a bond. A pact.

  Then, in typical fashion, Gabriel ruined the moment.

  “Well, that’s done. Now, does this mean I get first dibs on food, or—”

  Kannie smacked him upside the head. “Absolutely not.”

  Orion smirked, shaking his head. “Welcome to the family, Tara.”

  She let out a shaky breath, a small smile tugging at her lips. Family.

  For the first time in her life, she belonged.

  The candlelight in the grand estate flickered wildly as a gust of cold air swept through the room. Tara’s mother clutched her husband’s arm, her breath shuddering as she stared at the man before them. Lucian stood casually in their parlor, a smirk tugging at his lips, his fingers idly toying with the piece of parchment in his hands.

  The letter. The one Tara had left behind before vanishing into the night.

  Her father’s face was pale, his knuckles white from gripping the edge of his chair. “You—you have her?” His voice cracked, betraying his desperation.

  Lucian tilted his head, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. “That depends.” He held up the letter, letting the firelight illuminate the familiar scrawl. “She’s gone, hasn’t she? Ran away into the night. Tell me, Lord Evern, what kind of parents let their daughter slip through their fingers like that?”

  Tara’s mother whimpered, her hands trembling as she pressed them to her lips. “Please… just… if you have her—”

  Lucian sighed dramatically, tapping the letter against his palm. “You see, that’s the thing. I could have her. Maybe I already do.” He leaned forward, his smirk widening. “And if you don’t bring me the Starbeam Necklace soon, well… accidents happen, don’t they?”

  Tara’s father shot to his feet, his eyes blazing. “You bastard—”

  Lucian’s hand snapped up, and the shadows around the room deepened, stretching unnaturally as if responding to his will. “Careful now,” he murmured, voice as smooth as silk. “You’re in no position to be making threats.”

  He leaned back, satisfied by their terror. “You’ll find the necklace,” he continued. “Or else… well, you’ll be hearing about your dear daughter’s screams very soon.”

  Tara’s mother sobbed, clutching at her chest.

  Lucian turned toward the door, slipping the letter into his coat with an air of practiced ease. “I’ll be in touch.”

  He stepped out into the night, the shadows swallowing him whole.

  The last thing they heard before the door shut behind him was a chilling chuckle.