Athea's gaze remained steady, betraying no emotion.

It was safe to say she had expected this demand from Viora.

"That is out of the question," she stated simply, her voice flat. "Your involvement ends with your silence. You will not interfere further."

Viora met her mother's stare, single-minded. "Interfere?" she repeated, her voice quiet. "You made me an accomplice to your treason the moment you confirmed the truth.

"If I am to be complicit in this," she continued, "if I am to risk my honor and my position by lying to everyone, including my own family, I will not do it blind. I will assess the situation myself."

"He is my bro…" She paused, the word 'brother' still feeling foreign and bitter on her tongue. "Besides, he is my blood. It is my right to see him."

Athea turned away, presenting her back to Viora as she gazed out the viewport at the glittering city far below. "Your 'rights' are irrelevant when weighed against the security of this family. It is too risky."

"Stop talking about the security of this family when you're the one who put it in jeopardy in the first place," Viora demanded.

Athea had nothing to say to that. She glanced over her shoulder, her expression cold and final. "You are Princess Viora, a celebrated Warlady and heir to the Lumina line. If anyone sees you with him, it will raise questions we cannot afford to answer." Her voice dropped. "His secrecy is his only defense. Your presence would compromise that. The answer is no."

Viora didn't let the refusal stop her. She kept her eyes fixed on her mother's back, cold and calculating.

"Risk changes, Mother. It's not some unmovable barrier. Your secrecy has already failed. Valerie ran into him by accident. I figured out the truth because you were careless. The real danger isn't me seeing him, the real danger is you trying to control something you've already lost control of."

Athea turned slowly from the window, her expression unreadable, her voice dropping to an icy whisper. "I am still your mother. You are not going to question my authority on this. My decision is final."

"Then your decision is unacceptable," Viora countered instantly. The authority in her own voice was absolute, not that of a daughter, but of a Warlady stating terms. "You have made me involved in treason. I will not be a blind accomplice. My silence is contingent on my involvement."

She paused, letting the weight of her leverage settle in the cold room. "If I'm going to be in this, I have to be all in. But first, I need to know the person I am protecting and if he's worth it. Refuse me, and you are gambling with everything."

A long, heavy silence took over between them. Athea stared at her daughter, seeing not her child, but a rival. She was a perfect mirror of her own strategic, unbending will. Viora wasn't bluffing. Refusal meant Viora would walk out of this room an active threat.

Athea let out a slow, almost inaudible breath, the sound of surrendering.

"Very well," she conceded, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. Viora's posture relaxed, but only by a fraction.

"But not like that," Athea continued, her control snapping back into place. "Not him being brought here. You will meet him at a secure, private location of my choosing." She added, her eyes narrowing, "Those are my terms. Accept them, or you see nothing."

Viora held her mother's gaze, recognizing the move. Athea had lost the battle but was already maneuvering to control the war. "Fine," Viora said, her voice clipped. "When?"

"When I have ensured it is safe," Athea replied, turning back to the window. "You will be notified."

"No," Viora refused, her voice sharp. "That's not an answer. 'When it's safe' could mean tomorrow or never. I won't be put off." She took a step closer. "I want it to be soon. Within the next three cycles. Or this conversation, and my silence, is over."

Athea's shoulders tensed. She turned slowly, her eyes like chips of ice.

Before her mom could say anything else, Viora added, unbending, "You have the resources. You have the authority. Three days. That is my term."

Athea stared at her, the silence stretching taut again. She saw the same unyielding resolve she saw in her own reflection. Viora would not be moved. Athea had created a perfect Warlady, and now that weapon was pointed directly at her.

"Fine," Athea finally bit out, the word sharp. "Three days. I will make the arrangements. You will be notified of the time and protocol."

Viora gave a single nod. "Understood." She turned on her heel and strode out of the chamber, leaving Athea alone in the dim light, the victor of a battle she never wanted to fight.

Meanwhile,

Zaeryn leaned against the cool tile of the bathroom wall, the door locked firmly behind him. He let out a long, slow breath, the adrenaline from the last hour's experiment finally beginning to recede, though his body was still thrumming.

Just as his pulse was returning to something resembling normal, his wrist comm chimed softly. He tapped the receiver. Mireille's voice was crisp and devoid of all emotion as it came through.

"Zaeryn. Status update. Are you alright?"

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He was finally calm, his flush fading. "Yeah, Mireille. Everything's good. No danger here."

"Just checking in," she finally replied, her tone flat. "Protocol. Don't... cause an incident." The connection clicked off.

"Don't worry, I won't," Zaeryn muttered to himself and unlocked the door.

When he stepped back into the lounge, the atmosphere had shifted. The air felt thick, charged with unspoken comments. All eyes snapped to him.

Ingrid, Genevieve, and Morticia wore matching, knowing smirks. Ryla and Meira looked at him with a new, shy fascination. Leia, predictably, just looked at him for a few seconds with pure indifference before she focused her gaze somewhere else.

"Everything... okay in there?" Genevieve asked, her voice dripping with mock innocence as she patted the bench cushion beside her. "You were gone for a minute. We were starting to worry."

Zaeryn sauntered back over, deliberately grabbing another ale from the table before sinking back onto the bench between Morticia and Genevieve. "Just needed to splash some water on my face," he said, meeting Genevieve's teasing gaze. "It got a little... warm in here."

"It did, didn't it?" Ingrid grinned from her cushion. "All that kissing and groping."

"Zaeryn, is it true that you have a girlfriend?" Genevieve asked from beside him.

"Yes, I do."

"What's her name and what does she do?"

"Her name is Sage Stellan and she works at Stellan Innovations."

"Wait, Sage Stellan, as in the daughter of Cassia Stellan?" Leia surprisingly chimed in. Her indifference vanished, replaced by sharp, incredulous interest.

"Yes, her," Zaeryn replied. "Do you know her?"

"Yes, my sister is friends with her, and by extension we are friends too," Leia said. Her expression shifted, her lips curving into a mocking grin. "And you are saying you are dating her? I don't believe you."

Zaeryn almost laughed, the sound a short, incredulous huff. Of course she didn't believe him. To someone like Leia, he was just an 'anomaly,' a 'pet' to women. Sage Stellan was high-status, a recognized genius. In Leia's rigid worldview, the match probably seemed impossible.

"And why is that so hard to believe, Leia?" Zaeryn asked, his voice dangerously smooth. He leaned back, deliberately relaxing between Morticia and Genevieve. "You think a genius like Sage wouldn't be interested in... me?" He made a vague, confident gesture at himself. "I am an anomaly. Don't you think that's what makes me special?"

"Interested?" Leia scoffed, her arms crossing tightly over her chest. "Sage Stellan is one of the most brilliant minds in the sector. She doesn't have time for... pets. And you're not... that special."

The insult hung in the air, sharp and deliberate. But what surprised Zaeryn a little was the fact that Leia and Sage knew each other. 'Good, this makes it easier,' he thought to himself. He could use the fact that Sage and Leia had a connection, to his advantage to try and bond with Leia and get her powers.

Before Zaeryn could even retort, Ingrid, still lounging comfortably, turned her head. "Careful, Leia. You sound almost jealous," she purred, her blue-gray eyes sparkling with mischief. "Besides, after what we just experienced, I'd say he's definitely interesting enough for someone like Sage."

Genevieve, still pressed warmly against Zaeryn's side, nodded in agreement, her hand finding his knee under the table. "She's right. I'm starting to think Sage Stellan is the lucky one."

"Of course she is the luckiest woman on earth," Morticia added.

Zaeryn just smiled, watching Leia's mask of indifference begin to crack, a faint flush rising on her cheeks. He lifted his wrist, tapping his comm. "You know, I could just call her right now. Put her on holo. Want to say hi to your sister's friend?"

Leia's face tightened, her eyes flashing. The idea of him actually proving it, of him possessing that level of casual intimacy with someone of Sage's caliber... it was infuriating. However, she didn't believe him and she was eager to prove him wrong. "Sure, do it. I bet you'll pretend to call her, but really you don't even have a connection with her."

Zaeryn's grin was pure triumph. He tapped the comm.

The room fell quiet. Leia watched, her arms crossed, a smug, certain look on her face. Ryla and Meira exchanged nervous glances. Genevieve and Ingrid just looked entertained.

The comm chimed once... twice.

Then, the air above Zaeryn's wrist shimmered, and Sage's hologram materialized, life-sized and vibrant in the dim lounge. She was in her lab, silvery hair pulled back, her lab coat unzipped over her uniform, but her violet eyes lit up instantly when she saw him.

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