Present, Otto City, Free Cities, Southern Islands, Eastern Continent

The voyage had been swift, the sea winds carrying the magic ship to its destination with practiced grace. When the vessel finally drew into the harbor of Otto City, one of the most renowned trade hubs of the known world. Ravenna along with Marie stood at the deck's edge with an unreadable expression, her gaze sweeping the coastline.

Yet even here, where prosperity and excess had once flowed like wine, there was something amiss. The harbor should have been teeming with ships locked in a chaotic dance, their sails crowding the horizon, their crews shouting in a dozen tongues as they unloaded goods from across continents. But instead, there was a subtle thinning, activity remained greater than any imperial port Marie had ever witnessed, but it carried a strained undertone.

Vendors barked prices with half-hearted cheer, dockhands moved with unusual haste, and merchants' eyes flickered nervously as if expecting misfortune to crawl from the waves at any moment. Winter's first snow began to fall in lazy flakes, settling over canvas tarps and crates of cargo. Even so, the harbor bustled with more life than the imperial capital itself, a contradiction Marie could scarcely comprehend.

"This place…" she whispered, awe woven into her words. "It feels… alive, even when it is afraid."

Ravenna said nothing, her sharp gaze missing nothing of the shifting mood.

When at last the plank lowered and they descended onto the port, the city guards awaited in strict formation, their steel helms catching the pale morning light. Around Ravenna and Marie, Hughes and the knights of Kim City tightened their protective ring, their cloaks snapping in the brisk winter air.

Ravenna's eyes narrowed. "So," she began coolly, her voice carrying like the crack of a whip across the docks, "he did not come to greet me himself?"

The officer at the head of the Otto guard blanched under her scrutiny. He stammered, his Hilde-accented Ancornan thick on his tongue. "N-no, Your Highness. Sir Kenric… he is only delayed. He made us ensure your arrival remained undisturbed."

Ravenna's glare deepened, promising consequences for lies or incompetence. The man swallowed hard, sweat beading despite the chill.

And then, just as the silence stretched too long, a figure came striding quickly down the avenue.

He cut through the bustling crowd like a blade through silk, his posture confident, his expression equal parts harried and composed. A dashing man, handsome as sin, his features sculpted by fate to catch every eye that looked his way.

Kenric Jade.

Ravenna's gaze landed on him, cold and imperious, yet a small flicker of warmth betrayed itself in her eyes: a ghost of affection only someone as close as Hughes would notice.

He stopped before her, bowing low. His voice carried a respectful gravity. "Your Highness."

"Kenric," Ravenna replied, her tone deceptively dismissive, as though speaking his name were a tiresome formality. But the faintest curl of a smile tugged at her lips.

For his part, Kenric's eyes flicked to her attire, and his breath nearly caught. Ravenna wore winter armor not of steel but of spectacle: a gown that was a masterwork of provocative defiance. Heavy charcoal wool wrapped her form in the severe austerity of a high-necked silhouette. Yet two deliberate, architectural slits shattered that illusion of modesty.

The first, a vertical cut over her left breast, framed the soft curve of her cleavage like a painter's brushstroke daring the world to look closer. The second, a commanding slit that ran from hem to hip, revealed the Apostle's mark burned into the inner thigh of her porcelain skin. With each step, the sacred emblem flashed, a defiant declaration of her faith, her power, and her refusal to conceal her sensuality even against winter's bite.

It was nothing like the clothing she wore during her time in the capital, only now after accepting the herself as the apostle.. And Kenric, who knew her better than most, understood exactly the message she sent by wearing it.

"Forgive the modesty of this welcome," he said at last, his tone steady though his eyes still lingered. "Your arrival is too dangerous to parade. Too many eyes here are not our allies. Discretion will serve us better than ceremony."

Ravenna arched a brow but said nothing. The faint smirk remained.

Kenric glanced around, scanning the dockyard with a soldier's suspicion. "Come. We will speak more at my safehouse. The walls here have too many ears."

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With a subtle gesture of his hand, the city guards shifted into motion. Ravenna, Marie, Hughes, and the knights of Kim City fell in behind him, their cloaks sweeping across the frost-dusted stones of Otto's streets.

An underground path, The Gilded Loom, Otto City, Free Cities, Southern Islands, Eastern Continent

The Gilded Loom was a bustling hotel on the surface, its three polished stories glowing warm against the cold evening. Travelers packed its common hall, the scent of roasting venison and mulled wine drifting through the air, laughter echoing above the clatter of tankards. To the casual eye, it was nothing more than a prosperous inn.

But beneath the chatter and firelight, its true heart lay hidden. A disguised door behind a wall of wine barrels opened into a secret stair, descending into stone. The air cooled, smells of oak and smoke replaced by damp stone and iron. At the base stretched a cavernous hall: bare stone walls, a vaulted ceiling lit by a heavy wrought-iron chandelier. The shadows pooled around a long scarred oak table, its surface pitted with age and blade marks, surrounded by benches. At the far end stood a raised dais and a smaller table: a throne for decisions made in smoke and secrecy.

Here, Kenric Jade held court.

He sat opposite Ravenna now, his posture easy but his gaze sharp. She reclined with effortless grace, one leg crossing over the other. The movement revealed her Apostle's mark, etched in divine authority upon her inner thigh, framed by the daring slit of her gown. The flicker of light traced over the pale skin revealed there, the mark pulsing faintly with a power that seemed both sacred and indecent.

"Quite the place you've dug yourself into," Ravenna spoke, running her fingers idly across the table's rough grain. Her smirk made the compliment feel more like a provocation.

Kenric dipped his head slightly, a smile tugging his lips. "Thank you, Your Highness. It was not easy carving out my claim here, but over the past year I've managed to sink my claws into most of the gangs that infest the Free Cities." He leaned an elbow on the table, his head tilting in her direction. "It's not the palace… but it holds."

Ravenna tapped her nails against the wood, her eyes gleaming. "Mm. But tell me, have you made progress on the only matter that truly interests you? Your sister?" Her tone was lilting, teasing, but her gaze softened for the briefest of moments.

Kenric's expression sobered. He rested his chin on his hand. "A little more than when I last wrote to you. I followed the trail of Lord Dain, searching for his ties to the Crime Syndicates here." He slid a parchment across the table, the edge catching against her fingertip as though demanding her touch.

She unrolled it with practiced ease, scanning the neat script.

"The Hercule Crime Syndicate has its hands in everything," Kenric continued, his voice low. "And their strings? They lead straight to Him and Conley. They are helping Conley tighten its grip over Bolita City, turning it into an armory and naval base. Otto City is the next stone they mean to topple."

Ravenna glanced up at him, her lips curling in a dangerous smile. "Ah. But you found more than just whispers of arms and soldiers, didn't you?"

Kenric's eyes glinted, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "I did. After your letter about the Cult of Absolution, I had my men dig deeper. What we uncovered…" He leaned closer, his tone suddenly serious. "The Hercule Syndicate is not the cult unlike you had suspected. But the cult funds it. They are the Syndicate's patron, hidden behind layers of coins and contracts."

Marie gasped softly beside Ravenna, her hands tightening in her lap. Ravenna only arched a brow, unruffled. "So Lord Dain runs Hercule's operations as a front, but he himself isn't the cult?"

Kenric shook his head. "No. He's a dog, not the master. But he's grown fat on their scraps."

"Which means…" Hughes interjected from the side, his arms crossed, "Conley's wars, Bolita's fall, Hilde's retreat, none of it is just hapenestance. It's orchestration. The cult pulling threads from the shadows."

Ravenna leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out languidly beneath the table until her foot brushed against Kenric's boot. She smirked as if she hadn't noticed. "So. As always, the world proves messier than anyone wishes to admit. But you did well, Kenric. Very diligent of you."

Kenric's smile widened. "Careful, Your Highness. Compliments from your lips feel more dangerous than daggers." He straightened, eyes locking onto hers. "I did arrange what you asked. Tomorrow morning, the Council of Otto will meet you here: in secret. No proclamations, no spies watching. Just you, them, and their fear of Bolita."

"Well done," Ravenna murmured, swirling the stem of her wine glass. Then her eyes slid toward him, teasing. "And what is it you expect in return? You've always been ambitious… always tugging at me with your own schemes."

Kenric chuckled low. "Of course I use you. I'd be a fool not to. You are my ladder, my blade, and my savior. And perhaps: my ruin." He leaned just close enough for his voice to drop, intimate and deliberate. "But that is the risk I am willing to take as always."

Her smile sharpened, pleased, predatory. "You haven't changed a bit, Kenric. And I'd be disappointed if you had."

The torches crackled. Shadows danced. For a moment, there was nothing in the chamber but the taut string of their banter, a line pulled so tight it could snap with the smallest pressure.

Finally, Ravenna rose with a languid stretch, the slit of her gown whispering open as she moved. "I suppose that deserves a reward. Tell me, are these cellars to be my quarters while I stay in Otto? Or will you dare to offer me better?"

Kenric stood as well, bowing his head with mock gravity, though his grin betrayed him. "The upper floors are luxurious, with proper beds and every comfort. I would never allow you to suffer discomfort under my roof, Your Highness. Even if it costs me everything, you will have silk to sleep on."

"Good," Ravenna said, smirking as she brushed past him, her perfume trailing like a command. "See that you're on time tomorrow. I won't forgive you twice for being late."

He let her pass, his eyes lingering, before he replied smoothly, "If I'm late, Your Highness, it will only be because I was… occupied with you."

Ravenna's laugh, rich and low, echoed through the cellar as the night drew waiting for the morning that will decide Otto City's survival.

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