Nephy and Invictas sat in the dining room, having breakfast and discussing their plans concerning the war.
"Ah, by the way, who else lives in this estate?"
Invictas inquired curiously as he gave some of his food to Prada.
"In this house, just me, Alisha, Helsyn and Arien, and you. This house was designated specifically for me and my family, whilst all the other houses in this estate are for my retainers and other relatives."
Invictas nodded his head, and noticed something peculiar about Nephy's personality after conversing with her for so long.
He realized Nephy would suddenly switch between a serious demeanor to a carefree one completely at random. She would start yelling and prance around the room, but at the same time she was able to act calm and reserved, especially when it came to politics, like the noble woman she was expected to be.
Invictas wondered if this was the result of her noble upbringing, and her over-the-top playfulness was her true personality having the opportunity to show itself. Either way, he thought it was interesting.
Helsyn and Arien entered the dining room shortly after, the two not being able to wake up as early as Nephy and Invictas.
They sat next to each other, with their breakfast already on the table thanks to the courtesy of Nephy.
"Thank you again, Nephy."
Helsyn expressed gratitude towards her since she had been taking care of so many guests in the past couple of days.
"No problem! I love having guests! It makes things so much more fun, don't you think?"
Helsyn remained silent and stared at the plate of food before her.
It was a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs. She figured this was what nobles would eat on a regular basis.
The thought of consuming food so casually still bothered Helsyn. After awakening and becoming a Lucid, she hadn't actually felt the urge to eat at all, especially after having her fill of human flesh.
But now, being present in a situation where she was expected to eat made her feel uncomfortable. The day before, she simply said she wasn't hungry, but that excuse wouldn't work again.
Helsyn gulped nervously, feeling pressured to take a bite of her breakfast before someone began questioning her.
She thought to herself that her only option was to force the food down. Which is exactly what she proceeded to do.
Helsyn began shoving the food down her throat almost violently, as the others watched in confusion.
"Wow, you must have been really hungry!"
Nephy joked but seriously considered that was the case due to Helsyn skipping breakfast the day before.
Helsyn wiped her plate clean in an instant, standing up from her seat.
"Thank you for the meal."
She then quickly walked over to the bathroom and profusely vomitted everything she had just devoured.
"Goddamnit... looks like I'm still the same dumbass as before."
Helsyn cursed her very being and the way she was. She had hoped she could be able to at least put on a convincing facade for the people around her, but she didn't expect being around others to be so overwhelming.
"It's okay... everything will be fine."
Helsyn continued to regurgitate her breakfast until there was nothing left.
Nephy stood outside the bathroom door, clearly hearing everything that had been going on inside.
As Helsyn opened the door and took a step out into the hallway, she unexpectedly came face to face with Nephy, who appeared to have an unusually serious look on her face.
"Helsyn... if there's something wrong, you can tell me. I'm not dumb, you know. I can see it written all over your face."
Nephy's heartfelt words seemed to stir an uncomfortable feeling in Helsyn's chest. She hated the feeling of being vulnerable, and even worse, having someone confront her while in this vulnerable state.
Helsyn nervously darted her eyes anywhere away from Nephy, and struggled to look her straight in the face.
"I'm your friend, aren't I? You can tell me anything. After all, you're going to be here a while, right? It's only fair I get to know you more."
Her kind words continued to rend through Helsyn's chest, causing her head to feel dizzy and nauseous. She couldn't handle this amount of love and care from another human being. She wasn't used to being confronted like this.
"I-I don't know. All my life, I... I struggled to eat. Even when others would force me... I just couldn't. I'm trying to get better, I... I really am. It'll just take some time, that's all..."
Helsyn struggled to get the words out, and she simply muttered to herself awkwardly in an attempt to respond.
Suddenly, a warm, tight embrace enveloped Helsyn's body.
"It's okay, silly! You should have told me that earlier. Everyone has their fair share of problems, even me. I might not truly understand what you're going through, but I can at least try to empathize with you."
Nephy hugged Helsyn even tighter, as she nearly collapsed in her arms.
A strange feeling developed in Helsyn's chest, something different from the stabbing sensation she experienced moments prior. It was a pleasant feeling; the feeling of being cared for. The feeling of having a friend to put your trust in. Helsyn thought this was what it felt like to have stable human friendships with others. She truly felt glad, being able to experience this feeling for the first time in her life.
"I... T-Thank you. Thank you, Nephy."
Helsyn awkwardly broke away from Nephy's warm embrace and tried to resist the feeling of tears coming. She didn't want to embarass herself even more.
Nephy simply smiled gently and walked away, as if she had said everything that needed to be said. She hoped Helsyn had understood the point she was trying to convey.
"A... friend."
Helsyn smiled at the sheer concept of having a friend. It was as if she was finally experiencing something crucial to life itself that she had been missing this entire time. She was beginning to feel more whole, like she were truly alive. This was only the first step, but the first step is usually the hardest step to take.
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"Is Alisha still holed up in her room?"
Invictas expressed genuine worry for his sister, as he sat in the dining room with his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, she said she would get back to teaching Helsyn and I tomorrow. I left some food for her, so don't worry."
Nephy understood the pain Alisha was currently going through, as she herself had to cope with the loss of both her parents. Even then, Nephy still managed to maintain a strong facade in front of the people who looked up to her.
"Then I suppose we should get to coming up with a plan to deal with the Dreath situation. When will the Infrean reinforcements show up?"
"Hm... we contacted them about a week ago, so they should be coming soon. Hopefully before Dreath attacks, at least."
Invictas sighed, hoping Nephy would be a bit more urgent towards the situation at hand.
"You also said Infre didn't help us with resources either. Are they truly our allies?"
Invictas raised suspicion towards these so-called allies who had not yet appeared.
"They didn't give us any resources because they're struggling themselves. It's a mutual thing; we both gain from helping each other out."
Invictas shook his head, appearing to get more and more frustrated.
"So... this war is going to be two struggling nations against two extremely powerful nations? Don't you think we need more than that to succeed?"
Invictas stared at Nephy, hoping for a realistic response from her.
"That's the thing, isn't it? I don't think there's any possible way for us to gain an upper hand in any capacity. This is just the hand we've been dealt, and we have to make use of it."
Nephy sat calm and collected as Invictas tapped his fingers against the table impatiently.
"Then... do you at least know the capabilities of Dreath?"
Nephy shook her head.
"Nope! Zero clue."
Invictas gave her a disappointed look before proceeding to educate her.
"To be honest, I don't know much about Dreath either. They are an extremely secluded and closed off nation, but are stable enough to sustain themselves without the aid of outside sources. All I'm aware of is the kingdom seems to be shrouded in dark clouds, and their army represents themselves proudly with honor for their nation, clad in jet black armor with yellow markings."
He paused before continuing, making sure Nephy was listening.
"I've also heard rumors that Dreath possesses one of the three holy treasures, which could play as an outlier. However, if we manage to find and secure Vindyr's holy treasure, wherever it is, then maybe we can counteract it."
Nephy twiddled her fingers for a bit, deep in thought.
"I think the holy treasure is somewhere deep in the royal palace. As far as I know, no one survived the Cataclysm over there except for a few retainers and other lower-class people, but no one else of notable status. That's why the Enseraph family was chosen to take the place of the true royal family."
Invictas readjusted his glasses and pondered for a moment.
"Don't you think thats a bit too convenient, though? It's almost like an excuse for the royal family to ignore their responsibilities to let someone else do the hard work for them. I absolutely doubt everyone in the royal palace was affected by the Cataclysm; they must be living in there leisurely, pretending to be dead."
"That... could also be a possibility."
The two sat across from each other in an eerie silence. They were now presented with two dire situations: the incoming Dreath attack, which could happen at any time, and the whereabouts of the holy treasure that could potentially turn the tides if found. There was nothing they could do to defend themselves from a full-scale attack from Dreath but to wait for Infrean reinforcements to even have a chance of withstanding the attack. Seeking out the holy treasure would also be an ordeal in itself, as it would involve invading the royal palace and getting rid of any remnants of the royal guard left inside.
Invictas finished compiling his thoughts and proposed a plan.
"Okay... here's the plan. Since we can do nothing about the Dreath attack, we simply defend ourselves as best we can. As for the holy treasure, we can send a few people to infiltrate the palace to steal it."
That plan was the most sensible, and seemed easy enough.
"Helsyn. Are you up for it?"
Helsyn was seated at the back of the room, listening to their discussion as background noise.
"Huh... why me?"
"Because you're capable. I was planning on sending Alisha with you as well, since she was a former royal guard. She could help you get around. Nephy and I would have to stay behind to defend against Dreath's attacks."
Helsyn sighed nonchalantly.
"I don't care. But make sure you watch Arien. Since I can't watch her, you two will have to take that responsibility for me."
Invictas nodded his head in agreement.
"You can trust us. I'll go ahead and notify Alisha. As for the plan... we execute it tonight. The royal palace isn't far from here."
The three dismissed themselves from the dining room, which happened to become their main meeting place for discussing plans and other important matters.
Helsyn opened the door to her room and was greeted by the sight of Arien playing with her dolls.
"Arien, I have to go out somewhere tonight. Promise you'll behave?"
The little girl looked up at Helsyn, wide-eyed.
"I wanna go too. Why can't I go?"
Helsyn sighed.
"Because it's dangerous. I'll be back by tomorrow. Just make sure you stay by Nephy and Invictas, okay?"
Arien stayed silent for a moment before resigning herself.
"Okay..."
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Invictas knocked on the door to Helsyn's room. She knew it was time to go. Alisha stood beside him, looking tired and depressed.
"Are you sure you're in good enough shape for this?"
Helsyn asked worriedly. She didn't want to force Alisha to do something she didn't want to.
"No, it's fine. In fact, this will help me take my mind off things."
Helsyn decided to take her word for it.
"Okay, then. Take me to the royal palace."
She then turned to Invictas.
"And make sure you don't take your eyes off Arien, not even for a second."
Invictas nodded, making sure not to incur the wrath of the young lady before him.
"I hear you. Make sure you both be careful and come back in one piece."
Helsyn and Alisha left the Enseraph estate and made their way to the royal palace under the darkness of the night in order to conceal their presence.