Before Fren could argue, a white pigeon swooped down from the canopy, circling the group before landing neatly on Ress's shoulder. It cooed softly, shimmering as it transformed into a scroll tied with a golden ribbon.
Ress raised an eyebrow, untied the ribbon, and unrolled the scroll. Her casual demeanor shifted slightly as she scanned the message, her playful smirk fading into a thoughtful expression.
"What is it?" Arem asked, noticing the change in her tone.
"The Dominion Council," Ress said, rolling up the scroll and tucking it into her coat. "They're summoning me."
"For what?" Jax asked warily.
Ress shrugged, brushing a stray leaf off her coat. "Who knows? Probably to remind me how much they disapprove of my sparkling personality."
"Wait, is this about the Razorback incident?" Arem asked, her voice edged with concern.
"Doubt it," Ress replied casually, starting to walk away. "They never care about fieldwork until it blows up in their faces. This is probably just another lecture about playing by the rules."
"So… what now?" Jax asked, his gaze following her as she strolled toward the garden's edge.
"Now," Ress said, waving over her shoulder, "I go deal with the Council, and you three go back to what you do best—causing chaos, breaking things, and making my life harder."
"Hey, we didn't break anything this time!" Jax protested, though his eyes darted to a cracked flower pot near the garden entrance. "…Mostly."
Ress smirked, pausing to glance over her shoulder. "Fren."
Fren straightened, caught off guard. "Uh, yes?"
"You—practice," Ress said firmly. "Next time, I expect you to face a super-beast without looking like you're about to keel over."
Fren flushed but managed a hesitant nod. "I… I'll try."
"Good," Ress said, turning back around. "And don't burn the garden down while I'm gone."
As she disappeared into the trees, Jax clapped a hand on Fren's shoulder. "Well, you heard her. Back to training, rookie."
Fren groaned, glancing at Arem. "Is it always like this?"
"Pretty much," Arem said cheerfully, nudging him forward.
With that, he stretched his arms and turned away. "Well, I'm heading to my room now," he said casually before walking off.
Meanwhile,Fren and Jax got back to training,
To be continue...