“What’s going on? What’s that on your wrist?” Allyssa’s voice snapped Scarlett back to the present.

“You can see this?” Scarlett asked, turning to face the girl with a furrowed brow.

“Um, yes…?” Allyssa replied, her eyes darting uncertainly between Scarlett and the others. “Am I not supposed to?”

Yamina stepped forward, her keen gaze fixed on Scarlett’s wrist. “What manner of artifact is that?”

Scarlett’s frown deepened as she regarded the wizard. Suddenly, all of them could see it? Did that mean it was now visible to anyone, or was it because they all diverged at least slightly from fate? She shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside. There were more pressing matters at hand.

“We can discuss this later,” she said. “Miss Ward, we need to return to the surface immediately.”

Yamina’s eyes narrowed, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “Everyone, prepare yourselves,” she announced, preparing to activate her teleportation artifact.

With a wave of her hand, a blinding light enveloped them, and Scarlett felt the world lurch around her. The piercing headache that had been gnawing at her intensified, threatening to briefly overwhelm her senses. When reality stabilised, she found herself leaning heavily on Fynn and Rosa in their guest quarters, her vision swimming.

As the pain ebbed and her surroundings came into focus, Scarlett straightened, pushing away from her companions. With a flick of her wrist, she activated her [Charms of Expeditious Change] to swap her expedition gear for a more comfortable black dress, then strode purposefully towards the door, ignoring the concerned looks of the others.

At the threshold, she paused, turning to face Yamina. “Miss Ward, you have my gratitude for your assistance tonight,” she said, keeping her voice steady despite the lingering discomfort. “We will need to discuss matters further soon, but for now, our business is concluded. It may be best if you take your leave.”

The woman’s expression seemed to suggest she didn’t quite agree that they were done for now, but after a moment’s consideration, she nodded. “Until we meet again, then,” she replied. With another shimmer of light, she vanished, leaving the room’s occupants staring at Scarlett.

Without another word, Scarlett exited into the hallway. Rosa’s voice called out behind her.

“Wait, Scarlett!”

She pressed on, her footsteps sounding out against the wooden floor as she made her way to a door at the hall’s end. She raised her hand to knock firmly.

“It would be best if you change out of your gear before leaving,” she declared, hearing the others approach from behind. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw her companions, still clad in their dungeon-crawling attire, pause and exchange brief looks before retreating. Only Fynn, who barely had any real gear to speak of anyway, remained by her side.

Refocusing on the door before her, Scarlett tried knocking once again, more forcefully this time. Her foot tapped an impatient rhythm as she waited, the seconds stretching interminably. Finally, the door creaked open, revealing a disheveled young wizard in rumpled grey robes, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

“Contact Grand Wizard Hartford,” Scarlett commanded, her tone brooking no argument. “Now.”

The man flinched at her sharp words but quickly disappeared into the room again. He returned moments later, presenting a circular metal disk.

Scarlett examined the device in her hands. “How does this function?”

“Ah, um, yes, my apologies.” The wizard hastily reached out to touch the disk. A soft blue light pulsed to life. “T-There. Now, when Grand Wizard Hartford sees your message, he’ll respond.”

“And how long might that take?”

His hand crept to the back of his neck. “I…I don’t know?”

Scarlett clicked her tongue in frustration. “Very well.”

Taking the device, she turned and descended a nearby staircase, navigating the corridors of their lodgings until she was outside. She emerged into a spacious circular courtyard, one of many nestled among the Rising Isle’s network of waterways. Her gaze swept across the landscape, where the vista of elevated islands and cascading waterfalls gave way to the vast ocean’s expanse in the distance. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in soft hues of pink and gold, but there were no signs of anything out of the ordinary.

She glanced down at the device in her hand. Its gentle blue pulse remained unchanged.

Was Gaspar still asleep? No, that seemed unlikely. She had been assured she could reach him at any hour if necessary. Rather, it was more probable that he was occupied.

She doubted it was a coincidence that he was unavailable precisely when the Orrery displayed this kind of reaction. But what could she do about it? Nothing. Not when she was here on the Rising Isle.

Feeling the weight of fatigue settling over her, and with little else to do but wait, she walked over to a nearby bench, sinking onto the weathered wood with a soft sigh. Her fingers drummed an absent rhythm on the armrest as she fixed her gaze on the horizon. Fynn took up a silent vigil beside her.

A few minutes later, Rosa arrived, her enchanted cloak draped over a simple blouse. She carried a brush in hand, for some reason, working it through her hair as she sat down next to Scarlett.The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Allyssa’s helping Shin with his armor, but they’ll be here soon,” the woman said while sorting her rumpled locks, her gaze sweeping over the breathtaking landscape. “I’ll say, you gave them quite a scare, rushing off like that. Made one think the skies were falling down or some such. You might want to consider softening that hard-headed approach of yours. You’re liable to give the younglings heart attacks at this rate.”

“That is currently the least of my concerns,” Scarlett responded, her tone cool and distant.

“Yeah, I can tell.” Rosa’s eyes flicked to the Orrery on Scarlett’s wrist. “…So, what is up, Red? It’s not like you to act on impulse. Does that bracelet thingy spinning mean trouble’s brewing or something?”

Scarlett looked down at the artifact, the metal orb on its face and the rings around it in constant motion. “…I do not know,” she admitted after a pause. “That is precisely what concerns me. It could signify any number of possibilities.”

She had some notion of the most probable scenarios, but the uncertainty was the problem.

Rosa’s expression grew somber. “Not gonna lie, hearing you say that has me worried.”

“As well it should.”

“So, what’s our plan?”

“First, we need more information,” Scarlett said. She held up the disc artifact she’d been given before placing it between them on the bench. “While we remain on the Isle, our best source of insight is through its wizards.”

“You’re trying to reach that old man Hartford, then?”

“Yes.”

“You sure he’s not sleeping?”

“I doubt that is the case.”

“Alright, if you say so. Then what? We just wait?”

Scarlett fell silent for a moment. “…For now, yes.”

Fynn observed them both, then settled down on the ground, closing his eyes. Scarlett leaned back, allowing herself a brief respite as they waited. After a while, Shin and Allyssa joined them, having changed back into their normal clothes. Sensing the subdued atmosphere, they remained quiet.

Scarlett wasn’t really sure how much time passed like that, but finally, Gaspar’s voice crackled from the artifact and roused her addled mind back to the present. “What is it, Baroness? I’m busy.”

Sitting up straight, her companion’s attention immediately focused on her.

“I need an update on the situation in the empire,” she said.

A beat of silence followed. “Baroness, under normal circumstances, there is no way to receive external news here on the Isle, outside the Chamber of Conjunction. Yet, you seem to be aware of the situation at hand already.”

“I am not. However, your response suggests that something is indeed unfolding in the empire.”

“…Yes.”

“Tell me what.”

Another pause stretched out. Shin and Allyssa exchanged glances, looking to Rosa as if asking what was going on. The bard could only offer a helpless shrug.

Finally, a resigned sigh echoed from the communication artifact. “Early this morning, we detected several intense surges of magical energy across the continent, primarily concentrated around the empire. It appears these are part of a coordinated attack. The scale and methods of these assaults vary greatly, and we’re still mapping them, but our communications with certain imperial mages and our own readings have confirmed the presence of numerous monsters attacking settlements. The full extent of the attacks remains unclear.”

“What?!” Allyssa’s eyes widened in shock, her reaction mirrored by the others.

Scarlett’s expression hardened.

Her foremost suspicion was correct, then. The Hallowed Cabal had initiated their assault on the empire. Though it occurred sooner than in the game, even earlier than she herself had anticipated, it didn’t catch her entirely off-guard. There was a certain relief in knowing that she wasn’t facing a crisis she hadn’t at least considered.

That said, this situation was far from preferable, especially while she was away.

“What more can you tell us?” she pressed.

“Very little,” Gaspar replied. “I was informed of this less than an hour ago, Baroness. I’m far more curious about how you came to know of it, but I’ll set that aside for the time being. We are still identifying the types of monsters involved. There are reports suggesting dragons among them, which is astounding if true. The attacks’ deliberate precision is evident, yet the method used to gather and direct such a diverse force of beasts remains a mystery.”

Allyssa murmured the word ‘dragons’ under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief.

Scarlett considered the girl for a moment before returning her attention to the communication artifact.

She knew exactly what method had been used. The Cabal had finally utilised the [Ring of Depravity] they’d stolen during their raid on the Tyndall Ball. It would likely take at least a day or so before anyone could make full sense of what was happening, though, and there was no telling the extent of damage that would be caused in that time.

“I need to use the Kilnstone and return to the empire,” she said.

While her pact with the Cabal should mitigate the severity of the initial attacks in the Freybrook area, her presence back home would still be important. There would be numerous tasks to handle, including things related to the relief efforts Evelyne had been working on.

Actually, that reminded her of a troubling thought. Wasn’t Evelyne supposed to still be in Autumnwell? How hard would it be for her to return while all of this was going on?

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Gaspar replied, his tone laced with unexpected frustration.

Scarlett’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“We’ve already tried it, but the Kilnstone network across the empire is currently inactive,” he explained. “This disruption is unprecedented. None of the fools over there can provide us any relevant insight into how it’s possible, either. Clearly, the actors behind this attack possess capabilities far beyond what the empire—or even we on the Isle—had anticipated.”

The Cabal had disabled the Kilnstone network? She didn’t even know they could do that, although if any group could manage it, it would be them.

“Then have one of your wizards transport me instead,” she demanded.

“Do you take our wizards for your personal attendants, Baroness? The few capable of such magic are preoccupied. An event of this magnitude hasn’t occurred in years, and we must prepare on all fronts. You will simply have to be patient. Whatever is causing the Kilnstones to malfunction is almost definitely temporary. I would be surprised if it persists beyond today.”

Scarlett bit back a retort. She wanted to argue that an attack on the Rising Isle was highly improbable, so whatever preparations they were doing weren’t necessary. But convincing Gaspar would be futile. Given that it was an emergency, no amount of valuable information she could offer would sway them. Even the Rising Isle, with its abundance of skilled mages, would only have a handful capable of teleportation over such long distances.

“If that is all,” Gaspar said, “then I really must take my leave. We are currently working on establishing a communication network with the mage towers on the continent to better assess the situation and formulate a response. I cannot spare more time. If you have further questions, I suggest you consult Magister Penney.”

The disc’s glow faded, leaving Scarlett staring at the now-inert artifact.

“What… What does this mean?” Allyssa asked, her voice trembling as she turned to Scarlett.

Scarlett met her gaze, then leaned her back, pressing a thumb to her temple. No doubt, the empire would be in chaos. The fallout of this attack would be far-reaching, but at least she could find some solace in having protected herself as best she could.

Yet, she wasn’t entirely comfortable relying solely on that mindset. This crisis did affect her deeply, even if it felt oddly disconnected in some ways.

“I do not know,” she finally said, exhaling a deep sigh. “Not yet, at least. But we will soon learn.”