ShadowBound: The Need For Power

Within the hallowed halls of the Tempest Palace, in the quiet sanctum of the royal study, Queen Lucy sat with her usual composed grace behind her grand oak desk. Afternoon sunlight spilled lazily through the tall arched windows behind her, casting warm golden beams across the polished floors and bathing her workspace in light. Her eyes were locked on the pages of a thick tome, the text etched in ancient script as she schemed intently through the material.

Not far from her, nestled in one of the plush couches near the towering bookshelf, sat a familiar figure—Mystica. Draped in her signature dark dress embroidered with violet thread, she looked like a sorceress plucked straight out of a fable. Her violet gaze was locked onto her own tome, flipping through pages with quiet determination.

"Found anything yet?" Lucy asked, her eyes still glued to the pages.

"Nope," Mystica replied dryly. "The Tempest royals have hired so many damn servants over the years. Even with records, finding just one person is a whole headache."

"At least there are records," Lucy murmured, her tone half-hopeful, half-weary.

"Yeah, yeah… I guess that's something," Mystica muttered, continuing her relentless page-flipping.

Suddenly, her hands stilled. Her index finger hovered over a line on the page, tracing a name slowly, eyes narrowing.

"I think I found it," she said, lifting her gaze to meet Lucy's.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, finally glancing up from her own tome. "You sure?"

"This is the only name like it in the entire damn registry… so yeah, I'm kinda sure," Mystica replied with a thoughtful tilt of her head.

Lucy let out a quiet sigh. "Pass it over."

Without another word, Mystica flicked her fingers, and the tome in her hands glowed faintly with violet magic. The book floated smoothly through the air, sailing gently across the desk until it landed with the softest thud in front of the queen.

Lucy lowered her gaze, scanning the text until her eyes landed on a name glowing faintly with blue mystic threads.

Morenelle Hanen

That was the name.

Before Mabel had returned to her position as Liam's protector, Lucy had questioned her carefully about the kidnapping—how it happened, what she remembered. But, just like Lucy and the rest of the high circle, Mabel had no clue how the palace's reinforced security had been bypassed. The mystic barriers, the surveillance spells, the defensive wards—none of them had triggered.

But Mabel had remembered a name. The one who broke through their impenetrable walls.

Sylvathar's assistant. Morenelle.

She had told them that Morenelle had a spatial affinity and a strange, masterful understanding of veils and space manipulation.

The name had meant nothing to Mabel. Nothing to Mystica either. But Lucy—Lucy had felt a spark of familiarity. A ghost of the name whispered from years past.

And so, she and Mystica had buried themselves in old servant records, flipping through dusty tomes and mystic logs again and again. Five rounds. Ten. Maybe more. All in search of that one forgotten thread.

And now, finally, after months of combing through the labyrinth of the past—they had found it.

Morenelle Hanen.

"Morenelle Hanen," Lucy echoed aloud, staring at the name as if willing it to unlock some hidden memory.

"Does it paint a clearer picture now that we've got a full name?" Mystica asked, stepping closer.

"No… not really," Lucy admitted. "But at least now we can trace what her duties were in the palace."

She tapped the glowing name, and the tome reacted instantly. Pages flipped in a whirlwind of movement before landing on a single sheet that shimmered faintly with ink.

Mystica stepped from the couch and moved behind Lucy, standing at her shoulder as both gazed at the record.

Brought to you by MV6LEMPY6R.

"A profile," Mystica noted, squinting. "Looks kinda short though, don't you think?"

"No… this is the standard length," Lucy replied. "Anyway, it says here that—"

Before she could finish, the doors to the royal study creaked open.

Two figures stepped inside, mid-argument.

"You know, you really are a terrible person," Magnus's voice rang out as he entered beside Galen.

"Do you have to keep repeating that line every time we walk into a room?" Galen asked, already dropping into one of the armchairs across from Lucy's desk.

"Nope," Magnus replied casually, already making his way to the wine shelf. "But I will. Because who the hell says they'll finally open up about something important, then vanishes for two weeks and reappears acting like nothing happened? Hmm?"

He poured wine into two glasses without looking, then passed one to Galen as he plopped onto the couch Mystica had recently vacated.

"Know what that makes you, Gally? A terrible person." He raised his glass with a dramatic flair and took a sip.

"You said a whole lot of nothing just to insult me," Galen muttered, rolling his eyes and sipping his wine as well.

Only after drinking did Galen finally notice Lucy and Mystica, who had been quietly observing the entrance and ensuing squabble with near-amused silence.

They looked like two storm clouds crashing into the study—chaos following them in every step. Like old married couples who still hadn't figured out how to stop bickering.

"Oh hey," Galen said as his eyes finally settled on Lucy, his tone light but laced with curiosity.

Lucy scoffed slightly, folding her arms as she glanced between the two men. "It seems you two will never learn proper manners, no matter what nonsense life throws your way. I might as well forget it entirely and stop wasting my breath trying to teach you like you're some unruly little boys."

"He started it," Magnus said instantly, jabbing a lazy finger in Galen's direction.

"What are you guys even up to anyway?" Galen asked, clearly changing the subject without shame.

Realizing his obvious attempt to deflect, Lucy just rolled her eyes and went along with it.

"We finally stumbled on something that might actually help us understand how the palace's security was breached so easily," she said calmly, her voice steady but carrying a spark of urgency.

Magnus tilted his head lazily from where he reclined. "And how exactly are you going to determine how the security was breached when you don't even know who did the breaching?"

"Well, that's the part we've figured out, Magpie," Mystica chimed in with a sly smirk from where she stood nearby.

"Ohhh," Magnus said, lifting his glass for another sip of wine. "See, you should've led with that. Anyway, enlighten us. What exactly did you find?"

Lucy sighed slightly, flipping a page in the worn book she held. "Turns out Sylvathar's assistant was once a servant of the Tempest Palace—about seventeen years ago. And not just any servant. She was one of the few who had access to the palace's inner defense systems. She actually held a leadership position in the magical architecture division."

Her eyes kept flicking from the text to the faces around her as she spoke.

"That's suspiciously convenient. Did something happen between her and the kingdom that would've made her betray her people and switch sides to Sylvathar?" Galen asked.

"Nothing at all," Lucy answered, then glanced back down to the pages. "According to this old personnel profile, Morenelle Hanen was declared dead sixteen years ago following a demon ambush. Her body was never recovered, and she was listed as missing—until a severed arm matching her exact physical traits was found. That led to her being officially pronounced dead."

"Sylvathar might've retrieved her before or after that and reshaped her into one of his hybrids or even his first hybrid," Mystica said, now leaning casually against the wide stone window behind Lucy.

"Probably," Lucy muttered. "But what would've made her accept Sylvathar's offer, even if she was on the brink of death?"

"The same thing that made all the other hybrids we fought during the war turn. Power," Galen replied, his voice steady. "Though in her case, it might've been less about strength and more about the raw will to live, no matter the cost."

"Whichever it was, it's in the past now," he added. "The important takeaway is that we now know how the palace's defenses were bypassed without alerting anyone. The person who breached it didn't need to overpower the security—they knew the entire system inside and out. No point wasting time chasing shadows when we've already got the answer."

"You're right," Lucy agreed. "Now, we can finally focus on laying a brand new defense system for the palace. Only a small circle of trusted individuals will be involved in its creation—and I want you to be part of that circle, Mystica. You'll act as my second-in-command."

"Fine by me," Mystica said without hesitation.

"Good. Now that that's settled," Lucy said, shifting her gaze toward Galen, "can we finally talk about why you've decided to crawl out of hiding after four long months?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you finally ready to tell us the truth about Liam's parents?"

A brief silence fell across the room like a drawn curtain.

Galen slowly finished the last sip of his wine, then placed the empty glass on the nearby table. He leaned back into the plush cushions of his seat, hands steepled lightly in front of him.

"Yep."