The Uninvited Guest

"How are you going to deal with that?" Alaric asked, noting the severity of the compensation.

"It's not that hard, really," Henri replied, returning to his seat at the large table.

"Really? You do trade in materials, you know," Alaric said, intrigued.

"A small price to pay," Henri responded, slightly dismissive.

"I never really understood your relationship," another head said. "You and Kokoro..."

Both Henri and Beaugois turned as Freya spoke. She wore a simple linen tunic in earthy brown, over which she had draped a richly decorated mantle, fastened with a modest iron brooch. A gleaming chainmail shirt peeked through beneath a leather vest adorned with metal studs.

She smiled coyly.

"Oh..." Henri murmured.

"You were mocking him, almost—and now you're sulking?" Freya asked in disbelief.

"You wouldn't understand," Henri replied.

"Oh, I wouldn't?" Freya scoffed, then turned to Inti.

"I have no say in this matter," he said flatly.

Freya slumped against the table, visibly bored, then turned to Bel-ibni. "What do you think of this incident?"

Bel-ibni looked at her for a moment in silence, his gaze distant. "I only care for my heir," he said. "Though I am intrigued, as most of the other heads are, about the future of the Takashiro family."

"Who isn't?" Freya muttered.

"A man dies, and you're talking about his business?" Henri asked, surprised.

"Stop fooling around. Everyone knows you're just as interested," Klaus interjected, his curly hair framing a rugged face.

"Oh?" Alphonse said, raising a brow. "I thought you'd stay silent the entire meeting."

"I am silent," Klaus replied.

"What are we going to do about Colard?" Freya asked, tapping her cheek thoughtfully.

"He won't wake up until after the meeting, probably," Ashur said, sighing. He had been nearby when Colard mentioned taking a nap.

"What about the boys Henri beat up?" Alphonse asked.

"I didn't beat them up. It was—"

"Discipline," Ashur finished for him.

"Yes," Henri admitted. "I was just mad, is all. I didn't hit them that hard. They'll wake up soon."

Most of the heads didn't seem to care, but Alphonse nodded slowly. "Uh-huh."

The sage spoke quickly, seemingly eager to move the meeting along.

"Rule 3: After each wonder, return to the tower to deposit the materials. This is compulsory."

"Rule 4: You may steal materials from others, unless they are in the Stem."

"Rule 5: Communication with the heads is prohibited, as is any contact with anyone from Ghent in its entirety."

"Rule 6: You cannot obtain items for the quest from the Stem."

"Rule 7: A translator will be present in each wonder—you'll figure it out. Only one translator per two wonders."

"Rule 8: Double heirs—if one dies, it's an automatic loss."

"What's the point of sending two, then?" Henri muttered.

Anna and Elara both stiffened, clearly disturbed by the idea.

"Rule 9: You may not stay in any civilized location within a wonder for more than four days."

"Rule 10: Once you enter a wonder, you cannot leave until the objective is found."

"Rule 11: If an heir is caught conspiring with external forces, they and their guide will be banished from the quest, with no chance of return."

"Rule 12: Heirs may not exchange materials with each other unless during a sanctioned trade event."

"Rule 13: Any attempt to manipulate or alter a wonder's environment will result in immediate expulsion from the quest."

"Rule 14: Heirs must return all acquired materials to the Stem before entering a new wonder. Failure to do so results in forfeiture of the materials and penalties in the next wonder."

"Rule 15: Upon completing the third wonder, heirs must sever all emotional bonds formed during the quest—friends, allies, even fleeting connections. Refusal results in the annihilation of the bonded individual. Their memories are weaponized against the heir's sanity in future wonders. The severing is enforced by the Stem—painless for the heir, fatal for the other."

Until Rule 15, most listened in acceptance. But now, they sat in silence—fear creeping in as they imagined future comrades they'd be forced to forget... or sacrifice.

"What kind of rules are these?" Ashur asked, stunned by the tone shift.

"Most are acceptable," Alphonse replied.

"No communication? That's unacceptable," Henri snapped. Whatever the sage was planning, the heads had no say in it.

"How are the rules?" Leonardo asked Anna as she returned to her place, no longer fawning over her father.

"Bad—but manageable," she said.

"We don't even need to fight demons!" Elara added.

"It's an exploration quest at its core. Worst case, we fight other heirs," Anna said.

"Best case," Leonardo offered, "we find a wonder no one else dreams of entering."

"Hey, Marquis," Anna said as he joined them, bumping into a few heirs along the way. "The sage will soon share the unwritten skills he promised." He looked somber, clearly suppressing memories of Ryuji killing his father.

"Yeah," they all said quietly.

He turned to Leonardo. "I'm sorry for leaving earlier."

"It's okay."

"Thanks."

Silence followed. The girls had a history with Marquis—more than they'd like to admit—but they didn't mind him now.

"So… uh," Marquis started.

"Where's your guide?" Anna asked flatly, breaking the awkward silence.

"He's not here," Marquis replied in the same tone.

"Reason?" Anna asked.

"I'd like to know anything related to the explosion," Marquis said, stepping slightly closer. "I saw a chicken-headed figure following you into the Right Star."

"Yes, that was our only interaction with him—nothing further," Anna replied, sighing and stepping back. "But I did see Sergeant Fredrick heading to the station with his troops. I suppose your guide will meet them."

Marquis nodded, also stepping back. "Yeah. I hope they find something."