Vivienne didn’t have to wait long before another dress was delivered. Apparently, she had terrified the boy so thhly that he’d begged someone else to take oask, vanishing to busy himself elsewhere. Vivienne found it all rather amusing. After all, a fresh servant was just another opportunity for eai.

  When the knock came, she called out with a lilting, “Enter if you dare!”

  The door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged woman holding a ly folded dress. The servant stepped inside cautiously, her eyes widening at the sight of Vivienne’s imposing figure. What happened , however, was not the rea Vivienne had expected.

  The woman’s gaze dropped, lingering far lohan necessary on Vivienne’s chest. For a moment, the servant seemed utterly mesmerised, her face reddening as her focus remained fixed.

  Vivienne arched an eyebrow, waiting, her smirk growing by the sed. Finally, she cleared her throat, a low, deliberate sound.

  The servant startled as if caught in a daydream, jerking her head up to meet Vivienne’s amused gaze. “Oh! I—I beg your pardon, my dy!” she stammered, fumbling to present the dress.

  Vivienne chuckled, her voice smooth and teasing. “o apologise. I’m gd you are enjoying the view. I know I am.”

  The woman’s face deepeo a shade of crimson as she practically thrust the dress into Vivienne’s hands. “Th-this was all we could find on short notice, my dy.”

  Vivieook the pin garment gingerly, her cws brushing the fabric. It was simple—far less iing than the one she’d destroyed within days of receiving. Still, it was better than running around naked. With a sigh, she shifted bato her prime form.

  The transformation earned a startled yelp from the servant, who stood frozen, wide-eyed and blushing furiously. Ign the rea, Vivienne slipped the dress over her frame, frowning as her elbow spines immediately caught on the fabric. With deliberate care—and a wicked griore holes for the spio poke through, relishing the servant’s nervous flinch at the sound of ripping cloth.

  When she was done, Vivienne smoothed the dress over her hips and fshed her most disarming smile. “Thank you. You may leave.”

  The servaated, her gaze lingering far too long before she managed a stiff nod and quickly excused herself, practically fleeing the room.

  Ohe door closed, Vivieretched, her tail flig with excitement. “Well,” she mused, grinning to herself, “let’s see how Rava’s doing.”

  She found Rava still sprawled on the bed, half-covered by a b she had kicked aside during the night. The lekine was out cold, her breathing steady but shallow. Yet something caught Vivienne’s attention—a faint but growing pulse of aether radiating from her panion. It was strohan it had been ho, though not by much.

  “Hmm,” Vivienne murmured, tilting her head. She tapped a cw against her lip as she sidered. Was it simply a ck of aether that had left Rava so weak? She remembered the strange ease with which she had elled energy in the ruins—how it had felt natural, almost instinctive. Perhaps she could try again here. If it worked, it might give Rava the boost she needed.

  Settling beside the bed, Vivienne focused on the ambieher around them. The air was unusually thick with it, though she couldn’t quite pce why. Slowly, carefully, she began to draw it toward herself. It was like catg threads of smoke, tugging them gently into a weave.

  She pced a cwed hand on Rava’s shoulder and trated, pushing the raw aether into her. At first, nothing happehen, gradually, she felt resistance give way. The flow stabilised, and Rava stirred slightly, her ears twitg. Vivienne allowed herself a small smile.

  “There we go,” she whispered. “Take what you need.”

  Rava let out a low groan, her eyes fluttering open. Her gaze nded on Vivienne, and fusion briefly crossed her face before relief softened her features. The ers of her mouth twitched into a faint smile, the tension in her frame easing slightly. Taking that as encement, Vivienne allowed the flow of aether to deepeing it saturate the lekine’s weary body.

  Rava’s breathing steadied, her ears flig faintly. “That... feels strange,” she murmured, her voice raspy but strohan before.

  “Strange good or strange bad?” Vivienne asked, tilting her head.

  Rava blinked a few times, her brow furrowing. “Good, I think. Like... warmth, but not? It’s hard to expin.”

  “Well, as long as it’s not killing you,” Vivienne quipped with a smirk, drawing her hand back. The flow of aether tapered off, leaving a faint shimmer in the air that quickly dissipated.

  Rava pushed herself up onto her elbows, wing slightly but looking far better than she had earlier. “What did you just do?”

  Vivienne leaned back, propping herself on her cws as she plopped onto the floor with a casual shrug. “Remember when I, uh, borrowed a bit too much aether in the ruins and then gave some back? I just did that again. Last night, I could barely taste you—figured you were running oy and needed a pick-me-up.”

  Rava froze mid-motion, her ears flig sharply as a faint blush crept across her cheeks. Her tail swished in annoyance, betraying her disfort. “Could you not word it like that?”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, her sharp teeth catg the light as she leaned forward, clearly revelling in Rava’s rea. “Why not? It’s the truth. You’ve got this... distinctive fvour—like rain on stone, autumn winds, and just a hint of something fiery. Kind of like a storm deg whether to behave or wreak havoc.” She waved her cws in a loose, exaggerated gesture, utterly unapologetic.

  Rava groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “Could you just say, ‘I helped you’ and leave it at that?”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Vivienne quipped, her tail flig zily behind her. “Besides, I’m plimenting you. You’re delietaphorically speaking, of course. Well, mostly.”

  Rava shot Vivienne a withering look, but decided it wasn’t worth the argument. Instead, she redirected her focus, testing her bance as she pushed herself off the bed and stood. “Let’s just get moving. I o report to my mother.”

  “Whatever you say, little treat,” Vivienne replied with a mischievous smirk, her voice dripping with pyful amusement.

  Before Rava could retort, Vivienne’s form shimmered and dissolved, her body briefly being a swirling, dark haze before ref into her prime shape, already standing upright. She stretched nguidly, her cws flexing as if to show off.

  Rava’s ears twitched, her expression caught somewhere between impressed and annoyed. “Do you have to make everything dramatic?”

  Vivienne’s smirk widened. “Yes.”

  Rava muttered something under her breath, shaking her head as she adjusted the straps on her gaus. “Let’s just go before I regret dragging you into this.”

  Vivienne chuckled softly, falling into step behind Rava. “Oh, e now. You’d miss me terribly if I left.”

  Rava didn’t reply, though her tail flicked sharply—a gesture that could’ve meant annoya hi something else.

  “So,” Vivienne begaone ced with mock curiosity, “where will Mother Dearest be? Or does she live in that quaint little meeting room?”

  Rava sighed, adjustiunid smoothing out the wrinkles as they walked. “She’s a busy woman. Most of the time, she’s in her office. Occasionally, though, she’s out iraining yards in the back.”

  “Theraining grounds it is,” Vivienne decred, her gaze drifting ahead. “I taste something strong ing from there.”

  Rava gnced back at her, puzzled. “You tell from here?”

  “I suppose I ,” Vivienne mused, her voice almost nont. “It’s faint because of the distance, but your mother? She’s practically a fountain of aether. Excluding about four others, I only taste...” She paused dramatically, stig her inky, worm-like too the air like a serpeing the wind. “Roughly four servants nearby. There’s also a strong pool of aether somewhere in this building—less potent than you but notable. Oh, and the weakest one is leaving for the city, I think.”

  Rava quirked a brow. “That’s four. What about the fifth?”

  Vivienne hummed, her expression ptive as she trated. “Hard to say exactly how far they are, but they seem to be in the heart of the city. It’s faint though.”

  Rava’s ears twitched as she frowned, evident on her face. “I see. The one in the building is probably my sed-oldest brother. He’s a powerful exomancer. He tends to spend all of his time in his boratory.”

  “Powerful, hmm?” Vivienne’s griurned, her i piqued. “Do you get along with him, or is he another obstacle to navigate?”

  “Define ‘get along,’” Rava muttered, her tone dry. “He’s... intense. Always focused on tradition, hierarchy, and making sure everyone knows their pce. Which, in his mind, means I should’ve stayed out of trouble a my head down.” She sighed. “But he’s not malicious, just... difficult.”

  Vivienne chuckled, her sharp teeth gleaming. “Sounds delightful. I ’t wait to meet him.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t e to that,” Rava muttered under her breath.

  As they stepped into the courtyard, the sounds of g metal and barking orders filled the air. Soldiers and exomancers alike trained rigorously, their movements precise and disciplined uhe watchful eyes of their instructors. The space was a stark trast to the quiet halls they’d just left—alive with energy and purpose.

  Vivienne’s gaze swept across the courtyard like a predator assessing its meal. Her pupils narrowed, gleaming with amusement. "Your mother truly knows how to keep her house in order," she remarked, her grin widening to expose sharp teeth.

  Rava exhaled slowly and led Vivienne closer to Korriva, halting a respectful distance away. She bowed slightly. “High Fang.”

  Korriva’s anding presence remained unshaken, her sharp amber eyes flig betweewo of them. “Soldiers! Take ten.” Her voice rang with authority, scattering the traio the edges of the courtyard. She turned her full attention to Rava. “You should have reported as soon as you returned.”

  Rava straightened, her tone measured but respectful. “I apologise, High Fang. I could barely hold sciousness after st night.”

  “Oh?” Korriva tilted her head slightly, her curiosity palpable.

  Rava hesitated only briefly. “I had to use full-body empowerment. Kaelen’s clergy breached our wards.”

  Vivienne observed the flick of Korriva’s ears—i rather than arm, though her stance became subtly mid.

  “They breached the wards?” Korriva’s voice remained cool, though a sharpness crept ih it. “And?”

  “I dealt with several personally. Their bodies should still be in the woodlock. Many mao escape.” Rava’s voice remaieady, though Vivienne could practically taste the undercurrent of tension. “But there’s more. The disappearances—Kaelen’s clergy appear to be involved. We found a boy being drained of his aether for a ritual. He’s alive but gravely weakened.”

  Korriva’s lips pressed into a tight line, her eyes narrowing. “Aetheric ritualists under Kaelen’s sect. Troublesome, but not unheard of. What else?”

  Rava gnced briefly at Vivienne, her hesitation subtle. “They summoned a Nexus Arbiter.”

  That revetion earned Korriva’s full attention. Her wolfish head tilted slightly, her mouth curling into a sharp smile that was more calg than warm. “A Nexus Arbiter? And I presume you dispatched it?”

  “With Vivienne’s help,” Rava firmed. “It created a barrier to empower itself. She kept it occupied while I dismahe barrier.”

  Korriva turned her gaze to Viviehe weight of her scrutiny almost tangible. The air seemed to grow heavier under her pierg stare. “You distracted a Nexus Arbiter? Fasating.”

  Vivienne, ever unbothered, spread her hands with a grin. “I am fasating, aren’t I? Finally, some proper appreciation for my talents. Rava keeps ag like I’m just here to be annoying.”

  Rava rolled her eyes. “Could you at least pretend to have some de?”

  “I am the paragon of good manners,” Vivienne replied, her grin widening mischievously.

  Korriva’s expression remained indecipherable, though her tail flicked once, almost imperceptibly. “Indeed.” Without further ent, she turned on her heel. “Follow.”

  her argued, though Vivienne couldn’t help but feel the sheer weight of Korriva’s aether as they trailed behind her. It was suffog, a r bonfire pared to the flickering dle of her own. If fear was something Vivienne allowed herself, she might have been terrified. Instead, she found herself impressed.

  Korriva led them to a quiet grove, away from the noise of the courtyard. The soft rustling of leaves filled the air as she turo face them. “Tell me, iail, what happe night.”

  Rava opened her mouth to reply, but Vivien her to it, ung into a vivid retelling. Every twist of danger, every blow exged, every moment of tension un into a tale dripping with dramatic fir. She stuck to the truth—mostly—but couldn’t resist embellishing where it suited her.

  Throughout the reting, Korriva remained impassive, her expression giving away nothing. When Vivienne finally finished, she arched a brow and turo her daughter. “Is this accurate?”

  Rava sighed, her ears fttening slightly. “Slightly exaggerated, but… yes.”

  Korriva stroked her thoughtfully, her sharp gaze flig between them. “Then I’m impressed. Surviving an enter with one of the gods’ hands is no small feat. Defeating it is extraordinary.”

  Vivienne leaned casually against a tree, clearly basking in the praise. “Extraordinary is my middle name. Well, actually it’s Marie, but that is her here nor there.”

  Korriva ighe quip, her attention firmly on Rava. “We’ll o send scouts to firm the bodies and secure the area. Kaelen’s clergy are bold to breach our nds so openly. This Nexus Arbiter—did it reveal anything of their i?”

  Rava shook her head. “No. It was focused entirely on eliminating us.”

  “Of course it was.” Korriva’s voice dropped to a low growl, her wolfish features sharpening with tension. “Praxus doesn’t send his followers on half-hearted errands. This was deliberate.”

  Vivieraightehe grin slipping from her face, though her tone remained casual. “Well, if he wants to py games, I’m more than happy to ruin his day. Or his whole year.”

  Korriva’s sharp gaze shifted fully to Vivienne, her eyes narrowing. “Which brings me to my question.” Her voice carried an edge, cutting through the moment like a bde. “Whiarked you?”

  Vivienne’s griurned, needle-like teeth glinting in the dappled light of the grove. “Ah, you’re sharp, High Fang. You did mentinising that I was touched—or marked, or something—by the divine. So tell me, how do you know?”

  Korriva’s voice was stern and unwavering. “My question first, nightmare.”

  Vivienne raised her cwed hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine.” She tilted her head, her grin widening just enough to be uling. “Akhenna.”

  The fai flicker of surprise crossed Korriva’s face, quickly repced by a thoughtful frown. “Akhenna?” She repeated, the name heavy with disbelief. “That doesn’t seem likely. There are no tales of her interfering with the world directly. She pys her games from the shadows—or so the stories say.”

  Before Vivienne could respond, Rava’s voice cut in, quieter but resolute. “It… it makes seo me.”

  Korriva’s ears swivelled toward her daughter, her gaze shifting. “Expin.”

  Rava hesitated for a moment, gng at Vivienne as if seeking permission. Vivienne simply gave a small, amused shrug, motioning for her to tinue.

  “Well, Akhenna is the goddess of chaos,” Rava begaone cautious but steady. “And Vivienne… she’s uable. Powerful. Whatever she is, it doesn’t fit into any natural order. The things she do, her abilities—they’re not tied to any of the usual aetheric schools. She seems to be made of primarily dusk aether but I’ve seen her eat dawher too. She’s not… normal.”

  “Fttering,” Vivienne drawled, leaning casually against a tree. Her tone was light, but the glint in her dark eyes betrayed a flicker of genuine appreciation.

  Rava ignored her, though a faint smirk tugged at her lips. “The fight with the Nexus Arbiter wasn’t just luck. She’s chaotipredictable… and,” Rava paused, her smirk softening into something almost fond, “yet she’s here. Helping.”

  Korriva’s sharp gaze flickered betweewo, lingering on Vivienne. Her expression remained inscrutable, though the weight of her attention alpable. “If Akhenna truly marked you, it expins much. But it raises more questions than it answers.”

  Vivienne shifted her stance, crossing her arms. “Trust me, I’ve got plenty of those myself. But whatever game Akhenna’s pying, I’m happy to py along for now. The question is—what are you going to do about it, High Fang?”

  Korriva’s ears twitched slightly, her pierg amber eyes narrowing as she weighed Vivienne’s words. After a beat of silence, she spoke, her tone measured yet firm. “The us dispeh any ambiguity. I am Korriva Serkoth—High Fang of the Serkoth , Champion of Serranos, enemy of Praxus and his vile maations. I stand as the protector of our borders, the first wall against all who would see us fall. And you, Vivienne, presumptive champion of Akhenna—what are your iions here? I ask you this one final time.”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, her needle-sharp teeth catg the light. “Well then, High Fang, sider this my formal introdu. I am Vivienne Marie Castillo. A wayward soul with a dubious track record, and, yes, I suppose Akhenna’s champion—though, to be fair, she didly spell it out.”

  Korriva’s brow arched slightly, but she said nothing.

  “My iions?” Viviened, her grin growing into something more wolfish, needle-sharp teeth catg the golden light. “To hold up my end of the deal I made with Akhenna—disrupt Praxus’ pns, scatter his precious order into chaos, and, well…” She gave an exaggerated shrug, spying her inky, cwed fingers. “…maybe have a bit of fun while I’m at it. As for the how? That’s still a little murky. She didly hand me a pybook. So for now, I’ll focus on gaining power, learning more about this world, and, most importantly, enjoying myself.”

  Korriva’s brow arched slightly, her expression unreadable but undeniably calg. “I suppose that sounds abht,” she said after a beat, her smirk subtle but unmistakably present. “It would be someone like you that Akhenna would appoint.”

  Silence followed, but it wasy—it carried the weight of unspoken things. The courtyard seemed to hold its breath, shadows stretg longer across the worn stone as the golden light of te afternoon shifted. The distant cmor of soldiers training faded to a dull background noise, leaving only the faint rustling of leaves and the tension hanging thick between them.

  Korriva’s gaze remained locked on Vivienne, sharp as a bde poised to strike. There was something in her presenyielding and anding, like the stillness of a predator before it pounces. When she spoke agaione was cool, precise, but each word carried the force of an unspoken warning.

  “And what,” Korriva began, voice cutting through the quiet like the edge of a finely-honed dagger, “are your iions with my only daughter?”

  Vivienne didn’t flinch. Instead, she tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mischief, her grin widening just enough to show that she ehe implied threat. “Oh, you know,” she said, tone light and deliberately pyful, a stark trast to Korriva’s seriousness. “Spend time with her. Tag along on some of her adveease her as much as I possibly —because you do know she’s ridiculously easy to tease, right?”

  A sharp, sudden ugh broke from Korriva, eg across the courtyard like a crack of thunder. It wasn’t the sound of someone amused by a joke—it was something sharper, more dangerous, yet somehoroving. “Oh, I imagine she is,” she said, a faint glint of amusement flickering in her amber eyes. “Rava has always been a touch too serious for her own good.”

  “Mother,” Rava interjected, stepping forward with a huff, arms crossed in irritation.

  Korriva’s smirk widened, but her tone remained as sharp as ever. “What? It’s true. Perhaps this is a lesson for you, my only daughter—even if it es ed in sharp teeth and unbearable wit.”

  Vivienne grinned, her needle-like teeth catg the light. “Finally, someone who uands me. We’re going to get along splendidly, High Fang.”

  Korriva’s amusement faded as swiftly as it had appeared, her expression hardening again. “Don’t mistake my uanding for approval, nightmare. You may walk beside my daughter for now, but that is a privilege, not a right.”

  “Noted,” Vivienne said, raising her cwed hands in mock surrender. “You’re all business, aren’t you?”

  “Someone has to be,” Korriva replied curtly. She turned her attention to Rava. “You’ll o report iail to the cil. They’ll want an at of the Nexus Arbiter and Kaelen’s clergy. The implications of this breach are not small.”

  “And Vivienne?” Rava asked.

  Korriva’s gaze shifted back to the grinning nightmare. “She’ll e with you. If Akhenna’s hand is truly in this, the cil will need a proper introdu from her. Akhenna appointing a champion is big news, though something we will o keep under s for now. We champions do not often announce ourselves.”

  Vivieilted her head, intrigued. “Sounds like a party. Do I o prepare a speech?”

  “Just try not to make things worse,” Rava muttered under her breath.

  SupernovaSymphony