The Luminara war camp bustled with activity, just as it did every day. Warriors moved about, tending to weapons, reinforcing armor, and sharing stories of battle over meager meals. The recent report of the commander’s daughter’s death had come in only moments ago. A few gasps were heard here and there, but most simply continued with their tasks. After all, death was commonplace in war.

  Two warriors stood near a supply tent, speaking in hushed voices.

  “Lucielle’s death hit her hard,” one murmured, glancing toward a distant tent where a figure sat hunched over.

  The other nodded solemnly. “Yeah, they used to whisper among themselves before the first horn a lot after all”

  Inside the tent, Karen sat with her head in her hands. Her fingers clenched at her scalp as if she could physically pull out the creeping despair that had settled in her chest.

  “No… no, no, no,” she muttered under her breath. Her hands trembled as she lifted them away from her face, and that’s when she saw it—golden threads, barely visible, stretching out from her fingertips, weaving through the air and extending beyond the tent.

  Her breath hitched. Her heart pounded in her chest.

  “She’s alive,” Karen whispered to herself.

  The threads of Celestemancy she had given to Lucielle still carried a connection, a faint but undeniable tether between them. If Lucielle were truly dead, that thread would have vanished the moment her soul had departed. But it remained.

  Right after the news came, she tried to establish a connection between them and it worked indicating she might be alive but the report has reached commander Leneus immediately before she could even think properly.

  After much thinking, Karen shot to her feet, brushing past the tent flaps and ignoring the wary glances from other warriors. There was no time for hesitation. She needed confirmation. She moved swiftly through the camp, heading toward a tent farther from the main encampment. Inside, two figures sat in weary silence.

  Stelle and Darren.

  The moment Karen entered, Stelle glanced up, her face etched with exhaustion. “What’s up, Karen?” she asked, her voice flat.

  Darren, ever the fool, grinned upon seeing her. “Why did you come to see me?”

  “It’s about Lucielle,” Karen interrupted. “She might be alive.”

  Stelle sighed, rubbing her temples. “Karen, this is not the time for jokes.”

  “It’s not a joke,” Karen snapped, stepping forward. Without warning, she pressed her fingertips against Stelle’s forehead.

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  “Hey—what the hell are you—” Stelle started, but then she froze as golden light pulsed from Karen’s hand. A delicate thread of Celestemancy shimmered into view, its faint glow flickering like a dying star.

  Karen lowered her hand. “I gave her my Celestemancy thread,” she explained. “If she were truly dead, the connection would have severed completely. But it hasn’t.”

  Stelle’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. “That’s…” She trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief. "why would you even give her the thread".

  "I can't say it to you, its deal between us" she answered.

  Stelle just sighed as she remember her caption was chasing after something in the battlefield without a word to her squadmate.

  Darren, having seen nothing but the two women staring at each other in silence, frowned. “Okay, I don’t know what just happened, but can someone explain?”

  Karen exhaled, turning to him. “Celestemancy threads connect people. If someone dies, the thread fades. My connection to Lucielle is still active.”

  Darren’s brows furrowed. “So… you’re saying she’s still out there?”

  “It’s possible,” Karen confirmed. “Which means she might be in danger.”

  Stelle, still processing, crossed her arms. “Unless someone tampered with the thread,” she muttered.

  Karen narrowed her eyes. “Who in the Luminara camp would do that knowing it might endanger commander's daughter?”

  Stelle’s lips pressed into a thin line. Then, she spoke two words that sent a shiver down Karen’s spine.

  “‘The Complete.’”

  Silence fell over the tent.

  Darren stiffened. Karen clenched her fists.

  ‘The Complete’—a group of Luminarans and Nyxarans who had forsaken their home planets, choosing instead to remain in Abyssia. Their motives were shrouded in mystery, but their presence alone made them enemies to both sides. If they were involved…

  Karen took a deep breath. “It’s still worth checking out. If Lucielle is out there, she’s might be in danger.”

  Stelle gave her a hard look. “And what’s your real reason for doing this? I always see both of you has a disgusted look whenever both of you see each other since academy days. Are you secretly concern about her or something?”

  Karen scoffed. “Concern? Hardly. I’m protecting myself. If someone finds out my thread was involved in Lucielle’s disappearance, they’ll think I lured her into danger. And since she’s the commander’s daughter, you think they’ll just let me walk away?”

  Stelle sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Fair point. So we leave now?”

  Karen nodded. “I won’t be able to guide you once the first horn sounds. It would just be like announcing I'm up to something to my own squamate, learned from that stubborn lucielle herself”

  Darren, still a little confused but unwilling to be left behind, nodded. “I’m in. She is our captain after all”

  Just as the three of them were about to slip out of the tent, a voice spoke from the entrance.

  “Can I join?”

  All three turned sharply, shocked.

  Kevin stood at the tent’s entrance, his arms crossed and a smirk playing on his lips.

  Stelle’s expression darkened. “Were you eavesdropping?”

  Kevin shrugged. “I was just passing by and heard Lucielle’s name. Figured I’d see what you were scheming.”

  Karen shot him a glare. “We’re not scheming.”

  Kevin tilted his head. “So you’re sneaking into Abyssia for fun?”

  Stelle scowled. “This has nothing to do with you.”

  “Maybe not,” Kevin admitted, stepping forward. “But if ‘The Complete’ are involved, you’ll need more people.” His gaze hardened. “Besides, we all want to save Lucielle.”

  A beat of silence passed before Stelle relented with a sigh. “Fine.”

  Karen glanced toward the sky. Dawn was approaching, and soon, the war horns would sound. They had to move quickly.

  The four of them slipped past the watchful eyes of the camp, heading toward the battlefield, toward the unknown, and toward whatever fate awaited Lucielle beyond the war zone.