Astrid crossed the street, her gaze solemn. Even at a time like this, the streets remained peaceful.

But she knew it wouldn’t last. In a few hours, the factions, each fighting for its own cause, would clash again, and the city would be thrown into chaos.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Aetherion hadn’t always been like this. But even so, she understood that this was necessary.

While she had joined the revolution to serve as Vanitas Astrea’s eyes, a part of her still believed in what they were fighting for.

If, somehow, after all of this was over, if Aetherion still remained intact, then Astrid would like to share one more lecture with Professor Vanitas.

As soon as Astrid turned the corner, a magic circle flared beneath her feet. She glanced down and immediately tried to move.

"Try it. I dare you."

The voice came from the darkness, followed by the sound of footsteps. A figure stepped forward.

Astrid held her breath for a moment before speaking.

"Sister."

"How could you, Astrid?!"

"Did I do something wrong?" Astrid tilted her head. "I fail to see why you’re so angry at me, sister."

"Fail to see? Don’t give me that shit," Irene spat. "Why would you side with them? With people who have no name, no standing, and no right to rule? You’d hand Aetherion over to them and expect it not to fall apart?!"

"They are still people of this nation."

"People?" Irene scoffed. "They don’t even understand what it takes to hold a throne. You think letting them decide anything will fix this? It’ll burn everything that’s left!"

Irene’s faction, made up of the underworld of Aetherion and the lower nobility, sought to overthrow Franz and place her on the throne, believing that only someone who had endured their struggles could lead them forward.

Meanwhile, the faction Astrid had joined pushed for meritocracy, an agenda centered on the voice of the people. They pushed for a system where authority came not from blood, but from ability, where even those without lineage could stand and lead.

"You’re afraid of change, sister."

"Afraid?" Irene’s voice rose. "This is the change these people need. Under my rule... under my control... they won’t have to suffer like this anymore... I’ll keep the nobility in check, and I’ll make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone again!"

"Sister... do you really believe that’s what Aetherion needs?"

"And you think the uneducated can lead?" Irene shot back. "Wake up, Astrid. This isn’t the time to be soft. Our history... our name... our family... all of it is on the line...!"

"Family..." Astrid repeated. "Is that really what this is about? Preserving the Aetherion name? Is our name truly worth that much?"

"Astrid..." Irene’s voice wavered for a moment before hardening again. "Even if it isn’t... even if our family is nothing but scum... this is our chance to turn it around. If we remove Franz from the picture, we can still salvage something—"

"Sister," Astrid cut in. "Our time is over. It’s time... to let its fate rest in the hands of the people."

Irene bit her lip, then pressed it into a thin line.

"I never took you for someone so soft, Astrid," Irene said. "I thought you were stronger than this."

Irene clicked her tongue before shaking her head.

"Then answer me this. Whose side are you really on? The people—"

"...."

"—or that cursed Vanitas?"

Astrid had no answer.

To say she was fully on the side of the people would be a lie. But if she were asked whether she would sacrifice them for Vanitas Astrea... she would do it in a heartbeat.

"The professor... has done nothing wrong..."

"You hypocrite," Irene snapped. "You’ve let that man twist your mind so badly that you can’t even see him for what he is. Do you have any idea what he put me through?"

"Sister," Astrid replied. "Do you have any idea what our family has put him through?"

"...What would you know?" Irene said, though there was a slight hesitation in her voice. "Whatever it was, I doubt it was worse than what I’ve endured."

"In the end, you still make it about yourself," Astrid said. "I was right not to stand by your side, sister."

"And you chose to stand by his—" Irene stopped herself, forcing her anger down. "Haa... Enough of this. I’ll make sure you come to your senses, little sister."

At that moment, mana flared beneath Irene’s heel.

At the same time, figures began to emerge from the shadows.

"Take her," Irene ordered. "Use force if you must. Just make sure she stays alive."

Astrid glanced around. Figures were in front of her, another behind, and more positioned above, all closing in around her.

Unbeknownst to Irene, Astrid had already known. She had walked into this trap from the very beginning, after all.

"See, sister," Astrid said. "The fact that you’re willing to point a blade at your own sibling already says enough about how you would rule. One day, your promises of fairness will turn into an iron fist. That is the fate of an Aetherion."

Astrid had already come to her conclusion.

Their family carried impulses they could never fully control. Her father had them, even if he had managed to suppress them later on.

Their mother had them, despite not even being of Aetherion blood.

Their eldest brother had succumbed to them completely, becoming a tyrant far worse than their father, even though he had once despised that very tyranny.

In the end, people became what they hated the most.

And then there was Irene, whose anger was impossible to ignore. Even Astrid knew she was no exception.

These impulses, buried deep within them, were not something that could simply be controlled.

That was part of the reason why Astrid had decided it was time for them to let Aetherion go.

The second reason was simpler.

This nation had died for her survival. To repay her mother’s sins, to make up for the lives taken just to keep her alive, Astrid chose to return her family’s legacy to the people.

Aetherion itself.

———!

Magic burst out from every direction.

Astrid’s eyes flared into a bright golden glow as she clenched her fist. In an instant, the axis shifted. Polarity twisted, the very forces that held the world in place warping under her control.

The next moment, Astrid appeared high above, upside down, as if the sky had become the ground and the ground had been cast into the heavens.

"What the—"

Crackle——!

The world lurched.

The ground trembled as if struck by a powerful earthquake.

Rumble——!

Buildings shook, then gave way, collapsing as those above lost their footing and were flung downward. At the same time, those below were forced to the ground, pinned by an unseen force as their bodies were dragged down by a distorted pull of gravity.

Astrid remained suspended, inverted against the sky.

From beneath the shattered concrete, jagged spikes tore through the ground, rising in uneven bursts as if the earth itself had been forced to obey.

Fragments of debris, broken steel, and shattered stone lifted into the air, shaking for a brief moment before being drawn into orbit around her.

A single motion of her hand.

———!

And they moved.

The fragments shot forward. Each piece curved through the air, striking its target indefinitely. The figures that had emerged from the shadows found themselves pinned, some slammed into walls, others forced to the ground under crushing weight.

"Ghk...!"

"W-What is this—?!"

"M-Monster...!"

Their bodies resisted, but resistance meant nothing.

The pressure increased.

Crackle——!

The ground beneath them cracked further. The force doubled as those caught within her range felt their bones strain under the sudden increase in weight.

Even the air itself seemed heavier and harder to breathe, as if the world had tilted in her favor alone.

"Last chance while I’m being nice, sister. Turn around and walk away."

"...."

Irene’s expression darkened. She had no idea her little sister was this powerful.

"You wouldn’t dare—"

The fragments surrounding Astrid slowed, then began to gather.

"I’m not soft as you claim," Astrid said. "I’ve simply come to terms with myself. Without this nation, without its people, I would have ceased to exist. Therefore, I am willing to give everything for the people."

With a flick of her fingers, the scattered metal converged, forming blade-like constructs that hovered around her, each one glowing with a bright golden hue.

"Force alone will never change this country."

The blades turned.

"All it will do... is turn you into the very thing you claim to oppose."

For a brief moment, everything came to a pause.

At that exact moment, Irene gathered her magic. Flames kindled at her side while metal began to form around her, shaping itself into something meant to counter Astrid’s assault. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Even so, Irene already knew the outcome.

Her power was nowhere near her little sister’s.

And yet, she did not hesitate.

The only reason Irene had made it this far was her pride. That fury, fierce and unyielding like a lion’s golden mane, had never once faltered, no matter how often she had been ridiculed.

Ridiculed by her brother.

Ridiculed by the nobility.

Ridiculed by the very people of this Empire.

While Astrid sought to embrace the people, Irene despised them.

Even so, for the sake of what she believed to be right, she was willing to rule them fairly.

To her, that alone was a sacrifice. A burden she chose to carry.

A noble cause befitting the name Aetherion.

"Sister..."

"You’re no different from them, Astrid!"

———!

Their magic collided.

At the same time, spells from every direction surged toward Astrid, converging on her position in a relentless assault.

"...."

Astrid didn’t move.

With nothing more than a flick of her fingers, the incoming magic twisted. Its trajectory bent unnaturally as the very axis of each spell warped mid-flight before changing direction entirely.

The polarity of the battlefield itself was overturned. Forces repelled and attracted at her command, causing the attacks to spiral away from her and crash into one another instead.

Meanwhile, Astrid’s magic completely overwhelmed Irene’s. For a brief moment, Irene felt her life flash before her eyes.

It was then.

"...!"

Astrid’s magic vanished.

At the exact same moment, flames lashed out from behind and struck her, sending her flying across the street.

"Wow. Didn’t mean to interrupt your little sibling reunion," a voice called out. "But someone was about to die here!"

Irene turned.

Approaching from a distance was Anastasia, her body wrapped in flames. In her arms, she carried a child no older than eight.

"Anastasia..."

"Chills... you were seriously about to die right in front of me, Princess!" Anastasia laughed. "You should thank this little guy!"

Irene’s gaze shifted to the boy in Anastasia’s arms. He didn’t even look at her.

"The golden lady is coming back," he said. "I don’t think I can do the same trick twice."

"Ah? Shit! We need to move!"