Jungkook was gone. And Snow was losing her mind. The moment her eyes opened in the dark of twilight, her intuition told her Jungkook had made a mistake, so she rushed to his tower to find his room empty. What was worse was that Two's room was, as well.

As frustration and worry clouded her mind, Snow took her anger out on the guards, who shied away from her as her shouts got increasingly forceful and louder. After her rants, she returned to her room and paced, wondering what to do.

Two had kidnapped Jungkook. There was no other explanation. Snow had known Two would make a move sooner or later, and she was a fool for lowering her tail when that assassin bared her fangs. Now, Jungkook was missing. Not dead, though, because of the blood contract—and Snow thanked Caeluros for it. But missing, nonetheless, and in the hands of an assassin of the Dark Lotus.

Her mind was blank, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pick up the crumbling pieces of her field. She was losing control. First her playing pieces, and then her field. The game she played was slowly deteriorating—blown away—all because of another unforgiving typhoon.

Pulling on chunks of her hair, she screamed in frustration and searched her room, snatching her training attire from her wardrobe and grabbing her knives from her chest. She slipped into the clothes in record time before tucking the blades under her cloak. With a metal hair stick molded in the shape of a gray wolf, she tied her long hair into a bun.

Done with her preparations, she headed straight for the door and opened it, but Nickelyn stood in her way. In her haste, Snow didn't hear the rapid knocks.

The look in Nickelyn's blue eyes held emotions too profound to be put into words. "Snow," she said, "a missive arrived from Umbra."

A crumpled letter rested in Nickelyn's tight grip, and based on the trembling of her hands, Snow could already tell that the news was grave. She gently took it from Nickelyn's hold and smoothed the creases to the point where she could read the contents. When she finished skimming over the words, her arms dropped to her sides.

"What do we do?" Nickelyn asked.

"Where is the messenger?"

"Dead."

Snow swallowed. "Did you. . . ?"

Eyes wide, Nickelyn vigorously shook her head. "No! He was found dead near the Leorsus River." She bit the bottom of her lip and rubbed her temples. "We need to tell Jungkook."

"How many others know?"

Shrugging, Nickelyn clenched and unclenched her fists. "I intercepted the guard heading for General Faelaux after catching wind of a dead messenger, but someone could have opened it. Snow, there is no time to waste. We need to tell Jungkook."

"Jungkook is not here."

It was now Nickelyn's turn to be shocked. "What!? Where did he go?" One look was all it took for Nickelyn to understand. Running her fingers through her hair, she cursed.

Snow stumbled over to her bed and rested her head in her hands. It was a tragedy. Her pieces were skewed, her field was disintegrated, the game was twisted, and Jungkook was gone. Two had taken him. Her throat was tight. The world she created was breaking, and there was no fixing it this time.

* * *

Clarica during twilight was grim, even in the main street. All the stalls in the market were empty, and the wind blew on the clothes covering the booths. From the windows of the buildings, firelight dulled behind curtains illuminated the city with low yellow glows that shone on the hood of Jungkook's cloak.

In one of the windows, shadows moved on the curtains. A mother and a child played with a doll, dancing and laughing. They hugged so tightly, and the mother ruffled her child's hair before blowing the candle out, the darkness blending with the shadows of the woman and child and effectively hiding them from sight. When Jungkook raised his head to look at the other windows, Two yanked his hood over his eyes. He yelped.

From under the lining of his hood, he furrowed his brows at her. "What was that for?"

"I know that there aren't that many prying eyes, but you don't want anybody to recognize you," Two explained. "Keep your head down before your hood comes off."

After Jungkook lowered his head, his hand holding down his hood, Two continued to lead the way.

Jungkook didn't know where she was taking him—all she told him was that they were heading towards the Lotus's main base. But although he was curious, he was hesitant to ask. Two was very intimidating, even with the blood contract ensuring his life. And because of that event at the gardens right before they took off to the city, Jungkook was reminded how dangerous she was. Shuddering, he massaged his shoulder to rub the phantom pain away.

The entire walk had been silent, and Jungkook didn't know how to feel about it. On the one hand, he thought that a conversation with Two was too overwhelming for him to handle—he could barely pull himself together to talk to her the night before. But on the other hand, he felt that communication was the key. Two claimed she couldn't guarantee he would make it out alive, so perhaps bouncing off ideas would help.

But what did he know? Two proved that he knew nothing about the Dark Lotus's operations that day he sealed the deal with her. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't try, so he trotted up next to her and matched her pace. Beside him, Two looked straight ahead, only glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"So where exactly are we going? You said you were leading me to the Lotus's main base, but where is it?"

Two didn't look particularly happy about his approach, but she didn't look displeased either. It was a start.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she said, "I'm taking you to the underground city." Noticing the question written all over Jungkook's expression, she added, "The Lotus's main base is a city built beneath our very feet. Lucius, the person you call the leader, created it many years ago when he was hellbent on destroying Lux. Not that he still isn't. He's just divided his focus on other objectives."

Jungkook rubbed his soles into the ground, pondering the notion of an underground city, an idea he had heard of long ago. "Like an empire built from the shadows," he whispered.

Two stopped in her tracks and glanced back at him. There was an odd look on her face Jungkook couldn't quite place. Her eyes were squinted, almost disbelieving. "Yes, similar to that."

An awkward respite had weaseled between them, so Jungkook cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Tell me more about this leader, Lucius."

"Lucius is a difficult person to understand." When Two started talking, it didn't take long to fall back to their original pace. "He feels as if he must purge Lux, if not the world, of what he sees as sin. Since he feels Lux itself had wronged him, his hatred for your family stems from his history."

Jungkook could only imagine what horrors Lux had wrought upon its people. He didn't know what Lucius had experienced, but a familiar image was already forming in his head. He wasn't shocked that it was one he could relate to. "I can only imagine what pain he experienced."

"As can I. Lucius never speaks of his past, but it's apparent in his actions. That is why I stressed this alliance will never come to fruition."

Jungkook dug his hands into his pockets and listened to the steady beat of his pendant hitting his chest. "You never know. The world is full of mysteries that have yet to be uncovered."

"Wandering into a world without knowing what it holds is a one-way route to Lexitem."

"Then do I wait idly until this knowledge is handed to me? What do I do if no one refuses to shed light on my ignorance?"

Two's eyes were tight, pensive. "In this world, if you wish to live, you wait, and if you wish to gamble your life, then you explore."

"I prefer to seek the answers myself," Jungkook muttered, leaning into his cloak.

That earned him a frown. "In this cruel world, the weak are eaten, while the strong thrive. A rabbit that boasts its strength to a wolf is asking for death. Sometimes it is best to know your place. Ignorance is weakness, Prince, and it makes you a perfect target for those willing to bargain for your life."

A chill crawled up Jungkook's spine. "What do you mean by bargain for my life?"

An answer didn't come, though. Two slowed and stopped in front of an inn with a quaint and gloomy exterior. Chipped strips of wood decorated the sides, and the front swinging doors were crooked on the hinges. The front deck was damaged with holes and split planks sticking out with splinters pointing in all directions, and the windows were brown with decades of grime greased onto their surfaces. If Jungkook had a choice, this was not an inn he would spend the night in.

"Here?" His voice cracked, and the corner of his eye twitched. An ounce of betrayal started to sprint through his blood. He pictured a cave or a secret entrance. Not a run-down inn.

"Yes," Two replied as a matter of factly. "Here."

She readily passed through the swinging doors that creaked as she entered. Jungkook was hesitant to follow her, tripping over the broken planks and nearly falling through the doors.

The interior was on par with the outside. Tables that looked like they had been through Infernum and back were situated on the left and right sides of the parlor. The chairs around them were almost falling apart. All it would take to break them was the weight of one unfortunate soul, and down the chairs would tumble. There were holes in the walls that were lazily covered with paper, and rats scampered in the corners, digging their skinny bodies into the cracks in the floorboards.

All expectations of the Dark Lotus's base were vanquished.

No one stood at the front desk, so Two picked up a bell and shook it. A quiet jingle rang throughout the room, and from a deeper part of the inn, feet scrambled, scratching against the wood in a rush. A short moment later, the innkeeper in a white linen shirt beneath a black vest popped out of the corridor and dashed to the front desk.

Smoothing the wrinkles on his vest, he asked breathlessly, "Do you have a reservation, madam, because if you don't—"

"I'm awaiting the perfect hour for darkness to loom."

In a heartbeat, the atmosphere in the room thickened, and the breathless innkeeper stopped panting, his fatigue forgotten. "For when the darkness is conquered—"

"A flower shall bloom."

Jungkook awkwardly shifted on his feet beside Two, watching the exchange with increasing curiosity.

The innkeeper sketched a bow, his arm extended towards a corridor behind him. "The Dark Lotus humbly accepts your oath. Follow me."

He disappeared into the corridor with Two tailing right behind. Jungkook carefully followed as if he was walking on needles, afraid to step too hard lest his feet would be pierced. In the furthest corner of the inn, there was a large door the innkeeper unlocked with a key he pulled from his pocket. When the door opened, it revealed a stone circle in the middle of an empty room. Crouching before the stone, the innkeeper rested his palm on it.

At precise intervals, the stone disintegrated into granules of sand to shape slabs that sunk into the earth, forming a spiral staircase. Torches burst to life on the walls underground, and by the time the innkeeper was bowing and leaving the room, Jungkook's jaw had dropped to the floor. The door behind him shut, and another lock clicked.

Two was as calm as ever with her arms crossed over her chest. "Well, come on, Prince. We don't have all night."

Shaking himself from his amazement, Jungkook hurried down the stairs. The stone slabs behind him ascended back to their original place on the surface. Overcome with astonishment, he gaped at the stone circle now above him. "What is this?"

"The Lotus has many covert entrances to the underground city all over Lux. They are usually in the form of taverns and inns, some busy and some quiet like the one we were at."

Two's voice snapped Jungkook out of his state of wonder. His interest piqued, he quickly caught up to her and asked, "How many of these entrances are in Lux?"

Two sealed her lips. "That is a detail I cannot share."

Jungkook frowned. "You have already led me to an entrance, and you are taking me to the underground city. If you cannot trust me, why go out of your way to divulge these secrets?"

To Jungkook's surprise, Two snorted. "You talk as if I just disclosed damning information that could cause the downfall of the Lotus. It only takes minutes to destroy one entrance to the underground city. Do you think the Lotus hasn't had traitors before? The only reason you never hear of these defects is that we have a system that swiftly rids them off the face of Kartas."

Cringing, Jungkook bit his lips. "Oh."

And the rest of the way down was in silence.

At the bottom of the staircase, Jungkook's boots splashed in a puddle as he stepped into an unlit tunnel. Veering right, he followed Two onward. Far in the distance, a speck of torchlight sparked and progressively grew in brightness and size until its sheer intensity compelled Jungkook to close his eyes. Fingers wrapped around his forearm and tugged him forward. When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with a magnificent sight.

Towering buildings were spread throughout the hollowed cave, and torchlight from the windows and streets permeated the area, creating a faint golden aura around the city. Thick columns extended from the ceiling to the seemingly never-ending bottom, where stalagmites reached for the stalactites hanging above. On the streets, a few people chatted as they strolled past extraordinary buildings constructed in designs unfamiliar to Jungkook.

Next to him, Two stared at him blankly, and without much thought, Jungkook said, "It's beautiful."

She only glowered. "Enjoy the view after our business, and"—she tugged the hood of Jungkook's cloak over his eyes—"hide your face. We don't need people to recognize you."

"I understand," Jungkook mumbled weakly. When he peeked from under his hood, Two was already heading straight into the city, so taking giant leaps, Jungkook pursued her. One after another, he passed dull edifices taller than any structure he had ever seen in Clarica. Caught in awe, he didn't notice Two had stopped and bumped right into her. Immediately, he jumped back and winced apologetically, but all she did was glare.

She pointed at a building. "We're here."

Jungkook craned his head to take in the entire facade that stretched sky-high and discerned flags bearing the white tiger hanging above. He creased his brows. "That's the sigil of Lux's royalty," he whispered, his fingers brushing over the cracked pommel of his sword.

Two was already ahead, so Jungkook followed her through the glass doors, pushing his bewilderment aside. The interior was laden with gold on all sides. At the center was a split staircase carved with so many intricate designs that Jungkook was enthralled by it his entire way up the stairs.

On the last flight, Two paused. "At the top, you will see a room with a blooming lotus carved onto its door. When we get there, don't enter. I will go in first, and you will follow when I call you in."

Nodding, Jungkook climbed the last bit of the staircase and stood in a hallway, where at the end was a door with a blooming lotus carved onto its front. Knocking on the door twice, Two didn't wait for a response before slipping inside, and through the thin crack, Jungkook couldn't make out any of the room's interior.

In solitude, his anxiety spiked in his blood—all the fascination from before fading. And without much to do, he began to pace, thinking about how the conversation would play out. He was going back and forth between himself and Lucius, who he visualized as a dark-haired man sitting in a chair with his legs crossed. Every exchange in his mind escalated into a fight except one, which was a scenario most likely not going to happen.

The more his mind wandered, the more absurd the scene played out. At one point, he was even running through Anilium with Two as a tiger spirit chased behind. How he even got there was a question even he couldn't answer. As he squandered his time humoring himself with ludicrous imaginations, he found himself staring at the blooming lotus on the door.

He wanted to know what was going on inside. Whatever conversation Two was holding with Lucius was so quiet that it didn't travel through the walls, and it had been a decent while since she had entered. So Jungkook made his way to the door and gently rested his ear against it. Nothing. He could hear absolutely nothing.

Clicking his tongue, he leaned against the wall and waited, fiddling with his pendant, when suddenly a loud crash sounded behind the door. Jungkook startled a little, and his skin crawled as another loud crash resounded. He didn't know whether to wait for Two's signal or go in. He stood before the door, his wavering hand hovering over the handle before pulling it away. Two told him to wait, so he resolved to do just that.

Shifting on his heels, he glanced at the handle, arguing between the vying opinions inside him. But when Two's loud voice boomed from within the room, his determination was challenged. Was this part of the plan? Two didn't explain it in detail, so he was unsure.

His hand found its way to the hilt of his sword as another voice yelled, and this time it wasn't Two's. It was an oddly familiar rich voice, and when Jungkook recognized it, he froze. His heavy heartbeat pulsated in his ears as the same voice spoke again. Unconsciously, he reached for the handle and opened the door.

Jungkook first saw a desk with papers stacked on top and a vacant chair behind it. Two voices warred against each other, but Jungkook could barely make out the words they said—was too stunned by the familiarity of that rich voice. The door inched open further and further, and as the first hints of brown strands of hair were uncovered, Jungkook's grip around his sword tightened.

Letting the handle go, he took in the full sight of the scene as the door finally swung open, banging against the wall and drawing the attention of Two and another man. Two was backed into a corner, both of her bleeding hands holding back a knife threatening to stab her in the face. Her mouth was moving, but Jungkook couldn't hear her because his eyes were fixated on the man holding the blade.

Flashes of amiable eyes and chestnut hair raced through Jungkook's mind as the man slowly turned towards Jungkook, dark brown eyes meeting his. And the second Jungkook saw the man's face, his heart stopped.

"Uncle Aegus?" he whispered.