For over a minute, the two sisters stood facing each other in charged silence, their gazes locked in an unspoken duel. The room, heavy with anticipation, was eerily quiet. Kai shifted from foot to foot, discomfort evident in his posture as he leaned closer to Ikzar.

"How long is this going to take?" Kai whispered, his voice laced with impatience.

Ikzar shrugged, folding his hands and adopting a thoughtful expression. "It varies. Some think they’re mentally catching up on their missions, trying not to appear too sisterly. Others believe they're locked in a silent battle to avoid destroying our stone houses."

"And you?" Kai asked, his curiosity piqued.

Ikzar raised a hand and stroked an imaginary beard with a contemplative air. "Considering Elmz, I'd say they're having a mental showdown."

"What do you—"

"Shhh." Tolma's whisper cut Kai off abruptly, her eyes darting toward the sisters.

"Psst, hey, wanna make a bet?" Venna asked, her voice a playful whisper as she tapped Kai on the shoulder.

"Sure," Kai replied, intrigued.

"I bet Elmz's sister breaks the silence first," Venna said, her grin widening.

"Nah, Elmz is more of a talker. I'd bet on—"

Before Kai could finish, Elmz's sister clapped her hands decisively, shattering the silence. "Alright, sis, I know you’re enjoying staring into my beautiful eyes, but time is not on our side."

"Pay up," Venna said, stretching out her palm toward Kai.

"I didn’t get to place my bet—she interrupted me!" Kai protested in a whisper, but Venna’s sneer told him she wasn’t buying it.

"Hey everyone, did you miss me?" Elmz’s sister called out cheerfully, moving through the room to embrace each person in turn.

The room buzzed with warmth as everyone rose to greet her. When she reached Venna and Kai, she paused, scrutinizing them. "And who are these two? Newcomers, perhaps?" she inquired, glancing back at the others for confirmation.

"Yeah," Ikzar said casually. "Meet Venna and Kai, the twins of Tierlin."

Kai watched as surprise and delight flickered across Elmz's sister’s face. "Are you serious?" she asked, her voice tinged with awe.

Without hesitation, she swept the twins into a tight embrace. "I never thought I’d see you two!" she exclaimed before setting them down gently. "Welcome to Eldorem. I’m Telezia, the leader of this humble group you see here."

A muffled cough came from somewhere in the room, drawing a laugh from Kai, who caught Elmz's eye.

Telezia leaned closer to Kai, covering her mouth with her hand in a conspiratorial gesture. "I’m sure you can understand why she’s so envious of me."

"Right," Kai replied, struggling to suppress his laughter.

With a playful punch to his arm, Telezia grinned. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

Kai winced slightly but managed to return her smile. As Telezia turned away, he silently mouthed the word "ow," earning a chuckle from Venna.

"Now, down to business. Everyone, take a seat and give me a report on your missions," Telezia commanded, standing at the center of the hall. She set her weapon on a nearby bench and folded her hands, adopting a serious stance.

The girls who had flown in stood first to give their report.

"I was assigned a mission with Nina to search for any Eldorian presence in Utah. Unfortunately, our search was futile," Tolma said, bowing her head in shame. "We also encountered some members of the Paragon, but we handled them."

Telezia nodded. "I hope you’re both okay? No serious injuries?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Nina answered first, flipping her dark hair back. "Please, it was a piece of cake."

Telezia smiled. "You may take your seat, and Tolma, don’t beat yourself up. We anticipated the search might yield no results," she said, offering comfort to the girl who kept looking down as if she deserved punishment. She gestured toward Myrrha and her cousin. "Report."

Jaeger spoke for them. "We were assigned to act as eyes and ears, watching the activities of Paragon at a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. We spied on them for four days, and on the last day, we learned they'd captured a new Eldorian from New Mexico."

Myrrha continued, "As we were about to leave, two of their members appeared. I managed to gather some information from one of their unconscious minds."

"Go on," Telezia ordered.

"The boy’s thoughts were scrambled; he seemed to be hiding something. I saw an image of a girl attacking him and then a ring—"

"A ring?" Telezia interrupted, alarmed. "Did it have the carving of a griffin clutching an orb?"

"Yes, that’s the one. I know I’ve seen it before, but I can’t recall where," Myrrha said, tapping her chin.

Telezia turned to the twins, who furrowed their brows in confusion. "Does that ring a bell?"

Kai began, "It sounds familiar. The carving matches—"

Venna nudged him, cutting him off. "He means the description. We’ve seen an image of it before."

Almost simultaneously, Myrrha snapped her fingers in realization. "It’s in our library! That’s the royal signet of Tierlin!" she announced proudly.

"Yes, that’s right, Myrrha," Telezia confirmed, turning back to the twins, her gaze mostly on Venna. "I understand you still have your doubts, but we need your full cooperation. There is great danger brewing, and it will affect not just Eldorem but Earth as well," she warned, allowing her words to sink in before facing her sister.

"And now, dearest sister, you know the drill," she said, a smile creeping onto her face.

Elmz rolled her eyes and looked away, pretending not to hear.

Benkrat stood abruptly. "Let me be the one to—"

"No!" Telezia shouted, raising a hand to stop him. "Elmz, report," she commanded, her tone firm.

The tension in the room thickened as Elmz shot her sister a defiant look but still refused to speak. Ikzar tried to intervene.

"Telezia, any of us could just—"

"I know, but I’ve tolerated this behavior for too long, and that’s why she’s challenging me in front of newcomers," Telezia said, straightening. She took a step closer to her younger sister, who sat alone on a bench.

All eyes were on Elmz now, as Telezia repeated, "I, leader of the Eldorians, order you to report your mission. Either that, or you face punishment."

The room fell silent, and everyone silently begged Elmz with their eyes to comply.

Elmz stood, smirking. "Dear sister, you think you’ve won by threatening me in front of everyone. Fine, I’ll report, but this may be the last time you give me an order."

To the twins' surprise, the room erupted into laughter.

"Look at their faces," Ikzar laughed, pointing at them.

Even Elmz chuckled. "You never take me seriously, sis," she muttered before standing tall and giving her report.

Actually, I wasn't sent on a mission," Elmz said, her tone light with amusement. "Instead, I assigned one to Ikzar and Benkrat when I realized a school, quite a distance away, was on the verge of being attacked by a monster." She smiled, noticing the scowl on her elder sister's face. Taking a deep breath of satisfaction, she continued, "During their mission, Benkrat discovered that there might be Eldorians nearby, and not just any Eldorians, but the assumed Mark of Eldorem." She gestured with both hands toward the twins before finishing, "They saved them, and I decided to bring them here to Eldorem for you, oh great leader, to see." She concluded with a mocking bow before resuming her seat.

Telezia shot Ikzar and Benkrat an angry look. "See me when this meeting is over," she ordered.

"That leaves us with Zayn and Lynx," she noted, gesturing to the two boys who remained seated. "That will be all for now. Venna and Kai, if you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone here. For now, I order all of you, except Lynx and Zayn, to leave this hall."

Seeing the protesting look on her sister's face, Telezia quickly added, "If there are any new developments, I'll call for another meeting and fill you all in on it."

Staring intently at Elmz, she sent her a mental message: I dare you!

Elmz scowled as she and the others stood up without another word, filing out of the hall.

Once they were gone, Telezia turned to the two boys. "Report."

"We've finally found out the location of the Rabnah. We just need permission to engage," Lynx reported.

"Permission denied."

Lynx started to argue, but Telezia raised a hand to stop him. "I forbid you from confronting her. Your only task is to keep an eye on her and report to me. Also, find out if she's had any contact with the twins. I suspect my sweet little sister may have left out some details in her report."

Lynx sighed. "Fine, you're the boss." He turned to Zayn, who hadn't spoken. "Come on, let's go stalk an old lady," he muttered, rolling his eyes as he walked out.

"Zayn," Telezia called before he reached the door.

"Yes?"

"Keep an eye on Lynx. He can be irrational at times."

Zayn nodded and turned to leave but hesitated. "Anything else?"

"No. That will be all for now."

A few minutes later, Ikzar and Benkrat entered the hall, finding Telezia still standing where they'd left her, her face furrowed in thought.

"Hey, Telez. Before you say anything, can I just say... You look stunning, and that color—perfecto," Ikzar said, trying to sound casual.

Telezia's expression darkened, and her eyes flashed with anger. "Shut it, Ikzar. Compliments won’t get you out of trouble this time."

She turned to Benkrat, who had been trying to stay quiet. "And you, Benkrat, I'm disappointed in you. I thought you said you'd help me keep my sister in check. Yet she sends you on some mission, and you go running off. What if something had happened to you two?"

"I'm—I'm sorry, Tez," Benkrat stammered, his face flushing. "Elmz can be pretty convincing when she sets her mind on something."

"Oh, I know how convincing she can be," Telezia replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "More like calling you pet names and batting her eyelashes. Get over it, Benkrat. Acting like her puppet won’t win you my sister's heart."

She sighed, pacing. "Knowing my sister, I’d say she's hiding something from me. And you two, her loyal little soldiers, might not want to tell me the truth. So at least tell me this much: did you get into any trouble? With the police? Paragon? Anything like that?" She squinted at them.

Both boys looked elsewhere, avoiding her gaze.

"Ugh, this is why I've told you not to go on missions without my approval," she said, her voice hardening. "From now on, you are forbidden from going on any unsanctioned missions. Any defaulter will face punishment! Let this be known to everyone."

The two boys nodded, and Benkrat looked up apologetically. "I'm sorry I failed you, Telezia."

She sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "You know I hate raising my voice at you two, but you understand that when you go on unsanctioned missions, if something goes wrong, I can’t track you. I need to know where you are to keep you safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," they answered in unison.

"And whatever trouble you got into... I hope you've taken care of it?"

"I will right away," Benkrat said, raising his fingers to his lips and blowing a sharp whistle as he left the hall.

"Ikzar, I beg you, in the name of Eldorem, keep an eye on the twins and my sister."

"Roger that, ma'am," Ikzar replied, shooting her a smile before walking out.

As Telezia watched him go, an uneasy feeling settled over her. Something was off.

Closing her eyes, she opened her mind to everyone within a mile of the building. Reaching out to the nearby Eldorians, she sent them a mental message:

Report to the meeting hall now! Urgently!

She repeated the message a few more times before opening her eyes and collapsing onto a nearby bench, exhaustion finally taking its toll on her.