Elara stared at the black fissure in the stone, the only way forward.

  "Are you ready?"

  Ai floated beside her, voice soft.

  Elara took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her hands. "As I'll ever be," she said, mostly to herself.

  The storm coiled around them, a living force in the air, as if anticipating their next move.

  Then, with a final look at Ai, Elara stepped through the dark.

  Out of the blue, however, Elara found herself in front of Rubina's abode.

  "Oh, I can teleport too, by the way," Ai casually mentioned.

  Elara glared up at her. "Why didn't you say you could teleport earlier, Ai?"

  Ai shrugged. "You never asked."

  She then tsked, shaking her head. "Also, this is your second time calling me by my first name. I ignored the previous time you did it 'cause I assumed it was just a slip of the tongue, but I don't want this to become a habit of yours. Just saying."

  Elara sighed irritably. "Fine. I'll be careful next time, Akamatsu." She began to walk towards the palace.

  Ai followed, floating by her side. "So, I was thinking..."

  Elara glanced over at her. "Yeah?”

  "You might want to avoid the main entrance. Rubina's probably got her elite guards surrounding it," Ai said, twirling a finger through the air as if sketching invisible traps. "But...I do know a little side passage, one that leads straight into the gardens. Quiet. Hidden. Used by servants and, uh… discreet visitors."

  Elara raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at her companion. "Discreet visitors, huh? Let me guess, you’ve used it before?"

  Ai smirked, just slightly too proud of herself for comfort. "Let’s just say I know where all the blind spots are." She leaned in a fraction, her voice dropping to a whisper, "And I know how to make us unseen long enough to slip through."

  Elara studied her for a beat… then nodded slowly. “Alright then.” A sly grin tugged at her lips as she adjusted the grip on her weapon.

  “Lead the way… Akamatsu.”

  Ai rolled her eyes, leading Elara off the main path and into the thick of the gardens, their footsteps nearly soundless.

  They moved stealthy through the foliage like two shadows in the night, every movement smooth and calculated. Then, when the towering palace loomed over them, they stopped.

  "Just around this corner," Ai said quietly, nodding towards a discreet side path. "That's the servants' entrance."

  Elara looked up at the colossal structure. "...Are there any guards on patrol here?" she asked, voice barely audible.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Ai nodded, glancing around for any sign of movement. "Usually, there's two patrolling here. Just… stay low and they shouldn't notice us. Hopefully. Follow me," she whispered, leading Elara stealthily down the path.

  And sure enough, as they rounded the corner, two guards stood talking to each other a few feet away, backs to them. Elara and Ai froze, holding their breath.

  The two guards continued their conversation, unaware of their presence.

  Ai's gaze flicked to Elara, silently signaling 'wait.' Elara tensed, heart hammering as she listened to the guards' idle chatter: one complaining about their boss' work load, the other trying to reassure and lighten the mood.

  Come on… finish your chat, Elara mentally urged, grip tightening on her weapon. They couldn't risk drawing attention.

  The guards laughed at a joke they'd shared, one slapping the other's back. "...Hey, before we head back, I'm gonna take a piss real quick. Cover for me, okay?"

  The other guard sighed wearily. "Hmph. Always at the worst times, eh?" But he nodded. "Alright, I got watch for a minute. Don't take too long, and for crying out loud, wash your damn hands, alright?”

  "Hey! I always wash my hands, " But the first guard's retort was cut off when the other guard shut his eyes and made a 'hurry up' gesture with his hand.

  With a muttered grumble, the first guard stepped into the bushes to relieve himself.

  The second guard rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall with a huff. "Ugh… Every damn time…”

  Elara looked at Ai, her eyes silently asking the same question: Now?

  Ai gave a small nod.

  They had a brief window, less than a minute, maybe, and one chance to slip past undetected.

  But as they prepared to move…

  A sudden sound froze them in place:

  The rustling of leaves.

  From inside the bush where the first guard had gone.

  Then… silence.

  The second guard frowned and pushed off the wall with a concerned mutter. "Hey…you alright over there? Hell of a…long piss you're taking…"

  No response. That's what worried him.

  The second guard took a few cautious steps towards the bush, hand drifting to his sword. "You'd better not be sleeping on duty, you lazy son of a—"

  He reached the edge, and froze.

  The bush was empty. No sign of his partner. Not even footprints in the soft earth. Just… gone.

  A cold wind cut through the garden like a whisper through bone.

  And then, faint but unmistakable, came a drip…

  ...followed by another… and another…

  Like something wet falling from above.

  The guard slowly looked up,

  Elara and Ai instinctively ducked lower behind their cover, but not before catching sight of what hung just beyond the treetops:

  Something dripped onto the guard’s helmet with a soft plink...

  He reached up, and brought back fingers slick with deep red.

  "...Blood." The guard's hand shook, turning to a trembling fist.

  Then, another dripping sound, closer this time; just on the other side of the wall.

  The guard whirled, just as something splashed atop the bricks.

  Elara and Ai tensed further, hands curled tightly around their weapons as they peered through the leaves.

  The guard took in a sharp breath, then called out, trying to keep his voice steady:

  "Who's there?!”

  Silence.

  The guard took a step back, heart racing.

  Then, something moved.

  A shadow, tall and impossibly thin, rose from behind the wall. It didn't step over, it unfolded, like something that wasn't meant to stand upright. Long limbs bent at unnatural angles. A head too large… eyes too dark… mouth too wide.

  It dropped silently onto the path in front of the guard, no sound at all except for one soft thud… and then,

  The blood dripping from its fingertips began again.

  Plink... plink... plink...

  The guard stumbled back, drawing his sword with a shaking hand. "Stay back!" he yelled into the night, voice cracking on fear and rage alike, but it was no use.

  He already knew what this thing was...

  Elara’s breath caught as realization struck: It was one of Rubina’s prophecies gone wrong.

  Ai leaned close to her ear and whispered just two words:

  "Move. Now.”

  Elara clenched her fists and nodded, her pulse thundering in her ears. They'd been so focused on sneaking in unseen, they hadn't considered... this.