On the other side of the doorway, pitch darkness surrounded the young women. A bright light flashed from the center of the room, revealing ten thrones, almost all of them empty except for two.

  Alice and Sóley blinked quickly, both trying to adjust to the sudden light. As their eyes adjusted, they realized they were standing in front of a massive chamber that held ten stone chairs in its center.

  Ten chairs…with only two people currently sitting on them. Alice's eyes widened in surprise, this…was not what she was expecting.

  Sóley just let out a sharp exhale. "…Well. That's a lot of empty chairs," she grumbled quietly.

  Tenzing stood calmly next to them, as if the sight of a nearly empty chamber was the most usual thing to see. "They are likely busy with other duties at the moment." she stated simply.

  Both Alice and Sóley stared at her incredulously. How was she so calm?!

  But before either could say anything, one of the only two people in the room—a blonde woman—cleared her throat softly from where she sat in one of the two occupied chairs.

  Sóley stiffened at the sound, her eyes widening even further. "...Oh crap.”

  Alice just turned her attention towards the woman who had cleared her throat, her heart suddenly racing again. Who exactly was this person? And why was the blonde woman looking at them with that strange, almost amused expression?

  The blonde woman stood, her eyes never leaving the two girls. "Well, well, you finally made it," she said softly, the smile on her face not quite reaching her piercing indigo eyes.

  "We were starting to wonder if you had gotten lost…"

  Alice and Sóley both exchanged an apprehensive glance. There was something about this woman's demeanor that set off every alarm bell in their minds. Her casual tone, the slightly mocking smile on her face…it was like she was enjoying their unease.

  Tenzing, still standing calmly next to the girls, merely gave the blonde woman a slight nod. "Yes. We did encounter some unforeseen delays, but we are here now."

  The woman hummed softly, her smile never faltering. "Some unforeseen delays, hmmm?"

  The way she said it, almost like she knew exactly what they had gone through to get here, made Alice shiver involuntarily.

  Sóley, on the other hand, just shot the blonde woman a sharp look. "Yeah, well—we can't all just teleport to this place, you know," she said with a touch of sarcasm, "some of us have to actually travel here in the real world."

  The blonde woman just chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Ohhhh, you're adorable," she cooed sarcastically before turning back to Alice and Sóley with that same eerie smile.

  Tenzing remained silent, still as a statue beside them, as the tension in the room grew thicker by the second.

  Finally though…the woman stepped forward from where she had been standing near her throne…and gestured towards another empty seat nearby: "Well then! Sit down already."

  Alice and Sóley both hesitated for a moment, they really didn't want to sit down, especially since they had no idea who this woman was. But there was something about her words, almost a slight edge of command in them, that stopped both of them from refusing her.

  Alice cleared her throat anxiously, her eyes fixed on the woman's smile. "...Right. Okay then," she muttered before moving forward reluctantly toward the offered seat.

  Sóley just huffed softly, crossing her arms as she followed Alice.

  The blonde woman just watched as both Alice and Sóley took their seats, Alice with some reluctance, Sóley with blatant annoyance.

  Once they were both seated, the woman walked back to her own chair and sat down gracefully before glancing at Tenzing. "And I imagine you are going to stand there for the remainder of this meeting, Tenzing?" she asked lightly.

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  Alice and Sóley both stiffened, what the hell was that?!

  Before they could even react, the woman who had just spoken suddenly stepped forward from where she had been standing behind her throne. Her indigo eyes gleamed with something almost predatory as she looked down at them.

  "Ohhhh," she purred, "you two look so scared right now."

  She tilted her head slightly before adding: "And you should be."

  Alice and Sóley both instinctively recoiled at the woman’s words, they could feel the danger radiating off her.

  Tenzing, however, remained still as ever, her expression unreadable as she watched from where she stood beside them.

  The blonde woman just chuckled again before finally taking a seat herself…her gaze never leaving Alice or Sóley for even a second.

  "So," she began smoothly "you two are here because you need our help?"

  Her tone was light but there was an undeniable weight behind those words, like they were already being tested in some way that neither of them quite understood yet…

  Sóley was the first to speak this time. "Yeah," she said calmly, "We…need your help.".

  The blonde woman hummed softly again, the smile on her face widening slightly. "I see."

  Alice just cleared her throat again, her eyes still fixed on the blonde woman. Gods, but she looked more and more like a predator sizing up its next meal…

  The blonde woman leaned forward slightly in her chair, her gaze never leaving Alice and Sóley's. "And just what sort of help do you require?" she asked, her voice soft yet sharp as a knife.

  Alice tensed slightly, the woman's eyes were almost hypnotizing…but still…she had to answer. "We…we need your help with something important."

  The blonde woman's smile widened slightly. "Really now?" She inquired softly, "That's quite the vague reply, dear."

  Alice swallowed hard, the woman was enjoying this.

  Sóley, however, didn't seem to care about that fact as she just shot the blonde woman a sharp look before speaking up again: "We need help gathering the rest of the members of the Shadows.".

  The blonde woman's eyes gleamed slightly at Sóley's words, like she had been waiting for this exact moment all along.

  "Ohhhh," she purred slowly, leaning back in her chair with a smirk playing on her lips now. "A gathering, you say?"

  Sóley crossed her arms as she stared the blonde woman down. "That's right," she retorted with a slight challenge in her voice. "That's exactly what we need."

  The blonde woman just chuckled, her smirk widening slightly. "Ohhhh, I like your attitude," she said smoothly before glancing back at Tenzing.

  "Tenzing," she began lightly, "you seem to be awfully quiet over there."

  Tenzing didn't even flinch at the sudden attention directed towards her, her expression remained completely neutral as always.

  "...I'm simply observing."

  The woman let out a small laugh before turning back to Alice and Sóley with an almost predatory glint in her eyes now.

  "So! You two want me, and all of my fellow Shadows, to help gather everyone else?" She inquired softly…though there was no mistaking it for anything other than amusement and something darker beneath that cheerful tone of voice...

  Alice hesitated briefly before answering: "Yes…we do need that kind of help from you people..."

  The blonde woman's smile twisted into a smirk again, like she had already known what Alice was going to respond with all along.

  "Oh, how interesting", she purred softly.

  Alice stiffened. There was something about the way she had said 'interesting' that set her off. She was growing more and more uncomfortable with every single word the woman said…there was something about it all that felt like a trap. Sóley clenched her jaw, trying desperately to keep her cool in this strange situation.

  The blonde woman finally stood from her throne, the sudden movement making both Alice and Sóley jump slightly.

  "Alright then," she said smoothly, stepping forward with that same predatory grace as before. "If you want our help in gathering everyone else...then I suppose we'll have to make a deal first."

  Alice tensed further, a deal? That didn’t sound good at all.

  Sóley narrowed her eyes suspiciously but stayed silent for now.

  Tenzing remained still beside them, her expression unreadable as always, but there was something about the way she subtly shifted closer to Alice and Sóley that suggested…concern?

  The blonde woman just smirked again before continuing: "What do you say?"

  Alice swallowed hard, looking up at the woman who was now standing right in front of her. She suddenly felt much smaller than usual.

  Sóley glanced between Alice and the blonde woman before finally replying: "...What kind of 'deal' do you have in mind?", her voice cautious but steady.

  The blonde woman just chuckled, that predatory glint in her eyes never wavering.

  "My, you are a cautious little thing," she commented, almost like a cat toying with a mouse. "I like that."

  Alice’s fingers curled into fists on her lap, she could feel the tension thickening like fog. This wasn’t just a request anymore; this was a negotiation, and every second made it clearer that they were walking straight into something dangerous.

  Sóley, ever the one to push forward when things got tense, scoffed. "Spit it out already," she snapped, chin lifting defiantly despite how much smaller she suddenly felt under those indigo eyes watching them both like prey.

  The woman's smirk didn't waver, if anything, Sóley’s sharp tone only seemed to amuse her more.

  "Ohhhh~ You really don't beat around bushes do you?" She mused before tilting her head slightly towards Tenzing for just moment, a silent exchange passing between them before turning back with all focus now locked onto Alice again:

  "Fine then…Let me be direct..."