Emperor's Reckoning

Nit gulped as he saw Lyon enter the sphere. The latter was among the worst man to be together with the elders he was protecting, however, he had little to nothing to say. The absolute unit had killed a grootslang alone by his own power, while he was collecting the flowers for her request.

"Are you sure it's going to be alright?" asked Lumina who was by Cecile's side.

"No," Cecile chuckled, "I jest."

"Hmm?" Kesya's nose twitched before she smiled, "Look's like he is going to do something bizarre soon."

"Again?" Mavis raised his brows before he furrowed them (Huh? The mana, they are shifting). He looked at the air before slowly averting at the giant ice sphere in front of him. He squinted his eyes as he noticed a golden dot permeating from within the giant ball of ice.

"What is he doing?" Lumina furrowed as the golden illumination started to spread calmly and gently from the inside. The giant blueish-white sphere had now become a frozen golden ball with fire leaking from the hole that Lyon had just made.

"He is burning something," said Nit as he furrowed his brows.

"I hope he burnt his foul smell out of him," said Lumina as she scoffed.

Meanwhile, inside the sphere...

Lyon had his arms crossed like usual as a reflection of the fire filled his pupils. Ivy's cold complexion had fallen into the grace of warmth from the gentle golden fire. Her eyes were looking at the frozen statue of her own mother, with her mouth gaped open. Thrumming drips of water could be heard as the fingers of the ice statue were the first to show its glowing skin.

"What did you do?" asked Lyon before he furrowed his brows as he received no answer. He turned before he noticed how intoxicated she was at the sight. "Hmph," Lyon smiled as he shook his head.

The sphere of ice gradually lost its golden splendor before it returned to its original color and silence soon followed.

"Huh," Anna blinked her eyes a few times before she looked at her palms. Her hair felt a little heavier than before, but her skin could feel the soaked garment that she wore. She looked at the front before she raised her brows and called out, "Ivy!"

Ivy begrudgingly nodded, "A-Anna..."

Anna gaped as her pupils shrunk before she blinked and forced a smile, "Oh, right, I-I was frozen."

"Sorry," Ivy muttered as she looked away before walking away, "Thank you, Lyon."

"Hm?" Lyon raised his brows as he noticed the weird tension between both of them.

"Ivy?" Anna called out before Ivy leaped and got out of the sphere through the hole that Lyon made earlier.

Lyon whistled as he put his hands behind his head and watched Ivy leave. "What happened to you guys?"

Anna looked down as she pursed her lips together before she shook her head. "Thank you, young master Lyon, you must be the one that defrosts me."

"Oh?" Lyon raised his brows, "Sure, no problem."

Anna's nose twitched as she was aghast inwardly. She could feel a single nose hair fall out as she caught his odor. (What? This... couldn't possibly be his smell right?). She looked at the young man with doubts in her mind but she was not really looking for an answer either.

"You know, she is a pretty lady," said Lyon out of nowhere.

"Hm?" Anna raised her brows (Don't tell me, he is interested in... Ivy?). She looked at the young man that seemingly didn't have a care for the world or his surroundings as if he bore no responsibilities at all. (I have a hunch, but I never thought that he would actually be) thought Anna as she nodded.

"She is, isn't she," Anna smiled.

"Huh?" Lyon leered at her.

"Are you interested in her, young master Lyon?" asked Anna. (He might not be the best husband for her, but it is better than what I have).

"Interested, eh? Hmm," Lyon pondered with his hand rubbing his chin, and his eyes closed. A few nods came before he said, "I am."

Anna smiled, "Young master Lyon, she might be a little bit cold, bu—"

"A little bit?" Lyon raised his brows before he chuckled, "Have you seen around you?"

"Hehe, I know, but she is quite gentle at heart," said Anna with a bright motherly smile on her face.

Lyon furrowed his brows as he looked at her, "Are you trying to do what I think you're trying to do?"

"Hm?" Anna raised her brows, "I'm sorry young master Lyon, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I mean that you know," said Lyon as he nodded with his glance threatening her to reveal her answer.

"That? Sorry, but I have no idea what you're implying here young master Lyon," said Anna as she smiled.

"You know, the thing that you mothers do," said Lyon before he emphasize with his fingers. "Matchmaking."

Anna raised her brows, "Y...You knew?"

"I mean, it's pretty obvious right?" said Lyon as he shrugged.

"I guess..." Anna looked down as she sighed. "So the whole group really knew, huh."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Lyon. "Are we, are we talking about different things here?"

"Hm? That I'm her biological mother, right?" Ivy muttered.

"That's not what I meant, I mean, I too know that, but that's not the thing we are talking about prior now is it?!" said Lyon as he tried to clear their conversation. "I was talking about how you try to match your daughter with me."

"Oh," Anna raised her brows before she chuckled, "I'm sorry, I must have been too tired lately."

"Looks like it," said Lyon.

"Let's continue this idle chat sometime later," said Anna with a smile. "I'm afraid, we must take a rest before continuing our quest."

(And she averted the topic easily, I swear these women) thought Lyon as he smiled wryly, "Yes, I can feel a little bit sore on my shoulders, but there is no point in continuing our quest."

"Huh?" Anna raised her brows, "What do you mean, young master Lyon?"

"It means what it means," said Lyon as he sighed, "We already collect your flowers, to make that, what was it called? Baba Pill or whatever."

Anna blinked dumbfoundedly, "We did?"

"Of course we did," said Lyon before he yawned. "Oh man, I'm getting sleepy, that Valor really drains you out."

"A-Are you sure?" Anna asked.

"I don't know," said Lyon as he shrugged. "Mit is the one that gathers them before the whole cave crumbled."

(Nit) said Anna inwardly with a wry smile before she frowned. "The whole cave crumbled?!"

"Yeah, well, that's the short version of it, hahaha!" Lyon laughed against the ceiling.

"T-Then!"

"Stop you're worrying, we're fine," said Lyon. "Well, we are outside, technically."

"Out..side?" Anna was further confused. She was in the sphere for the entire time but she was pretty sure that the sphere had not moved even for an inch. The last time she remembered, she was inside a very dim cave with nothing but a small orb that her daughter held for the source of light. (Was the sphere moved when I froze?) thought Anna before she looked up and saw the blue sky from the hole that Lyon had made prior.

Lyon suddenly approached her with his hands open, but she quickly took a few steps back.

"W-What are you trying to do?" asked Anna as she covered her drenched outfit.

"Hm?" Lyon noticed the aghast from her pupils as he frowned. "I'm going to carry you up."

"I-I can jump by myself, thank you," said Anna as she nervously nodded.

"A-Alright then," said Lyon before he leaped outside and quickly found Ivy was standing on top of the sphere. "Huh, you're still here? Hehehe, were you listening?"

However, Ivy didn't even turn her head as she asked, "Lyon, where are we?"

"What do you mean? We are still at the same place."

"The cave? I see no cave," said Ivy before she asked, "How did we end up in an open area?"

"Well, it's gone," said Lyon before he jumped down. "Ah~ I'm really sleepy."

"G-Gone..." Ivy's eyes had shrunk to a dot before she realized what was going on.

She saw fallen trees and cracked grounds, some logs could be seen floating on the sea. The wind was flowing freely against her hair. A river that was once not there. Then, craters upon craters that were definitely recent and some soft dirt that got an imprint of giant knuckles.

Anna jumped before she met a familiar back. She was stunned, but the scenery petrified her. Both daughter and mother had the very same exact mimicry.

"Elder Anna!" Nit called out, "I got it, I got the flowers!"

However, his call was void against her for her brain was still processing what had just happened to the island.