NOVPUBKael remained calm. His posture didn’t shift, his face betrayed nothing. He simply met the priest’s gaze and responded with a question, "Where is my sister?"
Letting out a chuckle, the Supreme Pontiff took a step back, folding his hands into his sleeves. "Be patient, young man. We will lead you to her. But, I just want you to remember that regardless of how strong you are, it is not enough to escape this place. So, don’t take our hospitality for granted, and assist in our mission. Both of you will go free and unhurt as promised."
Kael’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t react beyond that.
"Follow me," the priest continued, already turning away.
Kael didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second and stepped forward. His primary concern is obvious. Jagger, still watching him with an unreadable expression, said nothing as they moved deeper into the temple.
Their path led through winding corridors, past towering statues of ancient deities, their stony faces twisted in expressions of divine judgment. The torches on the walls flickered weakly as they descended down the stairs. Soon, they reached the crypt.
Kael’s footsteps echoed as he followed the Supreme Pontiff through the labyrinth of stone graves, and reached the farthest end of the crypt, where an iron door loomed before them.
Dim torchlight barely illuminated the runes carved into its surface. Without hesitation, the Supreme Pontiff pushed it open.
With a faint creak, the door opened and a gust of cold air struck Kael’s face. Kael momentarily shut his eyes but when he opened it again, he saw a figure. His breath slowed as he stepped inside.
The room was small, dark, and damp. The walls were made of solid stone, the air thick with the scent of old metal and dried blood. Chains hung uselessly from the walls, rusted and ancient, though the room’s sole prisoner was far too weak to need them. "Mia…" He murmured under his breath, feeling tightening in his chest.
She was pale—too pale. Her body was frail to the point of fragility, her skin stretched thin over protruding bones. Dark shadows clung beneath her closed eyes, and her once-lustrous golden hair was now brittle and lifeless.
The Supreme Pontiff stepped beside him, watching with something almost resembling satisfaction.
"There she is," he murmured. "Your beloved sister. The current Saintess of Moonstone."
Kael didn’t respond to his statement. His eyes remained locked on Mia. He couldn’t stop himself from calling her. "Mia."
And in response, her eyes snapped open almost instantly. She forced herself to raise her head to look toward the source. The moment her gaze met his, she called out in surprise. "Kael?" Her voice was hoarse, brittle as if it hadn’t been used in days.
She moved—tried to stand—but the effort was too much. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she barely caught herself against the edge of the stone bed.
But then in the next moment, as if remembering where she was, her expression hardened. Her gaze shifted from Kael to the Supreme Pontiff, eyes burning with defiance. She growled.
"Whatever tricks you’re trying, it won’t work," she rasped, her body trembling with the effort to stay upright. "Do whatever you want. There’s no way I’ll fall for it."
Kael’s chest tightened. Even in this state—**starved, drained, broken—**Mia was still fighting. Still resisting.
The Supreme Pontiff watched her with mild amusement before turning his gaze to Kael. "I’ll leave her to you," he said smoothly. "How you convince her is your problem."
*Snap*
Then, with a snap of his fingers, the air shifted.
Kael felt the change instantly. The invisible pressure that had been surrounding Mia—a mana barrier—vanished in an instant. The Supreme Pontiff turned on his heel and walked away, his robes flowing behind him like a shadow.
"Come, Jagger," he called. Jagger hesitated. His gaze lingered on Kael for just a moment longer, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then, without a word, he followed after the priest, leaving Kael alone with his sister.
The heavy iron door groaned as it swung shut behind them.
A brief silence filled the room.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Kael and Mia were alone.
He took a step forward. Mia took a step back instead. Her breathing was ragged and uneven. She seemed like she refused to believe that he is her beloved elder brother.
Kael clenched his fists, watching as his sister, barely able to keep herself upright, yet still refusing to yield. He took another step.
"Mia," he said, voice low.
She flinched at his voice. Her hands curled into weak fists at her sides, but she didn’t attack or defend.
It didn’t take Kael much time to analyze her thoughts. He understood her immediately. She thinks he is an illusion—no… illusion doesn’t work on her as she is born immune to any kind of illusions. So, it is more likely the fact that she was thinking of some Clown disguised as her brother in order to break her.
No matter what he does, Mia would think along such lines.
As a result, Kael knew that he had to do something that only Kael and Mia could know. What could be that thing?
After thinking much, Kael swallowed hard, forcing himself to take a deep breath. Then, slowly, he raised his hands.
And he clapped.
*Tap*
A single clap. Then followed by another clap. *Tap*
And then a pause.
After that, two quick claps, followed by three slow ones. Then one more.
The rhythm was odd—deliberate.
Mia’s breath hitched at once when she heard it.
Her fingers twitched at her sides as she continued staring at the wall, but Kael saw it—the faint tremble in her shoulders, the way her chest rose and fell just a little faster.
As she didn’t respond, Kael continued.
He clapped again. The sequence changed—short claps, long ones, pauses in between, a rhythm only two people in the entire world could ever understand.
Mia’s lips parted slightly. Her hands clenched into weak fists. Her vision momentarily blurred as a memory popped up in her head.
She had sworn—sworn—that she wouldn’t fall for this. That she wouldn’t let the enemy break her with something as simple as a familiar face. "No… this isn’t possible… how?"
It’s a clap language developed by herself. A secret code, one she taught her brother, and apart from themselves, no one else knows. It is so complicated that it is tough for Kael to teach the enemies and to learn too. Even for Kael, it took five years to master the language.
It was real.
It had to be real.
After Kael clapped, using the clap language, for half a minute or so, he stopped and waited for her reply. The message he sent was: It’s me, Mia. For the past year, I have been looking for you everywhere. Didn’t expect our reunion like this.
Her lips quivered as she slowly lifted her shaking hands and, hesitantly, began to clap in return. Her rhythm was unsteady at first, weak. But she matched his pattern, answering his message.
Mia: If you are real, then tell me, how do you know this code? Who taught you this language?
She tested him in order to confirm that it was really him.
Kael’s heart clenched, his vision swimming with unshed tears as he clapped again, sending a response.
Kael: If I had to answer roughly, you taught me. But, if I had to answer it deeply, it was me who came up with the idea in the first place. You know, using Mom’s song as the foundation.
As soon as she decoded his reply, Mia’s breath came out in a sharp sob. And then—finally—she looked at him.
Tears streamed freely down her hollow cheeks as her claps became more desperate, more certain until they were no longer just a message, but a silent cry of relief.
Mia: "It’s been a while, Brother…"
Mia’s frail body trembled as she struggled to stay on her feet. Her arms barely lifted before her strength gave out, and she collapsed forward.
Kael’s eyes widened, his own vision blurred by tears. He lunged, catching her just in time. Her body was weightless in his arms, far too thin, far too weak. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
A choked sob escaped Mia’s lips as she buried her face into his shoulder. "B-Brother..." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Kael heard every ounce of emotion behind it.
His hand found the back of her head, fingers running through her disheveled hair as he held her close. He rested his chin on top of her, eyes squeezing shut as his own tears fell.
"It’s been a while, sis… I missed you so much…" His voice cracked, raw, and filled with all the pain he had bottled up for the past year. He desperately searched for her the whole year, trying to find her whereabouts in whatever way he could, but failed. He poured thousands of gold coins into the information guild, but none of them managed to find her. There wasn’t a day he hadn’t thought of her. And right now, as she was lying in his arms, even Kael couldn’t hold himself back from crying.
Mia’s fingers curled weakly into his clothes, as if afraid that if she let go, he would disappear. But the exhaustion, the hunger, the months of torment were too much. Her grip loosened. Her body slumped against him.
"Mia?" Kael’s heart clenched. He pulled back slightly, shaking her lightly. "Mia! Hey, stay with me!" But she didn’t respond. Her breathing was steady but weak, her face pale against his chest.
Kael held her tighter, his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. He looked around, his mind racing. He needed to get her out. He needed to—
A flicker of movement caught his eye. "Hmm? What was that?"
It was just for a moment but he saw a tiny mass of energy in the room but disappeared instantly.
Meanwhile, high above, embedded in the cold stone wall, a large crystal ball shimmered, its translucent surface swirling with energy.
Behind it, watching the scene unfold with unsettling calmness, stood the priest and Jagger.
The priest’s sharp gaze lingered on the siblings, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Jagger frowned, arms crossed, visibly puzzled.
"What… was that?" Jagger muttered, his voice carrying through the magical surveillance. "What were they doing? Some kind of code?"
The priest let out a slow breath, eyes narrowing slightly. "Perhaps… but it doesn’t matter."
Jagger looked at him, clearly unconvinced. "But—"
"Focus." The priest’s tone turned sharp, cutting through the tension. His fingers traced along the edge of the crystal as he turned away. "Forget about that strange language of theirs. Whatever they conversed or make their plans, none of that matters now."
Jagger hesitated but gave a slow nod.
The priest’s lips curled into an ominous smile. "Make the preparations. The ritual must proceed as fast as possible. The red moon will be here in less than 30 hours. If we miss this opportunity, we might have to wait for another six months for the next one."
The crystal dimmed, its glow fading.
In the prison, Kael continued to hold his unconscious sister, his jaw tightening.
