Chapter 227: Missing Soul maidens.

Trinity grabbed an embroidered tissue from the side table and gently dabbed the corners of her eyes, letting out a lingering giggle. "Oh, sweet Julia, Lita isn’t just loyal out of goodness, she has everything to benefit from our little arrangement. So, she is willing to take risks." Trinity said, her tone shifting into something cold and satisfied. "But she is a fool for doing my bidding without stopping to think. Now, I have something big over her. From now on, she will be turned into my most loyal dog in the Kaelion family. And a loyal dog is precisely what I need to help me put Sabrina down for good."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Think about it," Trinity continued, her eyes glittering. "Right now, Sabrina has lost both the position of family head and clan leader. If she had somehow grabbed that power today, it would’ve been a total disaster for me."

"Absolutely," Julia agreed, taking a seat opposite her. "If she’d kept the family head title, she would’ve retained total control over the Kaelion family treasury. She’d be far too wealthy and dangerous to handle."

"Exactly," Trinity murmured, her expression darkening into a sharp, lethal seriousness. "There’s an old saying for a reason, Julia: There cannot be two lions in the same den. It’s either me or Sabrina. One of us has to die so the other can thrive. There is no middle ground."

Silence stretched between them for a second before Trinity’s lips curled back into a devious, scheming grin.

"Speaking of obstacles_ " Trinity tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Now that the entire world knows that useless Elliot is the backup fighter, I was just thinking about something funny. Wouldn’t it be great if a few anonymous goons happened to jump Maverick in an alley and broke a few of his bones before he ever steps onto the stage?"

Julia’s eyes lit up with instant understanding. A sly, slow smile spread across her face, and she gave a firm, single nod.

"Leave it to me," She said quietly, her voice full of mischief. "I will make the plans."

*****

Zyra chomped on her food like a beast that hadn’t seen a meal in three days. She wasn’t starving, she was just hungry, and the food in front of her was far too delicious to eat politely.

"Zyra, you need to slow down," Danielle. Scotty’s five-year-old niece chimed in, resting her tiny chin on her hands and watching her with big, serious eyes from across the table. "My mommy said that when you eat too fast, you get terrible indigestion and your tummy explodes."

Zyra swallowed a big mouthful with a loud gulp and pointed a greasy fork at the little girl. "That rule only applies to tiny kids like you, little turnip. Adults have stomachs made of steel."

"You sound like Uncle Scotty." Danielle replied with a sigh.

The girl shook her head solemnly, completely giving up on trying to save Zyra from her own stomach. Yaya mimicked Danielle, looking equally disappointed in Zyra.

Beside the children, Hunter burst out laughing, nearly choking on his tea. Everyone at the dining table was chuckling, their attention completely captured by Zyra’s shameless gluttony. Everyone except Tessi.

Tessi sat hunched over on a wooden stool in the corner, paying zero attention to the food. She was chewing her fingernails down to the quick, her right foot tapping against the floorboards at a furious, frantic speed. The continuous, nervous noise was becoming seriously irritating.

"By the gods, Tessi, what on earth has got you so anxious?" Malia finally snapped, setting down her bowl.

In an instant, all eyes shifted away from Zyra and landed on the fidgeting girl.

Tessi bolted upright, the wooden stool scraping loudly against the floor, and began pacing back and forth across the room like a caged spirit beast. Zyra’s eyes narrowed instantly, her chew slowing down. Something was definitely wrong.

"This cannot be good_" Tessi mumbled under her breath, her face pale as parchment as she wrung her hands. "This can’t be good. This is bad, this is so bad."

Zyra wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, stood up, and slowly approached her. "Tessi, calm yourself. What cannot be good?"

Tessi froze mid-pace. She stared at Zyra, and before anyone could utter another word, tears burst out of her eyes like a broken dam.

"Eek!" Yaya squeaked at the sudden outburst. Sensing the brewing storm in the room, the little girl scrambled backward and dove straight into Hunter’s arms for safety. Hunter instinctively wrapped a protective arm around her, his expression turning sharp.

Bianca moved in closer as well, her brow furrowed with concern. "Tessi, take a breath. What happened?"

Sniffling uncontrollably, Tessi sobbed out her confession. "I_ I made an escape plan! With my friends, the soul maidens from the academy! They planned to escape and come straight to the valley during the transfer window just before the flood started, but_ but I can’t reach them!"

Hunter stepped forward, his eyes serious. "How were they supposed to travel all the way here?"

"They were going to hijack a plane." Tessi cried out. "The plan was easy."

Zyra’s jaw dropped. A surge of irritation flared in her chest, she was furious that Tessi had hatched such a reckless, dangerous scheme without informing her first! But right now, wasn’t the time to scold her.

"I tried sending them a soul message," Tessi sobbed, wiping her nose with her sleeve, "but the transmission failed completely! It’s probably because of the elemental storm outside."

Zyra nodded slowly, her tone grim. "Of course. A natural disaster like this scrambled the energy in the air. Soul connections can’t pierce through that kind of chaos."

"There’s a chance they never even made it onto the plane," Bianca said slowly, "Maybe they got caught before they could hijack it."

Tessi let out a strangled groan, clutching her head. "That’s even worse! If they got caught, Trinity is going to skin them alive and hang their hides over the academy gates!"

"They got on the plane; my friend sent me a message just as it took." Yanxi chimed in. She thought she was giving them hope, but it only made everyone more anxious.

Hunter’s face darkened as he looked out the window at the howling, chaotic weather tearing through the skies. "In weather like this, if that plane actually took off, it could have crushed. I am afraid..." His words trailed off. He was too afraid to finish the sentence, but the grim reality hung heavy in the room.

"No! They’re alive!" Tessi shrieked, her voice cracking with pure desperation. "They have to be alive somewhere out in the wild lands! They’re just trapped!" She spun around and hurried to Zyra, grabbing her by the shoulders, looking at her with wide, pleading eyes. "Zyra, you have to help me! You can reach them!"

Zyra blinked, completely puzzled. "Me? Tessi, what are you talking about?"

"You’re the Divine Maiden! You are stronger than Trinity." Tessi cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Your soul energy is vast! You can use soul messaging better than anyone here_ you can cut right through the storm and find them."