'Those Song sisters have been acting too calm, indeed.'
Shaking his head, he followed Cassie toward the Valor Keep — which was the name given to the central stronghold of the camp by the soldiers.
The two of them entered under its heavy roof and were immediately guided to a spacious chamber where many Saints had already gathered, all wearing somber expressions on their faces.
"Lady Cassia, have you received any news? What exactly happened"
Cassie smiled briefly at the dashing Rivalen of Aegis Rose and shook her head apologetically.
"I am on my way to see the King. There will be more clarity soon."
A Knight of Valor arrived, then hurriedly led Cassie and Sunny deeper into the stronghold.
Soon, they entered a smaller chamber. There were only a few people inside — all of them among the strongest and most important champions of the Sword Army.
The King of Swords himself was sitting on an unadorned chair that had been carved out of stone, wearing a cold expression. Morgan was standing behind him, her usual air of polite amusement gone. Nephis was leaning against a wall, her white armor smeared with ash.
Sunny spared her a brief glance, then looked away.
There were three other Saints of the Sword Army in the chamber — Sky Tide, Summer Knight, and Sir Jest of Dagonet.
There was one more person, as well.
A handsome man was kneeling in front of the stone throne, his sunken face marked by pain and fatigue. His presence possessed a mystifying depth to it, as if most of him was hidden from sight.
His dark armor, crafted from the skin of some dreadful leviathan, was severely damaged and bloodied.
The man had his head lowered, so Sunny could not see his eyes. However, his black hair, strangely enough, had slight accents of dark blue.
Sunny's expression changed as he recognized his former friend and comrade, Saint Naeve of the House of Night.
Cassie, meanwhile, bowed deeply.
"I brought him, Your Majesty."
Anvil spared her a glance and nodded.
"Just in time."
With that, he shifted his gaze to the Nightwalker, remained silent for a few moments, and then asked in a cold, heavy tone:
"So, Saint Naeve. I've brought you and your people here, just as you requested. Now, I think, it's time that you give me an explanation. There are reports that the armada of the House of Night is on the move. Night Garden itself has set sail. So, tell me... what, exactly, are your elders scheming?"
Naeve shivered slightly and lingered for a while, as if gathering courage.
Eventually, he took a deep breath, straightened, and looked the King of Swords straight in the eyes.
When he spoke, his voice sounded firm:
"You are mistaken, Supreme Anvil. My elders are not scheming anything. In fact… they are dead."
Naeve paused for a moment, and then added hoarsely:
"They have all been… turned. The House of Night is no more."