“Why am I always alone?”

  Years ago, in a room filled with chemical jars, surgical tools, a patient bed, and a thick glass panel.

  Beyond the glass was the dark abyss—where strange marine creatures drifted by like a miniature aquarium at the ocean’s deepest trench.

  “I’ll say this once more. You people should learn your place. Even if your clan gets a seat on the council… so what?”

  “If My mother’s plan succeeds, then what? Tell me, do you still not understand the very first rule of ruling?” Her voice was sharp—bitter, angry, dripping with contempt.

  Inside the room stood a few knights and a refined count from the Sea Kirins clan. He wore a dignified, luxurious suit, his light-blue hair was slicked back save for a few loose bangs; his emerald eyes were burning with irritation as he glared at the lamia girl.

  A long golden horn adorned his head. Scales gleamed across his body, a soft white mane draped over his neck and shoulders, and several polished medals gleamed on his right chest.

  “You should learn your place as well, Basilika. Don’t assume no one can control you just because you’re down here.” Basilika shot him a sideways glance—neither willing to yield.

  “The first rule of ruling is having your own kingdom,” the count declared.

  “Wrong. It’s obtaining the people’s faith—something neither I nor that ruined place have anymore,” Basilika snapped back.

  Neither side was willing to give way, the count looked at Basilika for a moment, he turned his eyes to another place on her, Basilika clicked his tongue lightly.

  “A royal by blood—no, a Queen—letting her beauty wither away in this cage… don’t you think it’s a waste?” he flirted.

  “And why should I care about that? If you’re planning something—no thanks. Also, where are your manners?”

  The count smiled at her, then turned to leave. His knights followed. Before stepping out, he looked back one more time.

  “What would you say if the two of us married and ruled multiple kingdoms together?”

  Basilika did not answer, only had a back wearing a white blouse, with long, flowing shiny black hair facing the count. Everything fell silent, the count rarely came back to see her. Many years later, things gradually changed.

  Many years later, in that room, Basilika met Lyudmila, a darkly dressed Water Dragon lady. She bowed, placing her hand on her right chest and slowly bending down - a typical greeting style in the culture of the royal family of the Water Dragon race.

  “Greetings, Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet you tonight.”

  “No one followed you, I presume?” Basilika motioned for her to rise.

  “Rest assured, Your Majesty. I dealt with every tailing party myself.”

  “Good.”

  Basilika tidied up the surgical equipment and chemical bottles, clapped her hands a few times, and the mist began to spread throughout the room, covering the large glass panel.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not harming you. This is to prevent outside eyes. The mist system also blocks sound.”

  “Before we begin… I want to know one thing.” Basilika approached her.

  “Are you willing to betray this place?”

  A short period of time passed, it was unclear what the answer was, only Basilika was smiling with satisfaction.

  “From now on, you’ll leak intel about this facility to Queen Selena.”

  “Cooperate with her faction. You’ll come to understand what you need—and what comes next.”

  “And especially keep watch on a Sylph princess. Her name is…” Basilika whispered into her ear.

  “I won't fail you, Your Majesty,” Lyudmila bowed and departed as the mist slowly faded, leaving Basilika alone once more.

  She looked out into the deep sea beyond the glass and smiled faintly. Nothing but silence and desolation returned her gaze.

  “Soon, you and I will tear this place apart again, Celeste.”

  The elevator resumed working. When it reached the level, two guards blinked in confusion.

  “Huh? Why… why is it empty? Where is everyone?”

  “Try contacting the upper floors.”

  “Y-Yes, sir.”

  In another place, deep in a dark street, the smell of disinfectant, chemicals, and humidity mixed together to create an indescribable smell, a bright blue fire, and Charlotte and I jumped out.

  “So this is what Phoenix teleportation feels like… thank goodness my dress didn’t burn—ah, it’s dry now.”

  “This smell is awful. Do you always have to endure it?” Charlotte pinched her nose.

  “You’ll get used to it. It’s a deep-sea hospital.”

  “Your dress can’t burn, don’t worry.” I smiled at her.

  Charlotte straightened her outfit—just in time for a patrol of Water Dragon soldiers to spot us.

  “You—you two are breaking in!? Seize them!”

  “You’ve got friend, Charlotte," I happily looked at the soldiers holding spears and spears rushing towards me.

  “Send some more. This is too easy,” Charlotte calm walked away.

  I stood at a corner and watched Charlotte play with everyone. She opened her magic circle and took out the soldier from before and the Little Angel flower, while dodging the stab from the spear gently as if she was toying with them.

  “Here, a gift for everyone.” She blew gently the white flower.

  Charlotte threw the soldier in her hand at the soldiers for them to catch in confusion. The white flower placed in the soldier's mouth spread its scent, causing everyone to fall asleep one after another.

  “Alright, let’s go see Silika. Just a short walk from here,” I said, hand cast a spell circle and summoning my Swan Lake sword.

  Charlotte and I walked a little further, ahead was a large metal door. There's no one here, or at least that's what I see.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Charlotte used magic on the door, after a few minutes, the sound of an office rang out, the door opened, inside was Basilika's familiar office.

  “Silika, are you here?”

  The two stepped inside and saw that the burning device still had traces of use. I guess there were a few unfortunate fish that she cooked for breakfast. The air in the room was almost clean and easy to breathe in contrast to the outside.

  “Wow, there’s a flying snake on the ceiling!”

  As soon as i looked up, the gray and black Serpent Bone spear, the spear's back full of sharp thorny vines, flew towards my chest.

  “Silika huh… looks like you are in the mood to hunt today.”

  The spear blade collided with the sword's path in an instant, creating the familiar sound of howling wind, enveloping me completely.

  With a swipe of my hand, I grabbed the spear, brilliant blue flames burst out from my palm, burning everything. I flew up high and threw the spear back at her.

  “What's the point in this trivial game? You made me wait too long, blue bird.” Silika smiled at me, a smile full of anger mixed with annoyance.

  Basilika lightly waved her hand, a wind shield blocked the spear spear rushing at her, blue flames surrounded her as if to embrace her, a blue ball of wind appeared next to her.

  Basilika lightly waved her hand, a wind shield blocked the spear spear rushing at her, blue flames surrounded her as if to embrace her, a blue ball of wind appeared next to her.

  “As fiery as ever. Good. The poison on the spear has thinned considerably.”

  She kicked again, Serpent Bone was knocked back, the wind brought the spear back to her hand, she slowly walked down to the ground.

  “Wow, so that’s Basilika the Serpent Queen. That strike could’ve been fatal." Charlotte laughed and joked with Basilika, I patted her head then pulled up my skirt and bowed to Basilika.

  “You are… I see. Interesting. Seems anyone can stroll into this place now,” Basilika joked while eyeing Charlotte.

  “Alright, Charlotte. Greetings done. Keep watch outside.”

  With a bright, cheerful smile, Charlotte walked out, leaving me alone with Basilika. When I looked back, I saw that she had been looking at Charlotte for a bit too long.

  “So, that girl is really…”

  “Yes. You know about it too? This is your first time meeting her,” I said.

  “Hah… what do I not know?” Basilika smirked, storing her spear.

  Basilika cleaned up the room. From the closet, she took out a large roll of paper and spread it on the desk. On the paper was a picture of a large, strange black beast with webbed limbs and many things protruding like black seaweed. Its body had changed a lot.

  A type of monster I've never encountered before, there are many notes on the body but mostly external descriptions and many questions.

  “ Did Sirens evolved? Silika?”

  "Ha... then what do I ask you to do, blue bird? What you see before you is the root of my problem all these years - a victim of jealousy, Scylla."

  After hearing this, I was stunned and didn't understand anything. Fortunately, Charlotte was outside. I guess she would laugh about this a lot.

  In fact, I was feeling that way too, Basilika glanced at me slightly so I swallowed it down my throat.

  “Don’t laugh, blue bird. This whole mess is a coincidence triggered by your clan.”

  “Remember the crack in this Realm’s sky?”

  “That incident happened the very day I found this patient—and someone used it to blow things out of proportion.”

  After listening, I couldn't laugh anymore, the day that big battle happened. Although we have prevented the possible consequences to a minimum, it seems that the opponent still left behind more hidden consequences, and I remember one person involved...

  “The Dark Phoenix… or something close to it. She arrived late. Definitely her, or one of the Thirteen.”

  “Interesting. I’ve heard the rumors. They all appeared on the same day. Was Cassiopeia there?” I shook my head. Basilika smirked.

  “Cassiopeia is a master at hiding. I know where she is. In the end, she’s the root cause.”

  “Listen carefully, blue bird. I’ll tell you everything. It’s long.”

  Basilika looked outside the door at the blue water and small fish swimming. Her tail wiggled slightly, a moment of silence passed, and she finally spoke.

  “That day, the sky of this Realm was bombarded—from outside the universe.”

  “And the Sun and Moon appeared simultaneously.”

  The event that Basilika talked about, that event, was magnificent, magnificent, I did not expect that the influence that Queen Selena and my cousin, Queen Patricia Luminous, created would be so great.

  『The Erosion Crack of Dystopia Realms… the consequences really were too great…』

  “The Star Gate is sealed now to block further incursion. My condolences, blue bird.” Basilika lowered her voice and gently patted my shoulder.

  Basilika returning to the desk, looked at the picture on the paperfor a moment, then continued:

  “And during that event, Scylla was poisoned. That black bird wanted to reenact an ancient tale.”

  “Last sighting was near here—Shipwreck Market. After that don't know more.”

  『Shipwreck Market… the pirates’ golden pit…』

  I approached the table, took a closer look at Scylla's body, at first glance it looked like the biological structure of a Siren, ugly, with large webbed hands, dark skin color, very territorial and very violent.

  But there are many parts that are not like that. The gills, the head and arms, and the lower half of the body have many chaotic structures, reminding me of the patchwork fashion of beginner tailors.

  “The citizens believe your clan caused this incident.”

  “Her condition stems from two factors: a curse and poison. I lean more toward the first.”

  “When she was human, she was a proud, independent lady—hated marriage.”

  Basilika paused for a moment, took a breathed, then continued:

  “And after everything… everyone abandoned her. Or perhaps she abandoned herself.”

  “After that incident, there was also a vacant council seat due to all of your Lam Phuong clan withdrawing, so… my mother stepped in.” Basilika hesitated for a moment when mentioning her mother, there was a hint of dislike in her words.

  She said nothing more, sinking into her chair and stroking her black serpent tail.

  “I understand the rest, Silika. Thank you. And… I’m sorry I can’t help you yet.”

  “I have to stay—to rebuild the clan’s kingdom and stabilize their hearts.”

  I sat down on the chair, feeling a bit nostalgic about that day, with many mixed emotions, sadness because of the failure, joy because of the victory, uncertainty about the future.

  “So? War is like that. Very different from drawing strategy on a table, isn’t it?”

  Basilika smiled happily at me, she joked lightly, but reminded me of Mother Seraphina, who went through constant wars in her youth. The more I think about it, the more I respect her.

  “It is different. Everything hurts… in its own way.”

  “In that strange way… I can sit here now—laughing—feeling so calm it’s almost wrong.”

  I kept smiling, kept talking, but then I kept feeling sad, regretful and blaming myself. In an inexplicable feeling, so calm that it was absurd, I felt Basilika comforting me.

  “It’s alright. You’re not at fault. Remember what you said?”

  “That you’ll save everyone. Then do it—if you still want to keep playing with me.”

  After a while, I calmed down and felt somewhat lighter. The smell of washing powder on Basilika's shirt wafted into my nose, mixed with other chemical smells, causing me to gently push her away.

  “H-Hey… Silika, why did you undo my hair?”

  After pushing her away, I felt my carefully tied blue hair falling down her back.

  “Because I like it. And because you love showing it off.”

  “I do not—” Before I could finish speaking, Basilika took over first, giving me a kiss, her tail wrapping around my body.

  My heart beat faster, I felt a sad aftertaste in her kiss, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, it seemed like she had many things hidden in her heart, but it was okay, Basilika would then say it.

  “Celeste… I want you to keep this treasure—my first kiss.”

  “Tell Yurikka if you want… don’t hide it. But don’t forget her.”

  I hugged Basilika, this feeling, that name, that kitsune Yurikka, I still remember her, she was my love.

  “Yes… if you say that, I’ll tell her.”

  “It’s fine. I know your intentions, Silika. Thank you.”

  “But for now… just us. I’m so lonely, Celeste.” After that word, we kissed again.

  Outside, Charlotte was still guarding the door. She poked the cheeks of the Water Dragon soldiers lying in a corner next to her. Their faces were painted in various shapes, but Charlotte was still laughing.

  “Sigh… just a bit of mist and they’re out cold. Come on, wake up and play with me.”

  “She’s talking forever. When will they finish?”

  At another place, after the Water Dragon soldiers went up to check, but strangely, when the staff checked the information, he received something else.

  “What? Miria, what’s this? ‘The staff left the elevator because the wait was too long’? Seriously?”

  “That’s correct, Auda. You heard right.” Miria answered calmly.

  “Next time, Miria, tell them not to toy with the guard posts. This isn’t funny.” Auda sighed and left.

  After that, Auda left, somewhere else, in the management department, a lady with thin strands of silk on her hands, her nails painted with purple and black lipstick that contrasted prominently, her enchanting long black hair flowing down her back.

  Her eyes sparkled seductively with a mysterious purple eyeline, wearing a modern black business suit, on the table was a large black brimmed hat, looking bored at the display screen.

  “Charlotte really is too obvious. Good thing I intervened.”

  “Sigh… manipulation complete, intel gathered, Lyudmila’s report delivered… time to leave.”

  She collected the wire and let the display return to normal. On the way out of the room, everyone bowed naturally to her.

  “I wonder how the others are doing today.”

  “To think Puppeteer has to handle something this small.”

  Elsewhere, deep within a crystal palace hidden in the Dream Realm, the world parallels the Chanson de lune. A person wearing a white robe, hiding his identity and identity, approached the abandoned crystal throne, his hand wiping away the dust on it.

  “How nostalgic, this throne, the glory will shine again.”

  "I hope this story will flourish and flourish. I hope the Dream Flower will last forever."

  In the blood-red sky of Dystopia Realms, under the cathedral of mourning, a girl with long, slightly dark red hair, her beauty was absolutely beautiful.

  “Oh dear, oh dear, so they think I caused that?”

  “Yes, Seraphina, it’s not that important anyway. Are you planning to intervene?” A man in a hooded cloak spoke, his voice slow and regal.

  “Not yet, let me enjoy this beauty a little longer, it’s so beautiful.” She admired her long red hair, indulging in her own beauty.

  “Ah, this feeling is irresistible, it’s so stimulating.” She said, lost in her infatuation with her beauty.

  Another man approached, dressed like everyone else in the room. He looked at her for a moment before speaking.

  “Why her? Don’t you like Selena?” His voice was calm, yet mocking.

  “That’s a good idea, I thought about it, but I think it’s more interesting to let her obey.”

  Seraphina laughed nonchalantly and wildly as she spoke of the disrespect.

  “Good idea.” He smiled faintly, a chillingly supportive smile.

  Then, the kingly figure ascended the high platform in the church, Seraphina also stopped what she was doing and walked, thirteen figures gathered around a coffin the size of a table, behind them all, a clock ticking backward.

  “Let ‘Inversion’ invade, let it stir up heaven for ‘Her Excellency.’”

  “For a greater ‘Painting’ that remains unfinished, let Inversion devour everything, and claim ‘■■’ for itself.”

  All thirteen figures spoke in unison, creating a declaration that echoed throughout the cathedral.

  The Thirteen Rebel had officially intervened. Outside, monsters, black-armored knights, skeletal dragons… all kinds of soldiers lined up neatly, their voices echoing like the sounds of a battlefield, cheering for this momentous occasion.

  “Long live Dystopia Realms! Long live the Thirteen Rebel!”

  “Long live Dystopia Realms! Long live the Thirteen Rebel!”

  “Long live Dystopia Realms! Long live the Thirteen Rebel!”