Seishan, the former lieutenant of the Bright Lord Gunlaug and leader of the handmaidens, was standing in front of them with a calm smile. Sunny had not seen her after the tumultuous escape from the Forgotten Shore, where she had held the line as the commander of the second defense bulwark of the Dreamer Army.
He had thought that becoming a Master would make him less susceptible to her presence, but it did not. Her striking beauty, her exotic looks, and the aura of mystery that surrounded Seishan were just as compelling as ever. The knowledge of how frightening her true nature was also made it impossible for him to remain unaffected.
Not to mention the most important fact of all…
Seishan was one of the adopted daughters of Ki Song, the ruler of the great Song clan and one of the three Sovereigns.
If anything, knowing more about her background only made Sunny pay the beautiful woman extra attention.
'What the hell is she doing here?'
Seishan, meanwhile, looked at the other members of the cohort and said with a small, but seemingly sincere smile:
"Athena, Kai, Cassia… Sunless. It is good to see you doing well, too."
Effie gave her a long look, then shrugged.
"Likewise. How have you and your girls been?"
After the return from the Forgotten Shore, half of the members of the former Dreamer Army had decided to follow Cassie and became known as the Fire Keepers. Of the remaining half, most had chosen a different path, either remaining independent like Sunny and Aiko or joining various Legacy clans. All the surviving handmaidens, however, had followed Seishan back to Song.
Just like that, the great clan had not only received its lost daughter back, but also earned the utmost loyalty of a dozen extremely promising recruits.
Come to think of it, that might have been one of the reasons why Valor wanted to gain the allegiance of the Fire Keepers so badly.
A group of exceptional and supremely battle-hardened Awakened might not have been able to change the balance of power between the two great clans immediately, but in a few years, when the survivors of the Dreamer Army started becoming Masters or maybe even Saints, eventually, that could easily change.
Seishan responded in a serious tone:
"We are doing well. My clan embraced us with open arms. After reuniting with my sisters, I was also able to bring a lot of value to the Song family with my unique knowledge and experience… the long years I had spent on the Forgotten Shore were not for naught."
She had been stuck in that hell for far longer than any of them. In fact, Sunny did not know how many years Seishan had spent in the Dark City, exactly, but it might have been as high as nine or ten.
Being able to survive and hold on to power for so long spoke a lot about how resourceful and dangerous the daughter of Ki Song was… especially considering that, in the end, she was the only one of the old guard who had managed to escape.
No wonder the great clan was so eager to get her back.
Seishan looked at them and smiled.
"Of course, we have yet to achieve the same measure of success as the five of you. Reaching Ascension so soon after becoming Awakened is no small feat. You have my respect."
Her smile paled a little.
"...I will be going away to challenge my own Second Nightmare in a few days, as a matter of fact. This ball is the last opportunity I have to experience the wonders of the waking world before that."
She looked around wistfully and sighed.
'So… she is also in a hurry to become a Master, huh?'
Sunny stared at the grey-skinned beauty with a bit of apprehension. Seishan was already scary enough as an Awakened. How much more powerful would she become after Ascending?
Kai offered the former leader of handmaidens a reassuring smile.
"I am sure that you and your cohort will do fine. The Second Nightmare is a terrible challenge, but people who survived the Forgotten Shore are suited to face its dangers more than anyone else. You will triumph."
Before Seishan could answer, Nephis finally spoke. Looking at the daughter of Song impassively, she said in her usual even tone:
"I have to admit… I am surprised to see you here."
Seishan lingered for a moment.
"Oh. You must have heard about the recent disharmony between Song and Valor. Do not pay it too much attention, Lady Nephis. Despite our disagreements, it is still important to present a united front. I am here to keep up appearances."
Changing Star thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand… you are here to send a message. However, I find it curious that a junior member like you was chosen above more senior representatives of the great clan Song. One can't help but wonder what message exactly such a choice is intended to deliver."
Seishan's smile widened a little.
"Well… it is not my place to question the decisions of the elders. In any case, I am very happy that I got the chance to see you all again. While we were never truly friends, I value what you have done for me and my wards, as well as what we went through together, a great deal."
Her pearly teeth glistened in the bright light of exquisite chandeliers, suddenly seeming much sharper.
"I hope that we will be able to deepen that bond one day. Of course, whether or not it blossoms into a real friendship depends on our decisions."
Sunny sighed.
'Ah…'
Seishan looked at them one last time. Strangely, her gaze lingered on him for a few extra moments. Then, she politely excused herself and left to mingle with other guests of the ball.
'So that's what it was all about.'
Her meaning was more than clear. Clan Song decided to not go as far as making an earnest effort to spoil the negotiations with Valor and try to recruit the members of the cohort and the Fire Keepers into its ranks instead.
However, they did issue a warning… make the right decision if you know what's good for you.
Stay away from our rivals… or else.
That threat might have been packaged into an exquisitely beautiful cover, but the underlying message remained quite clear.
Looking at the back of Seishan as she was walking away, Sunny shook his head.
'Did I somehow end up involved in… politics? By the Spell, I did, didn't I? Curses… why can't a guy just grow stronger than everyone in the world and unreasonably rich in peace?!'