“Paladin to East Essence 3. Your move Olana,” Alister let out a sigh as he looked at the expensive board game, whose pieces moved in response to vocal commands.

The game was skirmish, one so old even Alister remembered a rudimentary version of it from his old life, 10 units, 18 pieces, and a large board divided into 9 sections, as well as three subsections. Nobles apparently liked to use it as a way to brag about their strategic skill. For Alister, it was just something to pass the time with, after all, no board game could ever account for the chaos factor of battle. One of his pupils was obsessed with the game, however, so he ended up playing it at least once a day.

“Hmmm, um… I have 3 turns until my dragon wakes up… Ranger to North-East Negal 2…” Olana mumbled as she looked down at the board. The dragon was a piece that took up 2 squares and took 10 turns before you could move it. While it seems bad, its strength was worth it. It could move in any direction and take out two units at once if they were next to each other. It also took 3 hits to fully remove it from the playing field.

“Olana, I appreciate you trying to help me pass the time, but must you play the game hanging upside down from a rope?” Alister asked as he watched her gently sway side from side, over the past 4 days he had become a bit closer with the twins, Harriet's rambunctiousness was befitting a hyper child, but Olana was… weird to say the least. He saw her when she had to talk to some servants, for almost anyone who wasn't family she was like a statue. An unfeeling ice-cold face. However if in private well…. It seemed whatever stories that Duke Xalo told her really went to her head, as even now during a game of skirmish she was practicing her “Kunoichi Training” she heard about from Duke Xalo.

“It’s for my training, I told you…. Besides, you’re the one who got grounded to just stay in the main house all day, not much to do but train and play board games,” she stated flatly as her tail swayed opposite to the sway of the rope, “Honestly, to fight something so much stronger than you is suicidal. You're just lucky you produced results. Dad almost fainted hearing what happened to you three.”

Alister could only reply with a sigh, she was right, and the entire family scolded him one by one. Well, Marabel’s scolding was more of a slap on his back that still left a red handprint between his shoulder blades… “I know but still, surely there's something to do, if I try to leave the guards would report it without hesitation,” he mumbled. He wanted to go to the royal library, to see if he could find any information about the strange dream he had about Demerieth a while ago. He had had no luck in the family mansion this far.

Olana paused before looking around, whispering “Um… I could help with that if you really want to go outside.”

Allister looked up. “Really, you know a way to get past the guards?” he asked her, doubting her words. She was just a kid, after all, sure a stealthy one but still a kid.

“Well, I could tell you, but you don't seem to respect the amazing ways of the kunoichi,” She said, looking away, taking a small sip of tea before her eyes widened and she started coughing. Alister merely watched without sympathy for the girl who tried drinking tea upside down.

Watching her set the tea down and twirl around to land in the chair below her, Alister sighed. “I’m sorry for not believing in the amazing ways of the mystical Kunoichi,” he said with a deadpan voice.

Olana smiled slightly before replying, “Good, go grab your allowance and meet me on the third floor near the old Master’s Study.”

Alister watched her dash off with her arms held backward and just shook his head. What would he need the money for? Nonetheless, he followed her instructions, and ten minutes later he stood outside the door to the old master's study.

“Olana, I’m here,” he whispered, a click was heard before the door opened, Olana waiting inside donned with a cloth mask and a cloak concealing her whole body, another set being tossed in Alister’s hands.

“Put those on and lock the door with the key on the desk, I’ll start getting things ready,” Olana whispered before she began rummaging around a drawer. Alister looked around the study as he got his cloak and mask on. A desk across from the door, bookshelves lining the walls behind it, the wall on the right of the desk had a large painting of a group of warriors fighting a dragon, and on the other side a fireplace with a bust atop it.

“Here it is,” Olana said as she took out some strange metal object.

Alister couldn't tell what it was supposed to be but he understood what it probably was. “I guess that's the key, pretty weird looking?” Alister asked as Olana walked past him to the bust.

“Yeah, I discovered this by reading through some of Dad’s files… Don’t tell him I sneak into his office to read his files, he says I can’t read those until I’m 15,” she said with some hint of joy, pressing the stone necklace on the bust, light bursting forth from it.

“...ah I get it, a shadow puzzle huh?” Alister said, walking over, helping Olana rotate the strange metal object until its shadow perfectly lined up with the dragon in the painting. “I didn't think they would still be used nowadays,” He mumbled while watching the painting in the frame quiver before vanishing, a passageway with a ladder revealed.

“Come on!” Olana said, jumping into the passage and sliding down the ladder.

“Seems she's much more energetic when stuff like this is involved,” Alister thought to himself. Descending the ladder he was greeted with a decently large underground tunnel, most likely an escape route leading out of the grounds. Olana was already running down the passageway.

Alister shook his head and ran after her. “Olana, wait up!” he said, watching her take a turn. Speeding up and quickly taking the turn as well he let out a grunt as he slammed into the back of Olana.

“Augh! Olana why’d you sto-'' he began to ask before freezing. “H-how….” he muttered as he looked past her.

Duchess Alliana was calmly sitting in a cushy-looking chair, a table beside her. Stirring a cup of tea with a spoon, she looked up and smiled, “Hello children, what brings you here?”