Verdant Skies

Glancing toward where Koumei was tapping a pen against the table, Kouen's eyebrow twitched though he bit back a sigh of irritation. A glance towards the library's entrance as the doors opened revealed only an attendant entering and moving towards one of the nearby shelves carrying a small stack of books. His eyes narrowed as they went to the window, he felt his brows furrow as confusion swept through him. As per their agreement last night, Iris was supposed to be stumbling upon them right about now. But there didn't seem to be a sign of the woman, he doubted she was one to forget important meets, so where could she be?

With their plans to make a show of him growing closer to her, Kouen doubted Iris would miss out. And as she had been punctual so far, the fact she'd apparently missed a meeting was cause for concern. Eyes turning towards Koumei, he met his younger brother's eyes while speaking in a low tone, "Mei, I believe something is amiss."

Jolting a bit, Koumei dropped his pen as a grimace played across his lips, "I was just thinking that, En. Iris hasn't shown herself to be anything save for punctual," He held worry in his eyes, "And with how important this is, she wouldn't miss it."

"So something is either holding her up," Kouen leaned forward a bit, "Or something else has happened. We'll wait her for a little bit longer,"

Left unsaid was the plan to search for Iris if she didn't show up within that time period, Kouen wasn't about to let a new ally become injured on his watch. There was a simmering twist of worry in his gut, it hissed about what could've possibly happened to her.

Body convulsing even with the shocks dissipating from it, Iris struggled to regain control of herself. Not even a few seconds into the meeting with Lord Habi, he'd decided to torture her for one reason or another. Breath coming out in short bursts, she cracked open her eyes as the man paced not far from where she'd fallen. He was muttering to himself and toying with something in his hands. Despite the pain surging through her body, she forced herself to focus on the situation as the man before her seemed far more deranged than normal which didn't spell well for her.

Managing to push herself into a sitting position as her muscles protested, Iris scanned the room carefully though found her eyes going back to Lord Habi. The object in his hands was something she'd always disregarded though for some reason it almost seemed to glow at that moment. Pale white and the size of a golf ball, the edges turned crimson when they came into contact with Lord Habi's skin. At the center, it almost looked like there was some symbol though it vanished when she tried to focus on it. Something about it though, she felt as if she'd seen it before. Mentally promising to remember and tell the others about this later, she forced herself up onto her knees as Lord Habi seemed to remember that she was present.

Lips pulling into a scowl, Lord Habi stormed towards her though she refused to show any form of fear to him. Jaw clenching as she locked eyes with him, she raised her head, "What is the purpose of all this, Lord Habi?"

Scowl transforming into a sneer as she challenged him, Lord Habi reached out and grasped her chin as Iris's ears picked out a subtle humming coming from the object in his other hand. Alarm darted through her though she forced it back as Lord Habi's fingers dug into her skin, he hissed at her, "You dare question my methods, my dear Iris?" She felt the collar tighten, "Perhaps I should remind you of your place," A wave of shocks raced down her skin from the collar as the humming sound grew stronger and Lord Habi's lips pulled into that wicked grin it always did when the pain wasn't too far away, "This is your punishment, Iris. A reminder of what happens when you fail me."

Nails biting into the plush carpet below her, Iris' jaw clenched as she bit out, "Failure? You're the fucking failure when you expect results so quickly."

A new wave of sparks rushed through her body as Lord Habi's eyes flashed in anger and she gasped as he tossed her away from him. He snarled at her, "You little-"

"But I can take whatever you dish out," Iris forced out through the pain as her eyes met Lord Habi's, "No matter what, I will not bow down and you damn well know that. My loyalty is due to this collar not out of love or respect-"

Throat feeling as if it were being crushed, Iris's hands went to her throat as panic rushed through her. She didn't even have to hold back the screams of pain that wanted to leave her throat as intense shocks of pain raced through her body making it feel as if someone had injected lava into her veins. When darkness was thick in her eyes and agony was the only thing keeping her awake, the collar finally loosened and the pain lessened though not by much. Cruel hands lifted her almost gently, Lord Habi's voice carried venom beyond anything she'd heard, "You would do well to remember your place, my dear. And to learn some respect, I might have to take drastic measures otherwise."

Whether it was her body responding to the wishes buried deep inside it or not, Iris coughed up a mixture of blood and spit right in his face. Wheezing as she struggled to breathe properly, she gasped out, "Y-you'll never make me bow."

Tossing her back onto the ground as he reached up to wipe the spittle from his face, Lord Habi's expression twisted into one of anger though his voice was soft, "Such defiance," He moved away from her, "I suppose it's something to respect...this spirit of yours, my darling little toy," He let out an exaggerated sigh, "But it will be your undoing in the end," She felt alarm rush through her as he began walking towards the door while the pain started to intensify, "Oh, I do so enjoy the process of molding my broken toys."

As the door shut behind Lord Habi, Iris's world dissolved into one of agony and darkness. Though despite what the man would like to think, she would not break. She couldn't with what was at stake.

Grabbing Kouha by the back of his kimono dress, Koumei stopped the boy's pacing and dragged him over to Kouen's bed, forcing him to sit down. Scowl firmly in place, Kouha snapped at him as irritation and concern bled from his body in waves, "What are you doing, Mei? I have to-"

"Do what?" Koumei kept his tone calm despite dearly wishing he could give into the urge to snap at Kouha, "Pacing around or running off will only waste energy, Ha," He pressed a hand to Kouha's shoulder, "Staying calm and thinking rationally will be the only things that can help right now, we don't even know if Iris is in trouble,"

"But-Mei," Kouha shook his head, "Disappearing for an entire day? That's not right-"

"It isn't," Koumei looked over to where Kouen was looking over a map of the city and castle that one of their spies had sent them, "But for the moment, we can't do anything without more information. So we'll work on gathering what information we can," Kouha's expression twisted a bit, "Iris is strong, Ha. She's survived a lot from what we've learned. And on the off chance she's gone into hiding for some reason, she more than likely has a reason for it,"

"I..." Kouha nodded slowly.

"As we haven't been in contact with Iris's companions since our meeting, we don't have eyes in the castle outside of our men," Kouen spoke as he looked up from the map, "No one has had eyes on Iris, but it doesn't mean she isn't in the castle. But on the off chance she's managed to leave without anyone noticing, we'll send a messenger-"

All three of them jolted as a loud knock echoed through the air, Koumei's eyes met Kouen's as his elder brother called for whoever it was to enter after shifting around some papers to cover their map. As the door swung open and admitted a heavily panting Ron, Koumei's eyebrows scrunched together. He felt himself freeze as the man hissed, "Iris-she's been hurt bad."

"What?" Came from all three princes.

Taking a few deep breaths to gather himself, Ron continued, "I was just coming off duty by Lord Habi's solar when they were bringing her out. I...seeing her like that, it brings back memories of when that bastard first forced her into the collar," The ginger-haired man was trembling slightly, "I couldn't even get close. They kept shoving me away though one of them said I'd be able to see her in the dungeons."

Sharing alarmed looks with his brothers, Koumei's heart felt like it had dropped into his stomach and was being squeezed. He forced himself to focus, "Seems trying to play things slowly won't work, we'll need to speed things up," He looked towards Ron, "Ron, is there any way you can contact your other friends? Get them appraised of the situation at hand and have them meet up with our army?"

"No problem," Ron nodded with a slight frown.

"Good," Koumei looked over at Kouen, "En, do you-"

"Playing things slowly won't work if one of our allies is incapacitated," Kouen set a hand on the table and gave Ron a look, "Get us information on where she is and how bad her injuries are, it will allow us to plan out how to rescue her. Once she's in our hands, we'll focus on freeing her from that collar,"

"I-" Ron had a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Go, we have little time to waste," Kouen's voice carried his most no-nonsense tone.

Snapping to attention, Ron nodded quickly, "Right, I'll go meet up with Hermione and Ginny. I...Thank you-"

"Wait until Iris is in our hands before you thank us," Kouen cut him off.

Giving another nod to Kouen, Ron left the room. Kouha spoke with his body and voice trembling, "Lord Habi...that bastard is hurting her-"

"He'll get what's coming to him, Ha," Kouen assured Kouha, "For now, we get that information from Iris's companions and work on freeing her,"

Moving over to where Kouen was uncovering the map, Koumei eyed it carefully as he muttered, "This is still somewhat unlike you, En."

Arms crossing as Koumei looked up at him, Kouen snorted softly, "Allowing anyone we become allies with to stay in such a situation is foolish, I will not allow that bastard to chain a dragon to him any longer."

Within the depths of the castle's dungeons, Iris lay locked in a dimly lit cell that stank of mildew and old blood. The flickering light from a single torch on the wall cast eerie, dancing shadows that played tricks on her senses. Rough stones covered in layers of grime and dampness that seemed to seep through the very pores of the rock made up the walls, the persistent chill they emanated sank into her bones uncomfortably. The air was thick with the musty scent of centuries-old confinement, and the acrid aroma of dampness clung to her skin. Along a tiny trench that ran through the floor, a trickle of water trailed down from the single window overhead. It was her only connection to the outside world, offering a glimpse of the sky during brief moments when Lord Habi allowed her respite from her torment. Sunlight filtered through the narrow window, casting a slender beam of golden light onto the stone floor, the only touch of warmth she could hope for.

Devoid of any comfort, the cell's floor was hard and uneven, with only a thin layer of straw strewn about in one corner as a makeshift bed. Heavy chains hung from the walls and ceiling, the dark metal a chilling reminder of her captivity though they hadn't been used on just yet. The occasional scurrying of rats along the cracks in the stone walls added to the unsettling atmosphere. The constant sound of dripping water echoed through the chamber acting as a somber and haunting lullaby. Once in pristine condition, Iris' clothes had become tattered and dirtied during her time in the dungeon. Patches of dried blood dotted her visible skin alongside bruises in a brutal mosaic, a result of Lord Habi's most recent bout of frustration over her lack of breaking.

Hearing footsteps approach her cell, Iris's heart skipped a beat as anxiety reared up though she'd already begun to resign herself to another beating. Only when the guards stationed around her cell fell to the ground unconscious did the anxiety leave, Ginny stepped into view looking pale as she slid to her knees against the bars, "Ris..."

"Gin," Iris croaked out though even speaking hurt.

Eyes filled with pain and sorrow, Ginny's face was pale as she reached through the bars towards where Iris lay against the wall. Despite the pain running through her body, she managed to raise a hand and grasped the ginger-haired witch's. Ginny murmured, "Look at what he's done to you, Ris. When Ron sent that message-" She looked away and shook her head as tears fell, "Damn it."

"I-I can handle it," Iris rasped out.

"The fuck you can, Ris," Ginny scowled as she looked back at Iris, "Even your fingers are trembling, you're barely able to speak. We need to get you the fuck out of here and somewhere safe-"

"And what then? Lord Habi-" Iris cut herself off as she remembered the object Lord Habi had been holding, "Gin-I think I know how Lord Habi's controlling the collar,"

"What?" Ginny's face scrunched up in confusion, "How? When did-"

Both of them froze at the sound of a door opening overhead, Ginny cursed softly under her breath. Iris forced her fingers to tighten around Ginny's bringing the other woman's eyes back to hers, "That ball he's always playing with? The one none of us pay much attention to? That's what I think he's using to control the collar, Gin. Get it away from him, we won't know if it's the real deal until after we get it away from him."

"I-" Ginny groaned as footsteps began to sound on the steps leading down to this level of the dungeons, "Fine, I'll talk with Hermione and the others. It won't be easy-" She shook her head and released Iris's hand after glancing towards where the footsteps were coming from, "I gotta go. Ris, please, you gotta stay strong. We're going to get you outta here one way or another. Got it?"

Offering Ginny a small smile despite how much the action hurt, Iris murmured, "Never thought you'd ever leave me to rot, Gin. Now go before they catch you."

Eyes glistening with tears, Ginny shook her head, "We'd never leave you to rot, Ris. I made that promise and I'm sticking to it."

With one last glance, Ginny took off into the shadows as Iris pulled her hand back. Not too soon either as Lord Habi and a new pair of guards appeared, the man sneered at the pair of guards lying unconscious outside her cell. He kicked one of them aside while moving to open her cell, "Take them upstairs and remind them why falling asleep on the job is a bad idea."

"Yes, Lord Habi," The pair following him chorus as they began attending to their fellow guards.

Eyes rising to meet Lord Habi's as he entered her cell, Iris's heart was heavy with a mixture of hope and dread. He sneered down at her, "Still defiant I see," The pale orb drifted about his fingers lazily, "It's such a delight to see you struggle."

Lips pulled into a lazy grin, Iris wheezed out, "You're not even close to breaking me-"

Pain lanced through her, Iris barely managed to not bite her tongue. Lord Habi held the orb close to her as it hummed ominously, "You say that each time I come down here to play and yet, I can feel that you're slowly losing pieces of yourself. Soon I'll have my perfect little toy ready to obey every wish."

"N-never," Iris hissed out despite the pain.

More intense waves of shock rushed across her body, Iris's vision blacked out from the pain. In the deepest corners of her mind, she ran everything that Ginny had said over and over. She wouldn't be left alone and soon enough Lord Habi would be at her mercy instead.

Looking over the various maps that had been drawn up with multiple routes added onto them, Kouen fought against the increasing urge to just toss them all to the ground and make his way down to the dungeons now. It was far too reckless though even with Ron and Hermione both adding in their knowledge of the castle's complete layout. Every new strategy only carried more risks to either themselves, Iris, or both, the amount of care needed to be taken before they proceeded was driving him up a wall. While he normally relished in participating in complicated military strategies, the situation at hand was irritating him beyond belief.

Head jerking up as the door slammed open, Kouen's hand dropped to his sword though he relaxed at the sight of Ginny entering before frowning at the sight of her face. She looked pale and panicked as the door shut behind her. Eyes filled with urgency, she rushed over to where Ron and Hermione were standing together at the other end of the table, "She's under watch and it's bad. Like worse than we thought it would be, the bastard's getting physical with her."

Horrified gasp leaving her, Hermione clasped a hand over her mouth and looked as if she wanted to cry. Ron's lips pulled into a scowl as he slammed a fist into the table. Anger surged through Kouen, he loathed it when anyone beat a female unless it was an enemy soldier and even then, it was a last resort. There was a soft snarl from Kouha, a glance revealed that Koumei was holding their little brother by the shoulders. Despite the urge to take immediate action surging through him, he knew that someone had to keep a clear head. Speaking as his jaw clenched, he ordered, "Tell us everything you can, Ginny. If we're going to save her, we can't miss even a single crucial detail."

Swallowing heavily as she nodded, Ginny straightened and seemed to take a deep breath. She met his eyes which was no easy feat and began to explain the route she'd taken to get down to where Iris was being kept. Koumei released Kouha and marked down the route Ginny took with Ron's assistance. There was a tremble in Ginny's voice as she began to speak about her encounter with Iris, the ginger-haired woman's face was pale and her eyes troubled, "She...Even when he just started using it, she didn't look that bad. It was like every word she spoke pained her," It meant they'd have to act quickly once she was in their hands, "I...I hate knowing that she's probably being tortured as we speak."

"It won't be for long now that we know where she is," Koumei assured Ginny as he eyed the map, "Though with that collar...what we can do will be fairly limited unless something-"

"The collar!" Ginny burst out earning a group of looks and she flushed, "Iris-She might've found out how the bastards controlling it,"

"What?" Hermione whispered as she spoke for the first time since Ginny entered the room, "But how? We've been looking ever since he collared her-"

"Ris has always had keen eyes, 'Mione," Ron crossed his arms, "You can't be that surprised that she'd manage something like that, but..." He looked at Ginny with a troubled expression, "Now of all times? It's a bit..."

"I know, I know," Ginny shook her head with a frown as she looked away from them, "But the look on Ris's face, I-"

There was a shrug from the ginger-haired woman as she fell silent, Hermione let out a low sigh, "Out of all of us, you've spent the most time with Ris since we arrived. If...if you're willing to trust her on this then..."

"It's also the only lead we've got," Ron pointed out.

"Right," Ginny looked at Kouen as she said, "Lord Habi always carries this white stone sphere. It's about this size," She cups her hands which looked just a bit over the size of a walnut, "To be honest, we never really paid much mind to it. It's always been something he's had on him. But now that I'm thinking about it, he only really carried it around after Iris was collared and I've only seen him pull it out when she's around him,"

Sharing a look with Koumei, Kouen cupped his chin as he considered that. It wasn't something he was completely familiar with though he'd heard of such magics. They had only been used within stories though and never in practice. Koumei spoke pulling him from those thoughts, "That's a magical device of sorts that I've only really read about, it's been played within in theory, but never put into practice outside of stories. But if Lord Habi has managed it..."

A troubled look came over his younger brother's face prompting Hermione to ask, "Is there a way to break his hold over her?"

"We need to get the stone away from him," Koumei started with a serious expression, "Once we do, we'll be able to have our magicians work on breaking the ties it has with her collar," He looked at each of Iris's companions carefully, "If we can do that, she'll be free of that collar. But taking her from this place will be moot if that stone remains in Lord Habi's hands,"

"I'll grab it," Ginny decided earning twin noises of protest from Hermione and Ron.

"No-" The two tried to argue.

"You said it yourself that I'm the only one who's stayed beside Ris this entire time since we've arrived," Ginny's voice was filled with determination as she gazed at them both, "And outside of her, I'm the only one who can sneak around without alerting anyone to my presence. Have either of you successfully assassinated anyone before?" The stark silence that answered her earned a soft snort, "I thought so. Only Ris and I have done that kind of shit, we are the only ones capable of sneaking up on that asshole and getting that thing away from him," She turned to Kouen and jabbed a finger against her chest, "I'll grab the stone. You guys get ready to grab Ris once I've got the stone,"

Giving her a nod, Kouen watched the ginger-haired woman leave without another word. Ron slumped into a nearby seat as Hermione did the same thing. Kouha broke the silence that had fallen over them, "Iris is an assassin?"

"She has the skills for it, but she dislikes it," Hermione muttered softly, "If you gave her a choice, she'd rather spend her days painting or working in a forge," The brunette's lips pulled into a sad smile, "But she never gets the chance,"

"Once this is over, she'll have a choice," Kouen muttered while turning to the map, "Let's work on a strategy to free her,"

As her eyes slid open revealing that night had long since fallen and her cell had become pitch black, Iris' body felt far worse than it ever had before even when the collar around her neck had been new. There was a new wound on her stomach, it stung when she shifted and ached far more deeply than any other injury that had been inflicted so far. Lifting her eyes towards where she thought the ceiling was, she breathed out slowly.

There was an eerie silence in her ears, the night air drifting in had a particular bite to it. Iris inwardly jolted when the sound of a door opening echoed from overhead and swift footsteps began descending the steps. Her heart began to beat faster, she felt a bolt of anxiety and fear bite at her though forced it down. She'd deal with whatever was coming even if it was Lord Habi deciding he wanted to torment her just a bit more before finally heading to bed for the night. As bright torchlights began to fill the hallway, she heard the two soldiers outside her cell stir with one demanding, "What are-"

There was a flash of red and silver followed by the sickening sound of flesh parting as metal tore apart, Iris' heart leaped into her throat at the low grunts that were cut off. As bright light began to flood her cell, she tried to strain her eyes against it. In the brightness, she could only make out vague shapes, but Ron's familiar voice caused tears to burn the back of her eyes, "Ris..."

"Ron?" Iris forced herself up despite the pain ringing through her body, "W-what are you-"

"Rescuing you," Ron cut her off as a jingling sound echoed through the air, "We weren't about to leave you to rot,"

Relief raced through her despite the fact she'd never thought that for a moment, Iris offered him a smile as she shook her head, "Never thought that for a moment."

With a clunking thud, Ron pushed the door open and stepped inside her cell. He rushed over to her side and bent down, "You look like shit."

"It feels even worse," Iris let out a laugh that cut off into a cough earning a grimace from Ron, "I-I'll be fine-"

"Once we get you out of here," Ron bent down and picked Iris up carefully earning a low grunt of pain as the movement tugged at her injuries, "Ris-"

Shaking her head, Iris wrapped an arm around his shoulders despite the pain it caused her, "Just move, Ron. I can handle anything tossed at me."

Nodding his head, Ron moved out of the cell trying to keep his gate smooth. Iris' eyes found her second rescuer and she let out a low sound at the fact Kouen Ren of all people had apparently joined Ron. There were flecks of blood coating his face, she knew they had come from the two guards who'd been keeping an eye on her. Kouen inclined his head to her, "Let's move, we won't have much time before the castle is aware of what we've done."

"No you won't," Iris confirmed as the two began moving, "The next guard rotation...It should be soon enough,"

"It is," Ron confirmed as they began ascending the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, they paused for a long moment before exiting as a pair of guards disappeared behind a corner. With careful steps, they began making their way through the castle's labyrinth of corridors and passageways. As they were navigating a particularly cramped passageway that forced Ron to put her down, she winced a bit though passed it off with a weak smile. Each step was agony and she could barely stand Ron picking her back up once more, the change between standing to being carried caused her vision to blacken for a few precious seconds.

Tension fled her body as they made their way out of the hidden exit and towards the forest, Ron's gate becoming increasingly unsteady as they entered the forest. Blinking away the constant barrage of spots, Iris slumped against Ron's shoulder as her grips weakened though he didn't seem to notice. Only when they came to a clearing where everyone else seemed to be waiting and finally came to a stop did anyone notice, Hermione let out a shriek, "Ron! Why is Iris' blood all over you?!"

"What?!" Ron's shout was distant and distorted.

Letting out a low sound as she was set down, Iris' head was laid on something soft and warm. She found herself looking up into Kouha's worried face. Offering him a weak smile, she started to say something only to hiss when something pressed against her stomach. She groaned, "That fucking hurts."

"We need to take care of this before going anywhere," Koumei's tone was gentle, "En..."

"Move aside, I had wanted to wait until we were in a better area, but..." Kouen muttered and Iris shifted her head towards the sound of his voice.

As she managed to focus on him, Iris' eyes widened at the sight of him pointing a sword at her. Jerking a bit, she opened her mouth as Ron and Hermione both shouted, "What are you-"

"Phenex," Kouen's voice was soft and carried a gentle tone.

There was a burst of bright pink and more gentle hues of it, a song much like the ones Fawkes would sing when Iris was in Dumbledore's office echoed through the air as warmth enveloped her body. It was as if she was being cradled by feathers and bathed in hot chocolate on a winter's day. For the first time in years, she felt a sense of comfort and found herself yearning for it never to go away. Tears were running down her cheeks as the feathers pulled away, she opened her eyes to see Kouen staring down at her with an unreadable look on his face as he put the sword away.

Kouha hugged her tightly as he asked Kouen, "Is she alright?"

"Yes..." Kouen turned away as he said, "It was a lot of damage, but nothing Phenex was unable to heal,"

"Awesome," Kouha surprised her as he nuzzled her cheek like a pleased cat, "I'm glad you're alright, Iris, I was so worried,"

"I..." Iris nodded slowly.

They all turned as the leaves of some nearby bushes began jerking around before Ginny tumbled into the clearing. She panted heavily while standing up looking as if she'd gotten into a serious fight. Cuts darted across her skin, the most serious being one that went down her right arm. But clutched in her left hand was the very orb that Iris had warned the other girl about, Ginny looked relieved to see her sitting there. She spoke while straightening, "I got the orb and you got Iris out. How about we get the fuck out of here?"

"The best idea I've heard all damn day!" Kouha stood up while forcing Iris to follow after him.

Nodding with her eyes flickering to the orb, Iris was pulled by Kouha through the trees to a nearby road where a pair of carriages was waiting. Without a word to his siblings or her friends, he pulled her into one of the carriages. Rather than argue as she was far too tired to, she allowed him to pull her to sit beside him. Koumei got into the carriage with Kouen following after a few moments. Soon they were racing down the road, she found her eyes slipping closed as tiredness began to overwhelm her even as Kouha chattered away about all the things they could do once this was over.

Head slipping against the wall of the carriage, Iris' eyes met Kouen's before she finally slipped into unconsciousness and she mouthed a thank you to him.

As the carriage rolled through the night toward where their army had made its camp, Kouha settled down after realizing that Iris had fallen asleep. For once the overactive boy had settled himself and quieted, he'd become somber and thoughtful before eventually passing out himself curled against Iris' side. Lips pulling into a small smile, Koumei found himself commenting, "It seems that Iris has had a unique effect on Ha."

"So it seems," Kouen grunted as he shifted beside Koumei.

Glancing towards his elder brother, Koumei noted the contemplative look on his face and asked, "En, you've had that look on your face for a while now. Is something on your mind?"

Eyes steady on Iris, Kouen nodded as he settled his head on a palm, "When Phenex healed her earlier, I learned the true extent of her injuries, Mei," Koumei straightened at that, "I do not believe her friends are aware of just how badly that collar has been injuring her."

Gaze darting towards Iris and back to his elder brother, Koumei cleared his throat feeling concern well up, "How bad was it?"

"Extensive nerve damage, Mei. According to Phenex, the only reason she was able to heal it is due to how active the collar has been as of late and Iris' innate nature," Kouen's face darkened for a moment, "If it hadn't been for her innate nature, it's likely that Lord Habi would've killed her,"

The or worse rang clear even without being said, Koumei's stomach twisted as dread filled his heart. He peered at Iris who had wrapped an arm around Kouha's shoulders and shifted them both into a more comfortable resting position. He muttered, "She must have been in constant pain even without the collar being active...how in the world is she still sane?"

"I have no idea," Kouen's voice carried a tone that Koumei had only heard when their older cousins were being discussed, "But it just proves that we made the right call," He looked at Kouen whose eyes were locked on Iris' face, "An ally this strong is worth having on our side,"

There was an undertone there, Koumei could sense something else was on his elder brother's mind, but doubted he'd be able to force it out of Kouen. So instead, he merely shifted to lean against Kouen's shoulder meaning a glance. He spoke in a soft tone, "Now we just need to free her of the collar, I hope that the stone is what she believes it to be."

"As do I," Kouen's arm slipped around his shoulders.